New Tank Louis Cartier watch honours a longstanding partnership
This Tank Louis Cartier limited edition sees Cartier unite with Watches of Switzerland, and honours the minimalism of the original
Launched in 1922 as a tribute to the Allied forces in Europe, the Tank Louis Cartier watch rethought the traditional aesthetic, its rectangular form standing in sharp contrast to the rounded watch dials that were prevalent at the time.
Composed of squares and rectangles, its geometrical plays gave the art deco movement a chic horological spin. Its clean lines referenced the Renault tanks on the Western Front, with the angled form reflecting a view of the tank from above, the case itself symbolising the cockpit, and the vertical edges the treads.
Louis Cartier, admiring of this elegant marriage of function and form, carried it through into his watch design. This cultural history made it a natural partner for luxury watch retailer Watches of Switzerland when it was looking to mark 100 years in the industry. Cartier has created a limited edition Tank Louis Cartier watch in tribute to its 70-year relationship with the company. Paying homage to the understated minimalism of the original, this new watch pairs a brushed gold dial with a navy alligator strap.
A version of this article appears in the April 2024 issue of Wallpaper* available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys travelling, visiting artists' studios and viewing exhibitions around the world, and has interviewed artists and designers including Maggi Hambling, William Kentridge, Jonathan Anderson, Chantal Joffe, Lubaina Himid, Tilda Swinton and Mickalene Thomas.
-
The Stuff That Surrounds You: Inside the home of designer Michael AnastassiadesIn The Stuff That Surrounds, Wallpaper* explores a life through objects. In this episode, we step inside one of the most considered homes we've ever seen, where Anastassiades test drives his own creations
-
Why are Wayne Thiebaud’s paintings at the Courtauld so tempting?The American artist’s thickly painted slices of cake at the Courtauld are some of our favourite artworks seen this year. What makes them so special?
-
Taiwan’s new ‘museumbrary’ is a paradigm-shifting, cube-shaped cultural hubPart museum, part library, the SANAA-designed Taichung Green Museumbrary contains a world of sweeping curves and flowing possibilities, immersed in a natural setting
-
Cartier’s major new exhibition opens at the V&A and it’s a gem‘Cartier’ at the V&A in London takes an epic tour through the house’s history and archives
-
Are ‘jump hour’ watches the most enjoyable trend to come out of Watches and Wonders?Watches and Wonders 2025 saw new jump hour watches from Bremont, Cartier, Gerald Charles, Hautlence, Svend Andersen and others
-
Cartier dials up the glamour at Watches and Wonders 2025Cartier revamps much-loved watch collections, from Privé and Panthère to Tank and Tressage, upping the sparkle at the watch fair in Geneva
-
Dazzling high jewellery for statement dressersIntricate techniques, bold precious stones and designs unite in these exquisite high jewellery pieces
-
Back-to-school jewels: precious pieces for new terms and fresh startsPrepare to be on sparkling form this semester – we've got your jewellery kit sorted, from a diamond alphabet to a rose-gold pencil bracelet
-
Wild beauties: high jewellery dripping with dramaThe latest high jewellery collections are fantastic and flamboyant, drawing on a wealth of influences, from a Chopin composition and César Ritz to crocodiles and colour refraction
-
Chaumet, Cartier and Chanel up their high jewellery watch game for 2024In 2024's high jewellery watch designs, performance tech and centuries-old techniques combine to brilliant effect
-
Cartier celebrates Japan’s artistic legacy in Tokyo‘Musubi – Half-Century of Cartier in Japan and Beyond’ is a major new exhibition at Tokyo National Museum, celebrating jewellery, Japanese art and creative exchange