There’s a new angle on Cartier’s Tank Française, and it’s celebrated through the seventh art. British filmmaker Guy Ritchie directs American actor Rami Malek (Mr Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody, No Time To Die) and French legend Catherine Deneuve (Parapluies de Cherbourg, Indochine, Place Vendôme) as they travel through time from different eras to Pont Alexandre III, which spans the Seine. The fantasy crossing makes the film unique.
Cartier’s Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Arnaud Carrez says the film expresses the brand’s vision of watchmaking and the timelessness of its creations. French style, symbolised by the Tank and Deneuve, meets freedom and creativity linked to Paris, represented by avant-garde cinema and Malek.
Since 1917, the Tank “normale” watch has gradually evolved from its straight-line make-up of case, lugs and bracelet in one. The Tank Française debuted in 1996 with a metal bracelet in absolute harmony with the case, its name referencing the French preference for classicism and freedom of style.
In 2023, the new large model of the Tank Française has mainly satin finishes, an ultra-flexible bracelet and automatic mechanical movement. Other design features include more rounded brancards with the crown inlaid to match their profile and Roman numerals on a sunray dial highlighted by the shine of its relief.
“The new Tank Française reflects a creative conviction. Like rediscovering the raw nature of a cut stone, it was about capturing the watch’s radical shape, simplifying its essential lines, and stripping them of all embellishment to return to the myth’s origin,” says Marie-Laure Cérède, Jewellery and Watchmaking Creative Director at Cartier.
Malek says, “For me, there are two words that truly encapsulate this watch: beauty and simplicity. The continued appreciation for this watch across generations is evidence of its timelessness and the perfection of its iconic design.”
