The Cartier Tank MC

Earlier this year Cartier released the Tank MC at the SIHH (Salon International Haute Horlogerie). This series of watches has placed the brand indelibly in the ranks of those elite brands capable of producing in house movements. Cartier watchmaking can be traced back to as early as 1853 with their collections of fob watches. Indeed, it is Cartier who is sometimes credited with the production of the first wristwatch that was made for friend of the house and aviation pioneer – Alberto Santos Dumont.

The original Tank watch was created in 1917 and was inspired by the military tanks that had been seen traversing the streets in front of the Maison during the First World War. The concept was simple – 4 lines connected by two parallel lines, a cabochon spinel, and a leather strap. The result was one of the most timeless creations ever in the history of Swiss watchmaking,

The Tank MC comes in four different versions – stainless steel, yellow gold, rose gold, and a skeletonized version in Palladium. The case dimensions for each of these watches comes in at 34.3 X 44.0mm with a case height of 9.5mm. Synthetic cabochon cut spinel is set into the octagonal crown in the steel version, while a blue sapphire, also cabochon cut, is used with the precious metal editions.

This model uses a sapphire case back to reveal the beautiful 1904MC movement. This 27 jeweled movement self-winding caliber features a double barrel and an airspring regulator ensuring this watch remains accurate. On the base plate and the oscillating weight, Cartier has used Cotes de Genève for decoration.

Like many other Cartier models, the Tank MC uses large Roman numerals on its dial. The dial is patterned with a fine starburst motif. The sword shaped hands are rhodiumed which contrast nicely against the dial. At the 6 o’clock position there is a subsidiary seconds counter. The date aperture is located at 3 completing the dial on this tremendous timepiece.

The watch uses an alligator strap fitted with a double deployant adjustable buckle. At this level of watchmaking, it is almost implied that sapphire crystal is used for the dial window. This model is water resistant to 30 meters. Pricing for these watches are as follows – USD$6,600 for the steel, and USD$20,800 for the gold versions.