While it’s now become a particular style of watch that’s cultivated a sort of ubiquity for decades, the rectangular-shaped Tank from Cartier was considered rather avant-garde upon its debut in 1919, as it broke away from the popular round wristwatches dominating at the time.
To further that unorthodox approach, the French watchmaker decided to do something even crazier in 1928 with the Tank à Guichets — a minimalist, if not brutalist rectangular watch with a jumping hour displayed through a window. Today, these are more reminiscent of a digital clock than a mechanical wristwatch but for consumers nearly a century ago, they likely didn’t know what to make of it.
For Watches & Wonders this week in Geneva, Cartier has brought back the Tank à Guichets, and this time, it’s more faithful to the original.
Not Just Another Tank à Guichets Reissue
The Tank à Guichets was essentially made-to-order until being discontinued sometime in the ‘30s, making these original pieces pretty rare. Absent from the catalog for decades, the watch eventually made a comeback, somewhat, in 1996, with a limited-to-nine release for Antiquorum’s “Magical Art of Cartier” sale. Again, the watch came back for a slightly less-limited release of 150 pieces in 1997 for the brand’s 150th anniversary celebration, and again in 2005, this time limited to 100.
However, aside from the exclusive 1996 release, the other revivals have seen a strange repositioning of the watch’s crown. While the 1928 original featured a top-sided 12 o’clock crown, almost all of the reissues have put the crown on the right side of the case — until now.
Cartier Tank à Guichets 2025
Available in a faithful reissue of the 1928 watch, along with a modernized take, the Tank à Guichets is making a welcomed comeback — as is the 12 o’clock crown.
Let’s start with the faithful reissue, which hasn’t yet been announced with an edition size yet, if any. Sporting the same basic design from nearly 100 years ago, this version comes in either yellow gold, rose gold, or platinum. There’s the classic cutout at the top of the dial for the hours and a moving minute arc at the bottom — and that’s pretty much it! The numerals are black for the gold variants and maroon for the platinum
Housed in a 37.6mm x 24.8mm case with 6mm of thickness, the watch features a new Caliber 9755 MC manually-wound movement with a jumping hours function. Also, each variant has its own color alligator leather strap, with the platinum getting maroon, the yellow gold getting green, and the rose gold getting gray.
There’s Also a New Member
Aside from the faithful reissues, Cartier has made a cool driving-style version of the Tank à Guichets. While the basic concept is the same, with the jumping hours display and minute arc — powered by the same manual movement — the position of these windows are different.
Positioned at the top left corner of the platinum case, the hour display is facing to the right. Meanwhile, the minute arc, located at the bottom right corner of the case, is angled towards the corner. At first this positioning might seem odd, but it’s actually very useful when your arms are out in front of you, say, when you’re driving a car. You can tell the time without turning your wrist. Lefties, however, will have to read the time upside down.
Featuring the same dimensions as the previous three, this specific variant is limited to just 200 pieces. It also comes with a black alligator leather strap.
Spec Sheet
Case Size: 37.6mm x 24.8mm
Case Thickness: 6mm
Case Material: Yellow gold, rose gold, or platinum
Movement: Caliber 9755 MC manually-wound
Band: Black, green, gray, or maroon alligator leather straps
Limited Edition?: Yes, 200 (angular platinum variant) and unspecified (standard reissues)
Pricing & Availability
While we don’t yet know the price of these watches, we can assume they’ll be rather expensive, especially considering the case materials and the prices of non-limited Tank watches, which have at times gotten into the range of tens of thousands of dollars. Stay tuned to Cartier’s website for more information in the coming months.
Recap
Cartier Tank à Guichets 2025 Reissue
Cartier reissues the Tank à Guichets for the first time in 20 years, but this time remains faithful to the 1928 original with the top-side crown positioning.
