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Hands on with Tank Louis Cartier and Tank MC Two-tone Skeleton
With this year's offerings in the Tank collection Cartier intends to combine two of the Maison's historic recognition features into one, well actually two, timepieces: The Tank watch itself, part of Cartier's heritage of shaped watches since 1917, and the art of transparency , realised first with Cartier's famous mystery clocks created in 1912 to the skeletonised movements of the 1930s and the most recent fine watchmaking creations.
The result are two watches which share a common theme yet interpret it so differently: The Tank Louis Cartier Sapphire Skeleton and the Tank MC Two-tone Skeleton .
We start with the former: the Tank Louis Cartier Sapphire Skeleton is
an almost airy watch. This impression is caused by an innovative
movement that possesses a transparent plate partially created from
sapphire crystal. This clear material, commonly used for the crystal in
watch cases, is here diverted from its usual purpose and is the subject
of a pending patent.
Using
crystal movement plate is not exactly new to watchmaking, but we think
that Cartier has implemented this concept with an aesthetic rigour and
stringency rarely seen.
The movements seems to represent a ballet of rings floating in mid-air.
The entire movement appears to us almost like a artwork of famed Swiss artist Jean Tinguely (image: Wikipedia):
The entire movement appears to us almost like a artwork of famed Swiss artist Jean Tinguely (image: Wikipedia):
Despite the serious artistry there was still room for playful details: Note the '6' - at 5 o'clock (as part of the keyless works):
No wonder the watch wears more delicate than many, in part attributable to the smaller case dimensions (30 mm x 39.2 mm):
Pro:
• Superbly delicate timepiece
• Skeletonisation looks like an artist's intepretation of a watch, like a mechanical dance
• Base movement not only nicely executed but technically interesting (two barrels)
• Base movement not only nicely executed but technically interesting (two barrels)
Con:
• Is there any? Well, if one does not like skeletonisation ...
The second piece is the Tank MC Two-tone Skeleton , same collection but totally different:
With bold elements, emphasis on square shapes and a much more functional character, the MC attracts other audiences:
Sounds bit like… no names here!"With its oversize numerals and the imposing presence of its signature bridges, the Tank MC Two-tone Skeleton watch is a timepiece for a man of style and wit, a man who masters the rules of elegance so perfectly that he knows how to break them. This is Cartier style: a refined design and the search for clean-cut aesthetics." [Cartier Press Kit]
While
the basic movement is the same (as is the 3 day PR), the focus has
shifted away from ultimate transparency more towards those elements that
break and structure the void: Bridges featuring a two-tone colour
treatment that accentuates its aesthetic identity: the black areas evoke
the technical nature of this movement with its numerous cut-outs; the
angles of the calibre, meanwhile, are coated with a fine gold layer that
matches the case and highlights the traditional chamfering that is
carried out by hand.
Befitting its technical nature, the bridges also form the oversize Roman numerals:
How far these bridges attract attention is entirely up to the owner, respectively the quality and the angle of light:
The case is perfectly proportionated with 34.5 mm x 43.8 mm. At least for 'manly' wrists...
Pro:
• Fascinating two-tone effect on the movement's bridges
• Skeletonisation emphasises architectural aspect of the watch
Con:
• Same as with Tank Louis Cartier
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