Cartier Reinterprets a Classic: Unexpected Return of the Tank à Guichets Jump Hour
Cartier has once again turned to its archive for inspiration as it unveils the latest addition to its prestigious Cartier Privé collection: a revival of the little-known Tank à Guichets. This release continues the maison’s tradition of reimagining its most emblematic designs, following iterations of the Tank Normale, Tonneau, and Tortue in recent years – but brings with it a rarely seen mechanism. Fear not, we are here to provide you with all of the details on this rather elusive watch.
A radical departure
First conceived in 1917, the Tank watch introduced a design language that would go on to define Cartier’s approach to watchmaking: brancards running parallel to the strap, a seamless integration of case and bracelet, and a crown set at 3 o’clock. The Tank Normale, as it was later named, debuted to the public in 1919, and has since appeared in countless variations.
By 1928, the pace of life had accelerated. Trains, automobiles, and the rhythms of modernity demanded a watch that could deliver the time at a glance. Cartier’s response was the Tank à Guichets: a timepiece that eschewed traditional hands in favour of a digital display, with jumping hours and dragging minutes visible through two apertures on the case. It was a radical departure from the conventions of watchmaking.
Tank à Guichets wristwatch – created to mark 150 years of Cartier in 1997, this limited edition of 150 individually numbered pieces (left) pays tribute to the original model, first introduced in 1928. Beside it, a vintage Tank à Guichets from 1931.
Nevertheless, let’s not forget that wristwatches were still not quite the norm – accentuating just how avant-garde these timepieces really were. Franco Cologni, author of ‘Cartier: The Tank Watch’, described the quirky jump hour watches as “belonging half to the world of machines and half to that of jewellery” – a description that remains fitting to this day.
An engraved caseback from a rare 1931 example of the Tank à Guichets
That said, the unusual wristwatches were embraced by several important figures, not least jazz musician Duke Ellington, who wore it as his daily watch, as well as the Maharaja of Patiala, a ruler in British-colonised India known for being an ally to the British Raj (as well as having a penchant for extravagance).
Cartier’s Tank à Guichets through the years
Throughout the 1930s, Cartier experimented with the Tank à Guichets, refining its design and proportions. These model variations can be differentiated by aperture shape, case integration, and crown placement. The Tank à Guichets watch would alas remain a rare presence in Cartier’s portfolio, resurfacing in 1997 with a 150-piece platinum edition to mark the brand’s 150th anniversary, followed by a rose-gold version in 2005 several years later as part of the Collection Privée Cartier Paris. This is no wonder; for many years now, the jump hour mechanism has remained in the background. But could that be changing?
Purity of form
Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s Image, Style and Heritage Director, describes the Tank à Guichets as an exercise in extreme refinement: an even purer expression of Louis Cartier’s vision, building on the foundation laid by the Tank Louis Cartier six years earlier. By stripping away the dial and replacing it with a solid gold case punctuated only by its two time-telling apertures, the design distills the very essence of Cartier’s aesthetic.
“Six years after the debut of the Tank Louis Cartier, Louis Cartier took his quest for simplicity even further with the Tank à Guichets. Time is revealed solely through two minimal openings, with the traditional dial replaced by a streamlined, all-gold case defined by clean lines and perfect proportions. A jumping hour mechanism and a dragging minute display embody Cartier’s commitment to refined watchmaking, where technical mastery always serves aesthetic excellence.”
Pierre Rainero – Image, Style and Heritage Director
Four new interpretations
This year, Cartier revisits the Tank à Guichets with four new editions, unveiled at the 2025 Watches & Wonders trade fair. This is a smart move from Cartier, in a time when jump hour watches seem to be, very possibly, slowly but surely making something of a tentative comeback – be sure to read our in-depth look at the Van Cleef & Arpels’ Pierre Arpels Heure d’Ici & Heure d’Ailleursjump hour watch, or our collector’s interview with Ruud van Rijn to discover more on these fascinating mechanisms. No doubt these latest Cartier collector’s pieces will also push the jump hour further into the limelight.
Manual-winding movement
The latest models remain faithful to their historical predecessors, featuring a hand-wound movement, the calibre 9755 MC, crafted exclusively for these watches. Eagle-eyed aficionados will notice that the winding crowns on all four models are now carefully concealed at the top of the watch. However, a look at historical models of the Tank à Guichets will reveal that this did vary, with some of the watches appearing with crowns in an array of shapes and sizes, from hexagonal shapes to beaded cabochons, that were situated not only at the top but also sometimes on the right-hand side of the watch. The decision to conceal the crown at the top of the watch is commendable, however, contributing to the novelties’ overall sleek and purist feel.
Fine finishing across the case
Measuring 37.6 x 24.8 mm with a slim 6 mm profile, the new Tank à Guichets models reaffirm their status as refined dress watches – built not for rugged practicality, as these watches are not water-resistant, but for collectors drawn to Cartier’s legacy of uncompromising design.
These cases are of course worth a closer look, not least because they essentially extend across both sides of the watch. The satin-finished cases juxtapose against polished horizontal brancards, while the central ‘faces’ of the watch – available in brushed rose-, yellow-gold or platinum – maintains the pared-back aesthetic of the original models.
Colour schemes and layout: 1928s-inspired
Indeed, three of the four models stay true to the 1928 configuration, with the hour aperture at 12 o’clock and the minutes at 6 o’clock. These are available in yellow gold with green numerals and a matching green alligator strap, rose gold with dark grey numerals and matching dark grey strap, and platinum with burgundy numerals and a strap in the same colour palette.
By contrast, the fourth model, a reinterpretation of a 1930s design, features asymmetrical apertures positioned at 10 o’clock and 4 o’clock. Available exclusively in platinum as a numbered edition of 200 pieces, it features golden-finish discs with burgundy Arabic numerals and a matching minute track.
Tank à Guichets – a collector gem
In an age of modernity, when people are drawn to tradition but irrefutably require modernity, the jump hour mechanism could be the perfect bridge between old and new, both in terms of design, accessibility, and aesthetics. There’s no doubt that these new pieces will go down a treat with collectors, not least because of their incredible rarity.
A quick browse on the internet reveals that while many a quirky vintage Cartier model can be found online, the Tank à Guichets is a very elusive watch, and remains extremely hard to find. Up until now, the number of pieces still in existence counted merely in the hundreds, meaning this limited release is truly very significant. Might the revival of this watch model herald the start of a new collection some day? We can only dare to dream.
The best of two spheres: Montblanc presents a new manual-winding Minerva movement Montblanc and Minerva - the shared history of these two traditional brands does not go back very far. Montblanc, the leading Hamburg-based company for the finest writing utensils founded in 1906, only entered the watch business in 1997. This makes it a real…
With the new 911 Spirit 70, Porsche unveils a limited-edition model that seeks to unite iconic design cues from the 1970s with contemporary aesthetics. In parallel, Porsche Design launches a chronograph that is intricately woven into the visual identity of the car, adopting its design language from dial to movement. This is a look at…
If you wanted to put a positive spin on the current crisis, you could point out the new-found desire we have to be impulsive. Ever since the first crisis management was put in place, the time came for us all to reflect, press the reset button, or to face up to long-avoided challenges and put…
Honestly, we aren’t often ones for rankings, but after numerous questions from our fans online, on Instagram, alongside countless discussions during the fair, we can't seem to resist. We all want to know: what are the most important mechanical watch innovations to emerge from Watches and Wonders 2023? Sit back and enjoy a very personal…
This year, coinciding with the official press opening of the new Tudor manufacture, Tudor is introducing several new models to the following collections: the Black Bay, Black Bay 54 and Black Bay GMT, and Tudor Royal. As well as adding some new spins to the dials, Tudor is also treating us to new straps as…
Why do mechanical timepieces captivate so many people? The Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2024, a particularly exclusive collection of unique wristwatches, pocket watches and table clocks, undoubtedly answers this question. The boundary-pushing line is undoubtedly at the forefront of the Swiss watchmaking industry. Each incredibly high-quality timepiece embodies all that makes watches so exciting: craftsmanship…
Were it not for a coincidence, Enrico Barbasini would probably be making it big as a musician, like his father, and not in the limelight as one of the most talented watchmakers of our time. Fortunately, a chance encounter gifted us Enrico Barbasini when his father (he was opera singer) met a young man with…
It has recently become quite obvious throughout the watch industry that many brands dig deep in their archives and recall on their heritage. But why does everyone seem to wallow in memory of the old times? It is probably just an instinctively reaction in times of change, and without doubt the watch industry – just…
Rolex is the most well-known and revered horology house on the planet. Owning a Rolex is the ultimate symbol of prosperity in the western world. But just how much money do these watches actually involve? It's time to discover the most expensive Rolex watches ever, from the stories behind them to understanding their nicknames. Get…
This article is going to take a little trip back into the past. We are going to head back about 40 years – more specifically, to the year 1972. An excellent designer by the name of Gerald Genta had just made a name for himself in the watch industry. Almost overnight, he had dreamt up…
There is good reason behind us dedicating an article to the 5960. For one thing, it was the very first model from Patek Philippe to combine an annual calendar with a chronograph. Secondly, despite the fact that it is indeed somewhat the odd one out, it’s ultimately a much sportier piece than any other calendar…
A passion for mechanical timepieces is often dismissed as nostalgic – as if a love of precision, mechanics and artisanal excellence were somehow out of step with the modern world. With the Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2025 collection, the manufacture once again demonstrates the very opposite: as rare as the skill required to create these…
Breitling has been enjoying a new lease of life since mid-2017, under the new leadership of Georges Kern. His manufacture doesn’t simply offer a diverse array of models for the sake of wide-reaching popularity. Yet a broad appeal is exactly what the Swiss horology house is now enjoying. When Kern took over as CEO, he…