Born in Paris, This Rare '90s Cartier Tank Was Inspired by East Asian Decorative Arts
By Logan Baker
A neo-vintage platinum Tank Chinoise that predates the official start of Cartier's CPCP era.
The Cartier Tank is among the most well-known and recognizable watches in the world. It’s one of the few timepieces – alongside the likes of the Rolex Submariner and Casio G-Shock – that many will naturally picture in their head when the topic of wristwatches comes up.
The quintessential Tank has a slight rectangular case profile, printed Roman numerals (typically in black), two hands for hours and minutes, and a crown topped with a cabochon. Those are the visual characteristics most typically associated with Cartier’s flagship timekeeper.
A 1997 Cartier Paris Tank Chinoise in platinum, believed to be one of only 10 examples. Available for immediate purchase from Phillips Perpetual. Price: CHF 37,120
But the realm of Cartier is packed with countless variations on the theme. The Tank Louis, the Tank Normale, the Tank Cintrée, and Tank Asymétrique are a few of Cartier's historic Tanks evolutions, not to mention best-selling modern additions to the collection, such as the Tank Must.
For the past few decades, Cartier has every so often delved into its archive to release specific revival watches of its historic designs in small-batch production runs. In 2023, for instance, Cartier brought the Tank Normale back to life in a wonderful reproduction in multiple case metals, with only a few hundred examples made of each.
And during Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022, Cartier brought back an even more esoteric case shape from its past: the Tank Chinoise.
A 1997 Cartier Paris Tank Chinoise in platinum, believed to be one of only 10 examples. Available for immediate purchase from Phillips Perpetual. Price: CHF 37,120
First introduced in 1922 (the same year the Tank Louis Cartier was born), the original Chinoise capitalized on a larger post-WWI trend in Europe focused on East Asian decorative arts and objects.
The first Chinoise examples had square cases with two additional outer brancards positioned on the North and South sides of the case, completing a four-sided border around the dial that was unlike the profiles of the Tank Louis Cartier and Tank Normale.
The design is said to be a reference to the entry gates typically found in temples and other examples of traditional East Asian architecture.
A 1997 Cartier Paris Tank Chinoise in platinum, believed to be one of only 10 examples. Available for immediate purchase from Phillips Perpetual. Price: CHF 37,120
The Chinoise has largely existed as a footnote in Cartier's design history. An interesting footnote, perhaps, but not one that attracted an overt amount of attention from vintage Cartier lovers and Tank collectors.
Still, Cartier decided to celebrate the model's official centennial in 2022 with an impressive batch of limited-production Chinoise models, released as part of the exclusive Privé series, featuring a redesigned case shape with an elongated profile.
It was a brand-new direction for the Chinoise, bringing an impressive amount of attention to a largely forgotten model (Jake Gyllenhaal actually broke the news); most eye-catching of the releases, perhaps, were the skeletonized editions featuring a latticework of bridges in a Chinese-inspired geometric pattern with a beautiful lacquer coating.
A 1997 Cartier Paris Tank Chinoise in platinum, believed to be one of only 10 examples. Available for immediate purchase from Phillips Perpetual. Price: CHF 37,120
If you missed out on the newest Chinoise models, there were also a small number of little-known modern Chinoise examples produced as part of Cartier’s Collection Privé Cartier Paris (CPCP) collection in the late ‘90s and early 2000s – we sold one circa 2000 example a few years ago.
However, if you want an even more uncommon example of a Chinoise from the modern era, look no further than Phillips Perpetual.
Our London team sourced a remarkable platinum Chinoise with a “Paris”-signed dial from 1997, predating the official start of the CPCP series (1998). It features the Chinoise's original square-adjacent aesthetic, clearly different from the 2022 edition in style.
We believe it’s part of an extremely small series of watches – our research indicates only 10 previous examples have been publicly offered – featuring a 25 × 21mm platinum case, the desirable "Paris” signature on the dial, and a sapphire cabochon on the three o’clock crown.
The watch is in well-preserved condition after all these years, and it’s accompanied by its original Cartier International Certificate, product literature, and the correct inner and outer Cartier boxes. It’s even still attached to its original Cartier-signed folding clasp in 18k white gold.
Logan has spent the past decade reporting on every aspect of the watch business. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo at the start of 2023 as the department’s Senior Editorial Manager. He’s based in Geneva.
