Cartier Elevates the Tank Américaine with Two Exceptional New Creations

Created in 1917, the shape of the Tank watch resembles a rectangle, with its two parallel brancards that elongate its silhouette and streamline the transition between its case and strap.

Both geometric and technical, this original creative approach to the Tank watch – described by Louis Cartier as the “mother idea” – was decisive. It epitomised the Maison’s horological identity as a watchmaker of shapes and craftsmanship.

In 1921, Cartier opted for a rounded rectangle when designing the Tank Cintrée, whose shape hugs the curve of the wrist. Clean, slim and symmetrical, this fresh take on the Tank foreshadowed the Tank Américaine watch launched in 1988, whose design Cartier made more extreme with energised ultra-sleek lines.

This latest generation of Tank Américaine watches is now the subject of two exceptional new developments: the Tank Américaine Skeleton and the Tank Américaine Art Deco. Both timepieces are testament to the Maison’s watchmaking expertise, in terms of aesthetics as well as technical craftsmanship.

Tank Américaine Skeleton

For the first time, the Tank Américaine watch is equipped with the manual 1988 MC skeleton movement. Named after the year the watch was created, this movement – whose bridges are sculpted in the shape of Roman numerals – is a true Cartier signature and was patented upon its creation in 2008.

The movement, which appears to be suspended in mid-air, reflects the Maison’s creative exploration of watchmaking. Both its conception and craftsmanship are the result of constant dialogue between the various disciplines, from designers to watchmakers, within Cartier’s design studio and watchmaking Manufacture.

With the Tank Américaine, the 1988 MC movement maximises the effect of its transparency. It enhances the sculpted lines of the watch, whose design subtly evokes the geometric Art Deco aesthetic.

Crafted from platinum, the watch case (44.4 x 24.4 mm) plays with contrast, alternating between polished and satin-finish surfaces. Attention to detail is evident at every level, from the minute markers and the Cartier logo – both engraved and coated in black lacquer – to the curved bridges that echo the arched design of the Tank Américaine.

This new model is also available in rose gold, with an interchangeable alligator leather strap in burgundy or grey.

Large Tank Américaine Art Deco

With its symmetry, sculpted lines and use of perspective, this new version of the Tank Américaine watch draws inspiration from the clean aesthetic of Art Deco. It pays tribute to the essence of dandyism: a form of refined, distinctive elegance with a keen eye for detail. The designer, lacquerer and stamper worked together, in a constant state of exchange, on both its artistic and technical realisation.

Crafted from satin-finish platinum, the watch’s curved case (44.4 x 24.4 mm) frames a bold yet orderly geometric pattern, influenced by the modernist style of the era. Cartier accentuates the vanishing point of its vertical, kinetic grid with a gradient of burgundy tones on the dial, echoing the colour of the strap and the faceted ruby on its octagonal crown.

A highly technical process, several successive steps are required to create the motifs on the dial and add nuance and rhythm to their hue. A series of finishes complete the effect: sunray for the lightest elements, opaline for the darkest, and satin for the intermediate shades.

These steps are followed by a two-stage colouring process, beginning with a first coat of Galva Blakor, a nickel alloy, followed by a second coat of red-tinted lacquer, which gives the dial its characteristic warmth and richness.

A grey powder transfer is then applied, ensuring a crisp and elegant finish, before a final coat of gloss varnish protects the watch and enhances its lustre.

This watch features an interchangeable alligator leather strap and the 1899 MC Manufacture movement with automatic winding, the name of which refers to the date Cartier moved to 13 rue de la Paix.