W5330004, TANK MC, STEEL

A Cartier Tank MC, ref. W5330004, from 2015, in a 34.3mm by 44mm stainless steel case. The black guilloche dial carries Roman numerals, a small seconds at six and a date, under steel sword hands. Turn it over and the sapphire caseback shows the in-house 1904-PS MC automatic movement. It is worn on its original Cartier strap and buckle and comes as a full set.

The Tank was first drawn by Louis Cartier in 1917, its parallel brancards said to echo the tanks of the Western Front, and it has been one of the defining shapes in watchmaking ever since. For most of its life the Tank used movements sourced from outside the house. In 2013 Cartier introduced the Tank MC, the first Tank powered by a movement developed and manufactured in-house, the calibre 1904-PS MC. This example was made in 2015.

Most Tanks are slim and quiet. The Tank MC gives the same outline real presence: a deeper case, curved brancards and a black guilloche dial that turns from deep black to a fine engine-turned texture as it moves in the light. It also has a sapphire display caseback, so the in-house 1904-PS MC is there to see every time it comes off the wrist. Full set, on its original strap and buckle.