Cartier’s Privé collection is quite coveted, being developed annually as a series of limited-edition numbered watches that the brand refers to as “the collectors’ collection.” It features the maker’s most iconic and legendary models, now including the Tank Normale. As the watch that started it all it seems fitting for Cartier’s arcane collection given its own mythic associations.
The original Tank, created by Louis Cartier in 1917 and released in 1919, is one of the most recognizable designs in the history of watchmaking. It also offered a foundation for numerous variations of the Tank design that Cartier has developed in the past century, including the Normale. After a lengthy hiatus of its production, the Normale is now offered as a symbolic reference to the brand’s past and present alike.
Among the most recognizable features of the Tank is its geometric silhouette, contrasting the soft contours of the wrist with its rectangular shape. The dimensions of the new Normale have been increased in comparison to predecessors, now occupying a modernized footprint of 35.2mm x 27.8mm. Cartier is offering two iterations of the watch, one clad in yellow gold and the other in platinum. For the signature cabochon, the yellow gold version is adorned with a blue sapphire while the winding crown of the platinum model is complete with a ruby.
Maintaining the design iconography of the original, the dial includes a characteristic inner railroad track with Roman numeral indices on its exterior. Hidden within the VII numeral is the year 1917, an explicit reference to the debut year of the Tank. The yellow gold iteration sports blued hands, while the hands ticking on the platinum model share its cool-toned hue. The backdrop for both models is silvery-white in color, maintaining the sophisticated versatility that the Tank Normale is renowned for.
Ticking inside is the manual winding mechanical caliber 070. It is an 82-part movement that offers a power reserve of approximately 38 hours.
The yellow gold version is available on either a brown alligator strap or a yellow gold bracelet, while the platinum model is available on a black alligator strap or platinum bracelet. Production of the Cartier Privé Tank Normale in yellow gold and platinum is limited to 200 pieces of each metal on a strap and 100 pieces of each on a bracelet.
Pricing for the yellow gold model on a strap is marked at $31,000, pricing for the platinum option on a strap is $34,900, the yellow gold version with a bracelet is priced at $46,600, and the platinum model on a bracelet retails for $53,500.
Also joining the Privé collection, Cartier is producing 50 more Tank Normale versions in yellow gold and 50 in platinum that both have signature skeletonized movements. These skeletonized versions have slightly adjusted dimensions of 35.2mm x 27.8mm. Powered by the caliber 9628 MC, the 24-hour movement features color-matched accenting on its bridges. The 24-hour hand takes 24 hours to complete a full rotation, while the minute hand rotates once every hour. Sun-shaped bridges mark the top half of the dial, representing daylight hours, while a crescent moon accent marks the bottom half, representing nighttime.
Pricing for the skeletonized Cartier Privé Tank Normale is marked at $71,000 for the yellow gold model and $80,000 for the platinum iteration.
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