Hands-On With The 2023 Cartier Tank Américaine Large Models In Steel And Yellow Gold
At Watches and Wonders 2023, Cartier introduced the new Tank Américaine. It excited me because I had tried on an older Tank Américaine a few months before at a get-together. It was a gold version with a date and a guilloché dial, and it unexpectedly charmed me. I assumed the Tank Américaine would be too elegant and delicate for my wrist, but I liked it a lot because it’s so different from many other watches on the market. Let’s look at the updated large version in both steel and yellow gold and see whether I’m still impressed.
Together with the Tank Française from 1995, the Tank Américaine from 1989 is one of the youngest designs in the Cartier collection. Of course, it’s heavily inspired by the Tank Cintrée, which is an earlier design from 1921. Compared to that model, it has a flatter case back but still has the elongated brancards with the rectangular dial between them. The railroad minute track has a slight curve on the top and bottom, and the octagonal crown with the faceted spinel is still there. What has changed, however, is the finishing on the dial
Vertically rather than radially brushed
The outgoing Tank Américaine had a satin-brushed sunburst pattern on the dial. The new version also houses a satin-brushed dial, but here, it has a vertical finish. It looks good, but the dial is a bit more understated than it used to be. What I love is that there is that the new version lacks a seconds hand. This makes it a bit harder to see if the watch is running, but it makes the dial look so much cleaner.
Both the stainless steel and yellow gold cases are polished and brushed to accentuate the Tank Américaine’s graceful lines. The tops of the brancards have a mirror polish, while the two connecting pieces between them display a vertically brushed finish. The sides of the case are horizontally brushed to emphasize its slenderness. In addition, to improve the wearability, the strap now attaches a little further toward the end of the lugs. Thanks to this, the lug tips won’t stick out too far when the strap curves down and around your wrist. It’s a subtle change, but the difference is noticeable.
Small or large? Medium, please!
When Cartier launched this new Tank Américaine, the French Maison only mentioned mini, small, and large versions. Thus far, Cartier hasn’t confirmed whether or not a medium-size model is in the works. However, having one would make sense because the difference between the small and large sizes is significant. The mini version is 28mm long, 15.2mm wide, and 6.5mm thick. The small one measures 35.4mm long, 19.4mm wide, and 6.8mm thick. These watches house a quartz movement and are significantly thinner than their mechanically powered sibling. They both come with a pin buckle, while the bigger size includes a folding clasp.
The large versions I tried for this hands-on review measure 44.4mm long, 24.4mm wide, and 8.6mm thick. They house the automatic Cartier caliber 1899 MC, a movement developed to fit the brand’s thinner range of watches. It runs at 28,800vph and provides a 36-hour power reserve. The movement sits behind an updated case back. It’s less bulky and integrates better with the rest of the case design.
Pick your size
Suppose you’ve never worn a rectangular watch before. In that case, it might take time to get used to it, and you’ll have to try a few different sizes to get it right. As mentioned, there’s no medium version yet, so I went with the large one as I felt it would be closest to the size I’d choose. Unfortunately, it’s big for my 17cm wrist. Even though a 44.4mm lug-to-lug might not sound very long, I feel it’s too long for this type of watch. It also makes the dial look too big on my wrist; it takes up too much real estate.
As I said in my hands-on review of the Santos models last year, a Cartier watch should always be smaller than average. And the same is true for the Tank Américaine with its nearly flat backside. So, to make it sit nicely on your wrist, it’s better to choose a smaller size than you’d normally wear. However, I’m afraid that the small model, at 35.4mm long, will be a step too far for many people.
As mentioned, the large Tank Américaine comes with a folding clasp. I appreciate that you don’t have to adjust it every time you put it on, and that’s exactly why I enjoy the butterfly clasp on my Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. But with the Cartier clasp, you must fold the tip of the strap back into the buckle to size it. This feels like the wrong thing to do with the beautifully made alligator strap that comes with the watch.
Final words
I like that Cartier offers the Tank Américaine in steel because it means the watch is still somewhat affordable. The large Tank Américaine costs €6,800. In addition to the yellow gold version I tried, there’s also a rose gold version. Both cost €18,300. The platinum version will set you back €25,600.
I’m glad I spent more time with the Tank Américaine. It’s not the best-known Cartier design, but I could certainly get used to wearing one. The vertical brushing on the dial accentuates the case’s elongated shape, and I love that there’s no seconds hand anymore. If my budget allowed, I would go for the version in yellow gold. But as long as it doesn’t, the more affordable stainless steel version is an excellent alternative. Still, I think it’s baffling that Cartier hasn’t announced a new medium version of the Tank Américaine. I want to believe it’s still somewhere in the pipeline, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
What do you think of this new large Tank Américaine? Do you also think that Cartier should make a medium size? Let me know in the comments below.
