Cartier: The Tank Watch Timeless Style

The Tank Watch, the classic timepiece designed by Louis Cartier in 1917, is an icon of modern timepiece design. One of the world's first square wristwatches (the first was the legendary Santos Dumont designed by Cartier in 1904), the Tank Watch's functionality is rivaled only by its elegance; it represents a perfect combination of fine watch-making and the jeweler's art. Over nearly a century, the Tank has been creatively reinterpreted by the House in many famous models--from the Chinese Tank to the Crash Watch to the recent Tank Anglaise--while always remaining faithful to Louis Cartier's original concept. The Cartier Tank Watch: Timeless Stylecelebrates the history of one of Cartier's greatest masterpieces through designs from Cartier's rich archives, historical models, and photographs of the famous clients, from Clark Gable to Andy Warhol, who have chosen the Tank Watch as their favorite timepiece.

Franco Cologni, writer and historian, is the author of numerous books on the history of watch making and jewelry, including The Cartier Collection: Timepieces (2006) and Cartier: The Tank Watch (1998), both published by Flammarion. Éric Sauvage is a prominent luxury and lifestyle photographer.