The Cartier Tank Française Watch is back in the limelight

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A unique ability to reinvent itself and stand the test of time, that it owes to the intelligence of its design. Aesthetes and artists make no mistakes: it’s their watch of choice.

2023 – a design evolution

Launched in 1996, the Tank Française debuted a metal bracelet in perfect harmony with the case, becoming an immediate member of the great Tank family. A monobloc metal design that Cartier is radicalising with this brand-new version. A new approach, both aesthetic and ergonomic, which energises the ultra-profiled lines of the watch, available in steel and yellow gold, with or without diamonds.

A heroine of past and present

An expression of a certain avant-garde spirit, the Cartier Tank Française connects us to Paris, its freedom and creativity, a cultural geography that was so well captured by New Wave cinema. It was therefore only natural to capture it on film halfway between the Left Bank and the Right Bank, a heroine of the passing of time which remains relevant today.

This film is a tribute to cinema and to the idea of creative freedom upheld by Cartier. Paris plays the lead role, surrounded by an international cast of strong personalities.

Director: Guy Ritchie, the daring English filmmaker. In the title roles: Rami Malek, one of the most singular actors of his generation, and Catherine Deneuve, the French legend of cinema and style.

She is in her leading roles, that of the Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Jacques Demy, Indochine by Regis Wargnier and Place Vendôme by Nicole Garcia and he in his role of the multi-talented artist.

Saga of the Tank

1917 CREATION OF THE “NORMALE” TANK WATCH
At the beginning of the 20th century, Louis Cartier sought a purity of shape, fitting the round hours into the line of the bracelet. Following the Santos watch, the first specifically designed to be worn on the wrist, the Tank watch took a new step in 1917: following the same straight line, the case, lugs and bracelet became one.

1922 TANK LOUIS CARTIER
Very quickly, the Maison began to offer different versions of the watch. In 1922, its case was stretched, brancards refined and edges softened: the Tank L.C. watch for Louis Cartier had arrived.

1977 TANK MUST DE CARTIER
In 1977, midway through the Must de Cartier period, a collection of vermeil watches following the form of the Louis Cartier Tank watch was launched. Its plain coloured dial with no numbers echoes the materials used in jewellery: onyx, coral, ivory, lapis lazuli, tortoiseshell and garnet.

1988 TANK AMÉRICAINE
The lines of the Tank watch will always evolve. In 1988, with the Tank Américaine, the compact rectangle of the curved case and the larger dial were in tune with the energy of the era.

1996 TANK FRANÇAISE
The Tank Française debuted a metal bracelet in perfect harmony with the case. Its name refers to a very French state of mind, between classicism and a freedom of style.

The new Cartier Tank Française: what has changed?

1 More rounded brancards.
2 The crown is inlaid to match the profile of the brancards.
3 Mainly satin finishes.
4 The sunray watch dial with Roman numerals is highlighted by the shine of its relief.
5 The bracelet forms a compact, perfectly flexible chain, a dense mesh of links that remain and move as one.
6 The new large model is equipped with an automatic mechanical movement.

Catherine Deneuve, Rami Malek and director Guy Ritchie feature in Cartier’s latest campaign film dedicated to the re-launch of the Tank Française Watch

A look back at this Parisian and cinematographic encounter experienced as a journey through time.

An expression of a certain avant-garde, the Tank Française is linked to Paris, its freedom and creativity, whose cultural geography was so well captured by New Wave cinema. 

More than 25 years after its creation, this watch is back in the limelight, remaining faithful to its iconic design whose lines Cartier has radicalised: proof it knows how to evolve with the times without ever losing its elegance, somewhere between great classicism and modern allure.

As such, it required a film to do it justice: an exquisite and cultured tribute to the passing of time, punctuated with cinematographic references against the backdrop of the Parisian sky. To direct, Cartier commissioned British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, who is best known for his ensemble cast films, creative editing and unparalleled sense of pace.

Paris takes centre stage, supported by an international cast of strong personalities: Rami Malek, one of the most singular actors of his generation, and Catherine Deneuve, the French legend of cinema and style.

It’s a story of chance and the often-funny tricks that fate plays on you, as well as the karmic links that seem to exist between certain people. Rami Malek is on one side, while Catherine Deneuve is on the other. They playfully meet as they cross the Pont Alexandre III, during different eras, creating a moment of complicity. Deneuve can be seen within her leading roles in Jacques Demy’s Parapluies de Cherbourg, Régis Wargnier’s Indochine and Nicole Garcia’s Place Vendôme, while Malek is shown as a multi-talented artist.

Two characters, two continents and two generations all linked by the same love of cinema and French culture.  “This film is an expression of Cartier’s vision of watchmaking and the timelessness of its creations. It’s a journey through time, where past and present merge, in the image of the Tank Française, a true icon of the past and present.  It also represents the meeting between French style, symbolised by the Tank and Catherine Deneuve, with the avant-garde, free and legendary cinema that Rami Malek so brilliantly conveys,” Arnaud Carrez, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer.

Guy Stuart Ritchie, biography and quote

Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 1968) is an English writer, producer and author who became famous for amalgamating genres. He’s made numerous films, ranging from iconic crime capers—Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, RocknRolla, The Gentlemen—to more commercial, criticallyacclaimed films including Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, as well as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., the live-action adaptation of the Disney film, Aladdin and Wrath of Man. He also currently has two films in post-production: Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and Onus.

“The idea behind this film is the fantasy of crossing the bridge, from one bank to the other, a metaphor for the passage of time. I didn’t want to be too precious with this story, and preferred to add a fantasy element to it. It’s more of an encounter with cinema that is not necessarily literal and precise—that’s what makes the film unique.”

Rami Malek, biography and quote

Indifferent to the preconceived ideas which relegated him for a time to stereotypical roles, actor Rami Malek follows his own path and relies on his differences. It’s this creative and spiritual uniqueness that has made him a natural ambassador for Cartier time, whose vision he shares; that of a watchmaker who is equally attached to quality of time as well as its measurement.

Born in 1981 in Los Angeles to an immigrant family, Rami Malek garnered attention in the series Mr. Robot, for which his interpretation of the main character earned him an Emmy Award and industry recognition.

His career accelerated in 2016 with the filming of Bohemian Rhapsody, in the lead role of singer Freddie Mercury. The tour de force performance won him a Golden Globe in 2019 followed by a “Best Actor” Oscar a month later.  

In 2020, he also starred opposite Daniel Craig in the 25^th James Bond film No Time To Die as the main villain.

“For me, there are two words that truly encapsulate this watch: beauty and simplicity. The continued appreciation for this watch across generations is evidence of its timelessness and the perfection of its iconic design.”