Up Close: Cartier Tank Cintrée 100th Anniversary
Announced quietly late last year and already in stores, the Cartier Tank Cintrée 100th Anniversary (ref. WGTA0057) is a limited edition to mark the centenary of the jeweller’s formal watch for men. A handsome watch that faithfully replicates nearly all elements of the vintage original, the anniversary edition is distinct from the 2018 Tank Cintrée in both case and movement. In fact, the anniversary model is actually a revival of the 2005 Tank Cintrée. The elegance and refinement, however, comes at an unusually high price. A variety of modern-day Tank Cintrée iterations Initial thoughts The Tank Cintrée is a formal watch, with all the elegance and simplicity that dictates, while being a form watch, instead of a plain, round shape that most dress watches are. That’s the singular talent of the Tank Cintrée, explaining why it remains appealing after a century. Practically a one-to-one remake of the 1920s Tank Cintrée, the anniversary edition – like most other vintage remakes – scores high on beauty since the original was attractive, but low on imagination and novelty. And more notably, the anniversary edition is a revival of the a more recent watch, the Tank Cintrée in yellow gold of 2005 – both have the same case and movement. Perfectly executed as a remake, the anniversary edition reproduces the look of a vintage original well in all aspects. But the anniversary edition approximates how a 1920s example would look today, after a century of ageing, rather ...