Cartier Tank Française

The Cartier Tank Française was introduced in 1996, as a modern evolution of Cartier’s legendary Tank watch, first created by Louis Cartier in 1917. The original Tank was inspired by the clean geometry of military tanks seen during World War I — its parallel brancards resembling the tracks of an armoured vehicle viewed from above. Over the decades, the Tank became a design icon, worn by cultural figures from Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana to Andy Warhol and Yves Saint Laurent.

The Tank Française arrived in the 1990s, blending classic Art Deco lines with a distinctly modern edge.

The white gold variants, launched soon after the original steel and yellow gold models, elevated the design to fine-jewellery status. Today, nearly three decades later, the Cartier Tank Française remains one of the Maison’s most recognisable creations.