Cartier Tank

Last updated

Cartier Tank
Cartier Tank.jpg
Cartier 's Tank Must model
TypeDress watch
DisplayAnalog
Introduced1917

The Tank is a line of watches made by Cartier. It was created by Louis Cartier in 1917, and inspired by the new Renault tanks which Cartier saw in use on the Western Front. [1] The prototype watch was presented by Cartier to General John J. Pershing of the American Expeditionary Force.

Contents

History

The Tank was introduced in 1918, and entered full production in 1919, when six pieces were built. [2] Its lines and proportions are similar to those of tanks used on First World War battlefields. Its strap is integrated into vertical sidebars called brancards . Since its inception, variations of the watch have been released by Cartier, including the Tank Louis in 1922, the Tank Americaine in 1989, and the Tank Française in 1996. The defining features of a Tank watch include its bold Roman numeral dial with a chemin de fer chapter ring, sword-shaped blued steel hands, and a sapphire cabochon-surmounted crown.

The Tank has become one of the most stylish, sophisticated, highly coveted and copied wristwatches of all time, and has been worn by, amongst others, Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Yves Saint Laurent and Jeff Goldblum. It is generally considered to be a watch of leaders and is suitable for wearing at any occasion. [3] In 2016, the models produced are Tank Anglaise, Tank Louis Cartier, Tank Américaine, Tank Française, Tank MC and Tank Solo, each with several variants. In 2017, for its centenary, a model is offered with an automatic movement. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watch</span> Personal timepiece

A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or other type of bracelet, including metal bands, leather straps, or any other kind of bracelet. A pocket watch is designed for a person to carry in a pocket, often attached to a chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolex</span> Swiss watch designer and manufacturer

Rolex SA is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as Wilsdorf and Davis by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, the company registered Rolex as the brand name of its watches in 1908 and became Rolex Watch Co. Ltd. in 1915. After World War I, the company moved its base of operations to Geneva because of the unfavorable economy in the United Kingdom. In 1920, Hans Wilsdorf registered Montres Rolex SA in Geneva as the new company name ; it later became Rolex SA. Since 1960, the company has been owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a private family trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorinox</span> Swiss knife manufacturer and watchmaker

Victorinox is a knife manufacturer and watchmaker based in the town of Ibach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. It is known for its Swiss Army knives. The Swiss Army knives made by Victorinox are made of hardened steel. Since its acquisition of rival Wenger in 2005, it has become the sole supplier of multi-purpose knives to the Swiss army. It is the world's biggest manufacturer of pocket knives; additionally, the company licenses its logo for watches, apparel, and travel gear.

Bulova is an American timepiece manufacturing company that was founded in 1875 and has been owned by Japanese multinational conglomerate Citizen Watch Co. since 2008. The company makes watches, clocks and accessories, and it is based in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yema (watch)</span> French watchmaking company

Yema is a French watchmaking company that was founded and based in Besançon, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omega SA</span> Swiss watchmaker

Omega SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, the company formerly operated as La Generale Watch Co. until incorporating the name Omega in 1903, becoming Louis Brandt et Frère-Omega Watch & Co. In 1984, the company officially changed its name to Omega SA and opened its museum in Biel/Bienne to the public. Omega is a subsidiary of The Swatch Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patek Philippe</span> Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer

Patek Philippe SA is a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer, located in the Canton of Geneva and the Vallée de Joux. Established in 1839, it is named after two of its founders, Antoni Patek and Adrien Philippe. Since 1932, the company has been owned by the Stern family in Switzerland and remains the last family-owned independent watch manufacturer in Geneva. Patek Philippe is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world with an uninterrupted watchmaking history since its founding. It designs and manufactures timepieces as well as movements, including some of the most complicated mechanical watches. The company maintains over 400 retail locations globally and over a dozen distribution centers across Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. In 2001, it opened the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourbillon</span> Addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement

In horology, a tourbillon is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement to increase accuracy. Conceived by the British watchmaker and inventor John Arnold, it was developed by his friend the Swiss-French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet and patented by Breguet on 26 June 1801. In a tourbillon the escapement and balance wheel are mounted in a rotating cage, with the goal of eliminating errors of poise in the balance giving a uniform weight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartier (jeweler)</span> French luxury goods conglomerate owned by Swiss Richemont Group

Cartier International SNC, or simply Cartier, is a French luxury-goods conglomerate that designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells jewellery, leather goods, watches, sunglasses and eyeglasses. Founded by Louis-François Cartier (1819–1904) in Paris in 1847, the company remained under family control until 1964. The company is headquartered in Paris and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group. Cartier operates more than 200 stores in 125 countries, with three Temples in Paris, London, and New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizen Watch</span> Core company of a Japanese global corporate group based in Tokyo, Japan

Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. is an electronics company primarily known for its watches and is the core company of a Japanese global corporate group based in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan. In addition to Citizen brand watches, it is the parent of American watch company Bulova, and is also known for manufacturing small electronic devices such as calculators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audemars Piguet</span> Swiss luxury watchmaker

Audemars Piguet Holding SA is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches, headquartered in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The company was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux in 1875, acquiring the name Audemars Piguet & Cie in 1881. The company has been family-owned since its founding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of watches</span>

The history of watches began in 16th-century Europe, where watches evolved from portable spring-driven clocks, which first appeared in the 15th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolex Submariner</span> Line of sports watches by Rolex

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner is a line of sports watches designed for diving and manufactured by Rolex, resistant to water and corrosion. The first Submariner was introduced to the public in 1954 at the Basel Watch Fair. It was the first watch to be waterproof up to 100 metres (330 ft). The Rolex Submariner is considered "a classic among wristwatches", manufactured by one of the most widely recognized luxury brands in the world. Due to its huge popularity, there are many homage watches by well-established watchmakers, as well as illegal counterfeits. The Rolex Submariner is part of Rolex's Professional line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolex Datejust</span> Wristwatch manufactured by Rolex

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust is a self-winding chronometer manufactured by Rolex. Launched in 1945, the Datejust was the first self-winding chronometer wristwatch to indicate the date in a window on the dial. Today, it is available in a variety of sizes from 28mm to 41mm, in stainless steel, two-tone gold, and solid gold versions.

Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre SA, or simply Jaeger-LeCoultre, is a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer founded by Antoine LeCoultre in 1833 and is based in Le Sentier, Switzerland. Since 2000, the company has been a fully owned subsidiary of the Swiss luxury group Richemont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counterfeit watch</span> Unauthorised copy of an authentic watch

A counterfeit watch is an unauthorised copy of an authentic watch. High-end luxury watches such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Richard Mille are frequently counterfeited and sold on city streets and online. With technological advancements, many non-luxury and inexpensive quartz watches are also commonly counterfeited.

Manufacture d'horlogerie is a French language term of horology that has also been adopted in the English language as a loanword. In horology, the term is usually encountered in its abbreviated form manufacture. This term is used when describing a wrist watch movement or watchworks fabricator which makes all or most of the parts required for its products in its own production facilities, as opposed to simply assembling watches using parts purchased from other firms.

Curtis Australia is an Australian manufacturing company of luxury goods, based in Melbourne. Products manufactured by the company are handcrafted jewellery, watches and writing implements such as fountain, ballpoint and rollerball pens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memovox</span>

Memovox refers to a model series of mechanical wristwatches with alarm function of the Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Franco American literature is a body of work, in English and French, by French-Canadian American authors "who were born in New England...born in Canada, [and] spent most of their lives in New England...[, or] those who only traveled through New England and wrote of their experiences." "Franco-American literature" however, as a term, has also been characterized by novels written by the Great Lakes Region diaspora as well. In a broader sense the term is also used as a handle for those writers of Cajun or French descent, outside of the Quebec émigré literary tradition.

References

  1. "Tank". Cartier.
  2. Jack Forster (30 June 2015). "10 watches that changed the industry". CNN.
  3. Cologni, Franco. Cartier: The Tank Watch.
  4. Cologni, Franco (2012). Cartier: la montre Tank l'icône du temps. Paris: Flammarion. ISBN   978-2-08-128189-9.

Further reading