Cartier Tank Anglaise Medium

There are certain designs that just resonate throughout the years and remain evergreen despite changing trends and tastes. The Cartier Tank, in all its 100-plus years of production, is one such design. Whether in gold (yellow, pink, or white), stainless steel, or vermeil; whether Française, Chinoise, Americaine, or Normale; the Tank by Cartier is one watch that truly deserves to be called "iconic." Cartier introduced the Tank in 1917, with a run of six pieces — given, or so the legend goes, to American General Joseph Pershing and his staff. The design of the Tank was supposedly inspired by the Renault FT-17 tanks Cartier glimpsed on the battlefield of the Great War. (Cartier took the look of the Renault Tank's treads and applied it to the lugs, which were integrated via brancards into the case itself.) That first run of six pieces increased to 33 by 1920, and by the end of the 20th century, that number stood well in the thousands. In sheer volume alone, the Tank — in all its various models — is Cartier's largest line of watches. The particular Tank we have here, an Anglaise, was part of a line introduced in 2012. With its curvilinear case and enclosed, table-cut stone crown, the Anglaise is a subtle tweak on a classic model that stands out from the crowd for its considered design. Housed in a 30mm rose gold case with a sapphire crystal and polished rose gold crown and crown protector, it features a silver guilloché, non-luminous dial with painted, black Roman indices and a blued steel 'sword' handset — the classic configuration! (It also features a handy date window at 3 o'clock for good measure.) Powered by an automatic movement and paired to a matching rose gold multi-link bracelet with a hidden deployant clasp, this Anglaise Reference W5310003 has a wonderful personality combining both classic and modern Cartier details. Pick up this great example today!