Cartier Supremacy: Presenting The Cartier Privé Tank Chinoise

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Cartier has launched a flurry of luxury watches at the watches and Wonders 2022 Geneva convention this year and we could not be happier. Cartier is an icon in modern design and art and for a brand like that to introduce so many exciting products is truly a spectacle. There were many masterpieces to admire at the convention but in this blog, we will be focusing on the Cartier Prive Tank Chinoise.

The New Cartier Privé Tank Chinoise

You see, 1922 was a big year for the Cartier Tank. It was the year the Maison introduced the Tank Louis Cartier, a watch that has gone on to become the watch most of us think about when we’re thinking of the Cartier Tank.

Since then, the different Tank models that have rolled out have been, as they say, legion – the Cintrée, Basculante, the original Tank Normale, and many others have kept Cartier lovers happy for a hundred years and more.

A Walk Down the History Lane

1922 was the year when the lesser-known Tank model came out. This was the iconic Tank Chinoise. The Chinoise was part of a rise of interest in Europe in East Asian culture, and the collective term for decorative objects and other artworks produced with East Asian and Chinese aesthetics was ‘chinoiserie’.

This interest reached its peak during the Rococo movement in the mid-18th century. After the end of World War I, and during the first years of the Chinese Nationalist Republic, interest in East Asian decorative motifs made a come-back and Tank Chinoise was born.

Honest Opinion

This year, as part of the Cartier Privé collection, which has taken up in the re-issuing of classic designs where the CPCP collection left off, there are new Tank Chinoise models – and note the plural; after a long dry spell, Chinoise fans are getting an embarrassment of riches. There are a total of six new watches in two distinct families.

As incriminating as criticizing anything that came from the beautiful mind of Louis Cartier sounds, I have to say that the new Cartioer Privé Chinoise is an improvement over the original. Forgive me for speaking the truth. For all its classic aesthetics, the original Chinoise always felt tiny. The new Privé Tank Chinoise watches feel lighter and way more elegant.

There will be three models – in yellow gold, rose gold, and platinum. All three measure at 39.49 mm x 29.2 mm, powered by the manually-wound caliber 430 MC based on the Piaget 430P movement. All the three timepieces are limited editions of 150 pieces.