Cartier Tank

Year: 1970s

Case: Gold plated, replated

Movement: Automatic

The Tank is one of the most enduring watch designs in history. Louis Cartier introduced it in 1917, reportedly inspired by the aerial view of Renault FT tanks on the Western Front — the parallel bars of the case representing the tracks, the rectangular body the hull. Nearly every rectangular watch made since owes something to it.

This example is a 1970s automatic, gold plated. The case has been replated — not original gold, but properly done. The proportions and case lines are what matter on a Tank, and those don't change.