Cartier Tank Must watch

When flying over the battlefields of World War I in 1917, Louis Cartier viewed the military tanks from a birds eye view and got inspired by the rectangular shape of a Renault FT-17 tank. When back on the ground he went straight to the drawing board and used the clean geometric lines for his newest wrist watch: the Cartier Tank. During the 1970s Cartier introduced a new variation of the Cartier Tank, the Cartier Tank Must. The watch was made of Vermeil (gold-plated silver) rather than solid gold and featured bold, lacquered dials in vibrant colours such as burgundy. ‘Must’ refers to ‘Les Must de Cartier’, meaning ‘Cartier essentials’. The watch was a more casual approach to luxury in comparison to Cartiers existing catalogue. It quickly achieved its iconic status, with style icons like Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana adopting the design during the 1970s and 1980s. Andy Warhol famously remarked that he didn’t wear a Tank to tell time but because ‘it was the watch to wear’. Modern day celebrities like Rami Malek, Robert Pattinson and Meghan Markle – often seen wearing Princess Diana’s Tank watches – highlight the enduring generational appeal of this timeless classic. – Model: Cartier Tank Must – Case size: 27x 20 millimeter – Case material: Vermeil (gold-plated silver) – Dial: Burgundy with vermeil hands – Band: Black leather (non-Cartier replacement band) – Inclusions: Watch only – Serial number: 3 009781