1980s Cartier Tank Manual Wind "Gold Plaque"

The Cartier Tank has become one of the most iconic watch designs of all time, and has remained relatively the same over its long run of production. It was originally designed in 1917—inspired by the Renault FT-17 tank used by the French Military in the First World War—and became commercially available in 1919. 

The Tank is the perfect example of excellent design transcending generations. It moved through the early 20th century only to become more relevant during the mid-century design era, and is once again seeing a massive resurgence amongst the watch-collecting community today.

The now more than 100-year-old watch design was the timepiece of choice for many of the cultural elite throughout history, the most famous of which being Princess Diana, Muhammed Ali, and of course Andy Warhol who was actually quoted saying the iconic phrase "I don't wear a Tank watch to tell the time. In fact, I never wind it. I wear a Tank because it's the watch to wear.”