The Cartier Tank is the perfect dress watch, at least as far as I’m concerned. The slim, rectangular proportions, the Art Deco influenced display, the cabochon crown – it’s all thoroughly iconic. However, there have been a lot of iterations of the Tank over the years, such as the Américaine, Francaise and beyond. But to me, the peak of Tank design is the Louis Cartier, named after the Parisian brand’s founder. For 2025 the model has been given an aesthetic and mechanical update with the Cartier Tank Louis Cartier Automatic, which we have been hands-on with at Watches & Wonders.
Off the bat, it measures 38.1mm x 27.75mm x 8.18mm with the signature rounded flanks that lead directly from lug-to-lug in a straight line. That makes it quite large by Tank standards and indeed it’s being marketed as a large model, but on the wrist it still has the elegance associated with the collection. The Tank as a design was inspired originally by vehicles of war, which meant they had quite severe angles but it was the Tank Louis Cartier in 1922 that softened the model to become a luxurious dress watch, hence the focus on round shapes seen here. It’s available in both yellow and rose gold, leaning into that luxury vibe.
In recent years the models that stick in my mind are 2021’s colourful red and blue editions. The new 2025 versions are a touch more subtle with classic white dials and black Arabic numerals and a central railway minute track. Instead of a grained or guilloché finish, it has a new sunray burst pattern that reminds me of action lines from a comic. It almost makes it look like the dial is jumping into warp drive, albeit a rather leisurely, refined version of warp drive. Especially as you play the light across it.
Inside, the watch houses the calibre 1899 MC from previous Américaine models. It’s an automatic movement with 40-hour power reserve, making it the first Tank Louis Cartier to feature an automatic movement this side of the century as it has predominantly been a manual collection. While manual movements build on the romance of the Tank, an automatic movement is a big step forward for modern convenience. Though it’s a little sad that you won’t have to interact with the flawless cabochon crown as much.
The combination of a fairly large (by Tank standards) case in gold and an automatic movement means the price is on the higher end at $14,900 (approx. £11,540). Though that’s by no means excessive for a gold watch in the current market. I’m just a sucker for the Tank Louis Cartier and this too-short meeting only makes me love it more.
Price and Specs:
More details at Cartier.
Do you think the Tank LC auto is a good size or too big? I worry a little bit about historical Tank sizes, but admit I’m attracted to a more assertive Tank with an automatic movement.
What is there not to like about a Cartier tank watch. The personification of elegance, (as exhibited by the fact that that Cary Grant owned a Cartier tank). For me, the only other watch of this style that gives the Cartier tank a run for its money is the JLC Reverso. Both gorgeous so a hard choice to make. Despite their highly deserved placings in the watch world, they are both available to us normal folk as the prices are (fairly) realistic when viewed against some other high end makes.