The Cartier Tank à Guichets was one of many stars of Watches and Wonders 2025, and lots of favored how a lot this newest mannequin was devoted to its predecessor – featured beneath – which launched in 1997. The unique Tank à Guichets launched means again in 1928.

On this article from 2017, Cartier collector and skilled George Cramer (RIP), describes his first encounter with the Cartier Tank à Guichets.

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Cartier Tank à Guichets. I hardly dare to say the identify out loud.

Cartier Tank à Guichets in platinum (photograph courtesy Geo Cramer)

That is the Tank I’ve at all times dreamed of dealing with, however one thing I’ve by no means been capable of do in all of the years that I’ve been following “La Maison” to any attainable occasion.

Don’t get me mistaken: the Tank à Guichets was by no means my grail watch. That honor belongs to the Tortue XL in platinum.

No, the Tank à Guichets, which dates again to 1928, was at all times considerably holy for me. It was a kind of watches that I believed I’d by no means have the ability to deal with up shut attributable to the truth that there are so only a few in existence.

Cartier Tank à Guichets (left) and a Louis Cartier XL (photograph courtesy Geo Cramer)

I’ve seen a couple of, in fact, however at all times behind glass at exhibitions like “The Energy Of Fashion” in Prague, “Time Artwork” in Zürich, and at the newest exposition in London, “Cartier in Movement,” which primarily exhibited classic Cartier watches and clocks.

Cartier has some stunning examples of the Tank à Guichets in its non-public assortment. this watch behind glass and having it in your fingers are two utterly various things, although, and when the chance offered itself to {photograph} an instance, my enthusiasm kicked into overdrive.

So what’s so particular in regards to the Cartier Tank à Guichets?

Over time Cartier has made many watches which can be very particular or actually unique, such because the Tank Cintrée and the Tortue Minute Repeater.

However the Tank à Guichets is the one watch that’s so very totally different from another watch in Cartier’s assortment, previous and current – and that over a full 90 years.

Cartier Tank à Guichets in platinum (photograph courtesy Geo Cramer)

Showing in 1928, the Tank à Guichets was Cartier’s first leaping hour wristwatch. You possibly can name it a mechanical digital watch – or perhaps a mini Zeitwerk in case you like, simply 80 years earlier.

No matter you name it, Cartier was forward of its time; this uncommon Tank wrote historical past and was for a few years Duke Ellington’s watch of alternative.

Two digital watches aspect by aspect on the wrist: the Cartier Tank à Guichets and the Apple Watch (photograph courtesy Geo Cramer)

Except for the unique of 1928, there was a smaller Tank à Guichets produced in 1996 with its crown at 12 o’clock in a restricted version of simply three items in 18-karat yellow gold and three in platinum.

The platinum Tank à Guichets I function on this article was launched in 1997 to commemorate Cartier’s one hundred and fiftieth anniversary.

It was 2005 when the final 100 Tank à Guichets fashions ever made arrived within the boutiques. That model was in pink gold with a big crown on the 3 o’clock place.

The faceted ruby cabochon within the crown of the Tank à Guichets in platinum (photograph courtesy Geo Cramer)

Like all fashions of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary assortment, this platinum Tank à Guichets sports activities a ruby cabochon within the crown, which is barely smaller than the crown on the pink gold mannequin launched in 2005. Except for the case metallic wherein the watch is crafted, the one distinction between the 2 fashions will be discovered of their barely different-sized crowns.

Each have in any other case the identical dimensions and share the identical guide wind 9752MC caliber produced by Piaget for Cartier.

The Tank à Guichets is a real Tank

The Tank à Guichets is in each sense a real Tank; the foremost distinction between this watch and all different Tank watches is the “closed” dial aspect wherein there are simply two apertures: one for the slowly transferring minutes and one for the leaping hours, which make one quick soar ahead on the prime of each hour.

The case and dial look a bit like one piece of strong metallic.

Engraved case again of the Cartier Tank à Guichets in platinum (photograph courtesy Geo Cramer)

Sure, the Tank à Guichets will flip 90 years outdated in 2018, however I doubt if that might be a cause for Cartier to launch one other model. The watch trade has confronted robust instances over the previous few years, which makes the creation of commercially profitable watches a necessity greater than ever earlier than.

So I’m afraid we might not see one other Tank à Guichets any time quickly. That is such a distinct segment look ahead to specialist collectors so it’s only ever produced in small restricted editions – making it onerous to supply inside an inexpensive worth vary.

However with Cartier we by no means know what’s going to occur: “La Maison” surprises us again and again.

Cartier Tank à Guichets in platinum on the wrist (photograph courtesy Geo Cramer)

For extra data, please go to www.en.cartier.com/collections/watches/mens-watches/tank/tank/1928-tank-guichet.html

Fast Info Cartier Tank à Guichets
Case: 26 x 37 mm, platinum
Motion: manually wound Caliber 9752MC produced by Piaget for Cartier
Features: soar hours, disk minutes
Limitation: 150 items
Yr manufactured: 1997

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