The Cartier Tank has been in production in one form or another since the late 1910s. The vintage Must Tank is the version most people meet first. It shares the familiar outline, and it comes in a wide range of dial colours. This guide covers what to look at when you choose one: the vermeil case, the dial, the two sizes, the movement, and how to tell a lacquer dial from the earlier wood Tank.
1977: the Vermeil Tank
Cartier introduced the Must de Cartier Tank in 1977. It kept the established Tank design and offered it at a more accessible price, which brought the watch to a new audience.
The case is vermeil: sterling silver with a layer of gold plating on top. The caseback tells you what you are holding. The example shown here is marked "925", the standard for sterling silver, together with "ARGENT" and "PLAQUE OR G 20M", the gold-plating mark. Reading the back is the quickest way to confirm the case material.
Colour dials
Many Must Tanks have no numerals at all. The dial carries only the "must de Cartier" signature and the double-C logo, so the colour does most of the work. Common tones include ivory, black, blue, burgundy, champagne and mahogany. The same gold frame looks quite different with each one.
These names describe the colour of the dial. They do not mean the dial is made of stone. A blue dial with a flecked surface is still a coloured dial, not lapis.
Roman numeral dials
Roman numerals are part of the Tank's character, and the Must line uses them in several layouts. Radial Romans run around the edge and point toward the centre. Roman columns stack the numerals in two vertical rows. Other dials frame a plain centre with Romans set on a contrasting border, such as silver and black, or red and gold. The case shape does not change, yet each layout gives the watch a different look.
Inside the Tank: hand-wound or quartz
Vintage Must Tanks were made with both mechanical and quartz movements. Cal. 78-1 is a hand-wound movement found in many of them. Quartz versions use calibres such as Cal. 90 and Cal. 690 and run on a battery. Which calibre is correct depends on the reference and the year, so check that the movement matches the case you are looking at.
A hand-wound Tank needs winding each day and will need regular servicing. A quartz Tank needs a battery change every few years. Both are genuine options, and the choice comes down to how you want to live with the watch.
Before the Must: the wood Tank
The wood Tank comes from the 1970s, before the Must line. The dial and the sides of the case are natural rosewood, set in a gold-plated frame with applied Roman numerals. The dial is signed "Cartier" only, without "must de". Because the material is real wood, each piece shows its own grain, and no two surfaces look exactly the same.
SM and LM: the two sizes
The vintage Must Tank comes in two main sizes. The SM measures about 20.5 × 28 mm and the LM about 23 × 30 mm (case width × lug-to-lug, crown excluded). The SM sits small and neat on the wrist. The LM is a little wider and has more presence. Measurements vary slightly by reference, so check the listing of the individual watch.
Wood or lacquer?
A brown Must dial and a wood Tank can look similar in photographs, but they are different watches. The brown Must dial is lacquer with a mahogany tone. The wood Tank uses actual wood in both the dial and the case sides.
To tell them apart, look beyond the colour. Check the construction of the case sides, whether there is real grain in the surface, and the signature on the dial: "must de Cartier" on the Must, "Cartier" alone on the wood Tank.
Must Tanks in our collection
We offer vintage Must Tanks and wood Tanks that have been checked and serviced. You can see the watches currently available on our Cartier page, or visit our Omotesando store to try them on.
