FRENCH TWIST

Cartier brings the Tank Frangaise back to life with a fresh, new look, accompanied by a New Wave-inspired film

- KC YAP 

BORN IN 1996, the Tank Française debuted a wholly steel design with distinctively pointed shoulders, defined edges and a metal bracelet. The watch took the liberty of perfectly blending the timeless elegance of the great Tank family, whose lineage dates all the way back to 1917, with sporty, razor-sharp sleekness. Today, Cartier has reenergised the ultra-profiled lines of the watch in steel and yellow gold, with or without diamonds.

“The new Tank Française reflects a creative conviction. Like rediscovering the raw nature of a cut stone, it was about capturing the watch’s radical shape, simplifying its essential lines and stripping them of all embellishment to return to the myth’s origin,” explained Marie-Laure Cerede, Cartier’s jewellery and watchmaking creative director.

Featuring a more rounded silhouette, the modern Tank Française has an inlaid crown that matches the profile of the brancards. Mainly satin-finished, the sunray watch dial with Roman numerals is highlighted by the shine of its relief. The bracelet forms a compact, perfectly flexible chain, a dense mesh of links that remain and move as one. The new large model is equipped with an automatic mechanical movement.