Some will say this is a headline that’s been coming, many more will step into the story without knowing what to expect. At Watches And Wonders, the watch fair taking place – via the web – in Geneva this week, Cartier has reintroduced its silent icon, the Tank Must.
For contemporary style mavens who have been lauding the 1970s, Warhol-era original Tank Must, particularly in its burgundy-dialled livery, this will be a moment of mixed emotions: satisfaction that their appraisal of the dandyish design as a thinking man’s classic has been recognised with a reissue, but perhaps a little disappointment that their secret is now, finally, out.
Antoine Pividori
If there is a downside to being a brand with a genuine design icon on its books then it’s surely the challenge of keeping that product exciting and fresh, without messing up the things that made it iconic in the first place.
Cartier introduced its Tank in 1917, said to be fashioned after the shape of tank treads. It was at the forefront of a craze for rectangular watches at the time, but its position as a unisex classic has endured way past that – for over 100 years. (Celebrity fans are legion but they include both Clark Gable and Fred Astaire and Princess Diana and Michelle Obama. Andy Warhol was a fan too, offering the waspisly Warholian quote: “I don’t wear a Tank to tell the time. In fact, I never wind it. I wear a Tank because it’s the watch to wear.”)
Cartier Reveals New Watch Collections for 2021
Cartier Reveals New Watch Collections for 2021
The maison of luxury timepieces unveils new collections for Watches & Wonders
The maison of luxury timepieces unveils new collections for Watches & Wonders
April 7, 2021
With the shift of Watches & Wonders 2021 to a virtual week of ticking collections, the Geneva-based trade show will be playing host to the kinds of luxurious timepieces that seem like a dream to obtain during this time. But with an eye on reinvention for their spot at the convention, Cartier is bringing collections new and old to the table.
Cartier Libre
Cartier’s offerings for Geneva’s Watches & Wonders feature several new watchmaking novelties that aim to revamp some of their classic collections. Chief among them is the Cartier Tank, which they’ve combined with one of their other popular releases, the Must, to create the Tank Must for 2021, a combination of Tank’s sturdiness with Must’s elegance.
Cartier Kicks Off Watches and Wonders With a Must-Have Take on the Tank esquire.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from esquire.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.