Finally: The Cartier Tank à Guichets Is Back!

A Rare Cartier Piece Returns

Cartier is bringing back one of its most unusual and underrated designs: the Tank à Guichets. Originally released in 1928, this Tank stood out with its "digital" display - no traditional hands, just jumping hours and trailing minutes visible through small apertures. It was futuristic then, and honestly, it still feels fresh today. Now, nearly a century later, Cartier Privé is reviving it with modern refinements while staying true to the original.

Let’s break it down.

Source: WatchGecko

The New Tank à Guichets: What’s Different, What’s the Same?

Cartier has launched four versions of the Tank à Guichets this time around. Three follow the classic formula: yellow gold, rose gold, and platinum, each featuring the same manual-wind 9755 MC movement and a sleek, ultra-thin 37.6 x 24.8 mm case that’s just 6mm thick. Like the 1928 original, the crown sits at 12 o’clock, keeping the clean, uninterrupted lines of the case.

Then there’s the wildcard - a limited edition platinum variant (200 pieces) that breaks the mold. Instead of the usual 12 o’clock hour display, this one rotates everything 90 degrees counterclockwise. The hour window now sits at 10 o’clock, and the minutes track is positioned at 4 o’clock. It’s an interesting choice, evoking "driver’s watches" designed for easy reading at an angle, but it definitely changes the vibe of the watch.

Color-wise, the gold models feature black numerals, while both platinum versions get maroon text, giving them a slightly more avant-garde aesthetic.

Source: WatchGecko

The History That Makes This Special

If you love your Cartier, you already know this: the Tank à Guichets is one of those ultra-rare models that is on par with the Crash. Originals from the ‘20s and ‘30s were almost always one-offs, making them almost impossible to find today.

In 1996, Cartier revived it with a set of just three pieces (one in each gold tone) for the Antiquorum "Magical Art of Cartier" auction. A year later, they did a limited 150-piece platinum run for the brand’s 150th anniversary - but with a major design change: the crown was moved to 3 o’clock, which altered the sleek symmetry of the original. Then in 2005, a Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP) version brought it back again, this time in rose gold with a run of 100 pieces.

So for Cartier to return to the "crown at 12" layout is a big deal. It’s a nod to the past that feels like a correction of the 1997 redesign.

Source: WatchGecko

This Is Cartier Doing What They Do Best

I’ve always loved the Tank à Guichets for its sheer weirdness. It’s minimalist, but in a totally unexpected way. No hands, no traditional dial, just two windows and a case that does all the talking. It’s not a flashy piece, yet people look at it when you wear it. It’s the kind of watch that looks like it belongs on the wrist of a 1920s industrialist or an art deco architect.

The limited edition "oblique" version? I’m not totally sold. Rotating the display gives it an interesting, almost playful character, but it loses some of the severity that makes the original so cool. That said, I have no doubt Cartier die-hards will scoop it up in a heartbeat.

One thing I do wish we had more details on? The finishing. The 1928 versions had small case cuts to define the brancards (the vertical bars on the Tank). From the press images, it looks like Cartier has gone for a brushed front with polished chamfers instead. It’s a different approach, and I’d love to see how it plays in person.

Source: WatchGecko

The Basics

• Brand: Cartier
  
  

• Model: Tank à Guichets
  
  

• Case Dimensions: 37.6 x 24.8 mm
  
  

• Thickness: 6mm
  
  

• Case Material: Yellow gold, rose gold, platinum (plus a limited edition platinum variant)
  
  

• Display: “Digital” jumping hours and trailing minutes
  
  

• Movement: Manual-winding 9755 MC
  
  

• Crown Placement: 12 o’clock (except for the limited edition at 10 o’clock)
  
  

• Straps: Green, dark grey, burgundy, or black alligator leather, depending on the model
  
  

• Water Resistance: None (don’t even think about getting it wet)
  

Source: WatchGecko

Price and Availability

Cartier hasn’t officially released pricing yet, but given the brand’s usual approach, expect these to land somewhere around €40,000–€50,000 for the gold models and a good bit higher for the platinum. The 200-piece limited edition? Probably closer to €60,000+, though we’ll have to wait and see.

Availability starts immediately at Cartier boutiques, and given the demand for Privé pieces, they won’t be sitting in display cases for long.

Source: WatchGecko

Final Thoughts

For collectors, this is a dream release. The Tank à Guichets has always been one of those “if you know, you know” watches, and this revival keeps the essence of what made it special. It’s classic Cartier: elegant, unusual, and unapologetically different from anything else on the market.