Cartier

Though surpassed nowadays by the Louis or Cintrée in terms of fame, the very first Cartier Tank was the Normale. The rectangular case paired with square dial was directly influenced by the Renault FT-17 tank, seen on the battlefields of World War I. Released immediately after the war, these watches went against the grain of the mainstream school of dress watch design, which was dominated by curved and organic case shapes. 

The Normale can very much be considered as the pioneering model, the watch that laid the foundations for Cartier and indeed all square watches which now thrive in the market, though at the time was probably considered overly progressive to succeed. Later models in the family such as the Louis did away with the slab-sided case flanks and ‘Brancard’ bezel design, resulting in the more refined and elegant aesthetics of better known Tank models.

The present example cased in rare white gold, belonging to a later recreation of the original Normale design and made in the 1980s by the Paris workshop, pays tribute to the genius and initiative behind the initial creation. Though too abrasive for tastes of the 1920s, today this watch is distinctly modern and absolutely relevant. With the rise in popularity of historic and seldom seen Tank models, this lot is unmissable for the collector looking for an underrated classic.