Hands-On: The Cartier Tank à Guichets Is Back And Still The Brand’s Most Unconventional Tank (Live Pics, Pricing)

Vintage Cartier watches were not made to the same quality and standard as those from brands like Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet. The maison’s vintage pieces are about the romanticism of a handmade watch. Owning or putting one on your wrist evokes the romantic, imaginative experience of strolling through 1930s Paris — Chesterfield coat buttoned up, Homburg cap on, and cane tapping the limestone sidewalk. Upon arriving at 13 rue de la Paix in the 1st arrondissement, you enter Cartier, remove that Homburg, and ask for the latest in horological styling — the Tank.

That man is not worried about “in-house” movements, COSC certifications, or the lug-to-lug length; he doesn’t even know what these words mean. That man only knows that Cartier offers the most dapper wristwatches in all of Paris. That man, if he was of extremely refined taste, might have opted for the Tank à Guichets — Louis Cartier’s latest design, right on trend with bold, uninterrupted lines and small, minimalist apertures. This was Louis’s ultimate ode to Art Deco modernity.

Aware or none the wiser, the man’s new watch had a case crafted by hand in the Parisian workshop of Edmond Jaeger and a Swiss ultra-thin movement supplied by LeCoultre. The true vintage Tank à Guichets is perfectly imperfect. No two examples are identical; the generous case top is lightly brushed and awaits scratches. The serial numbers on the caseback are hand-stamped and never aligned. Sometimes, there’s a tiny screw in the caseback to allow easy access to the movement’s setting lever screw, sometimes, there’s not.

There is a certain magic to these watches, a magic that modern Cartier, in the humble opinion of this vintage enthusiast, often lacks and doesn’t seem to mind lacking. Today, Cartier wristwatches tend to be solid in the hand and highly refined. The Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets from Watches and Wonders 2025 is among a small handful of Cartier wristwatches made in the 21st century that can truly evoke the same feelings as a vintage Tank.

The Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets

For months, the idea of Cartier reviving the Guichets within the Cartier Privé collection was either the most common rumor or the worst-kept secret in the watch world. I’ve even heard that the model was intended to be a Japanese-market exclusive, but the initial reception was so wildly positive that the brand shifted the project worldwide, ultimately headlining Watches and Wonders. Whatever the case may be, this is a Privé model that enthusiasts have been rabid for. By the time I landed in Geneva on Saturday, the rumors (or dare I say, leaks) were confirmed. The Tank à Guichets apertures were everywhere I looked, headlining Cartier’s promotional ads for the show, affixed to lamp posts throughout Geneva.

In a move that we have come to know well with Privé releases, Cartier has launched the Guichets via three “regular” production models in yellow gold, rose gold, and platinum, as well as one more whimsical edition — the “Oblique” in platinum, limited to 200 pieces. All four iterations of the Guichets take direct inspiration from a 1928 example, which is a part of the Cartier Collection archives. By direct inspiration, I mean the new Guichets models are very similar in dimensions, and feature a plain, brancard-less front finished with vertical brushing.

In the metal, the case is extremely striking and the aspect that calls most directly to that vintage romanticism. It’s too far to call the Guichets crude, but the utter lack of highly polished surfaces outside of the apertures is unique within pretty much every watch produced this century by a large luxury brand. In the extremely well-lit exhibition room, the thin chamfered edge rarely caught light — this is a distinctly brushed case. To the eye, these could be confused as vintage watches, but the weight in hand is quite drastically heavier. It’s the feel of a modern Cartier with the aesthetics of one from 1928. One important note that I picked up at the appointment is that the polished edges of the dial apertures are finished by hand. Cartier noted that because of the angles here, this is the only way the polishing could be executed.

The dial discs could be a touch larger if I’m picking nits, but the added subtlety thanks to their size is appreciated. I worry slightly about readability at a glance, but ultimately, you’re looking at three, maybe three and a half numerals at any given time of day. A detail I missed in the original press pack and photos was the differing printing tones. While the rose gold reference has black numbers and tracks and the platinum options have red, the yellow gold variant features strap-matching dark green printing. The smallest of details, this was a welcome surprise in the Cartier booth.

On the wrist, the Guichets wear comfortably at 37.6mm tall by 24.8mm and 6mm thick. Size comparisons to the 100-year-old examples of this model are tough. As I said, each was slightly different, but there are Guichets from this era with very similar dimensions, ranging from 20mm to 25mm in width with the same, classic Tank proportion. The easier line to draw is to the previous re-interpretations of this design. The details of these limited edition runs, produced in 1996, 1997, and 2005, are well covered by Mark in the Introducing article, but the widths are 24.5mm, 25.5mm, and 26mm, respectively.

One differentiating feature of 2025’s Guichets from the vast majority of the hundreds made before it is the crown at 12 o’clock. Only some of the true vintage Guichets, most notably the first from 1928, and the 1996 limited edition of about a dozen examples, in all metals, have this quirk. The remaining vast majority feature a large three o’clock crown in a style that we have come to be familiar with on the Tank Normale. So, it’s rarer to see the crown here, but, at first glance in the photos, it looks like it may be an ergonomic nightmare. From giving it a go myself, I can tell you that’s not the case. The discs engage only when turning the crown in the correct direction, forwards, and, with the watch off, it’s surprisingly easy to scroll the minutes and flip the hours.

An “Oblique” Note

As a proud right wrist watch wearer, the limited edition Tank à Guichets that we (and Cartier) are unofficially calling the “Oblique” — a reference to similarly nicknamed vintage models — is, by my count, the first Cartier wristwatch to be skewed, even if slightly, rightwards. I am reminded every time I fall in love with a Tank Asymétrique that the typical orientation of these driver-inspired oddballs just does not work on my wrist. 

Oh well, one less watch to wish I to purchase. But the Guichets “Oblique” is, at worst, more democratic, and at best, possibly designed for the right wrist! To be absolutely clear, I asked, and it is very much not designed solely for us lefties. But that’s not going to kill my excitement. The distinct twist of this oblique design is the first I can see myself actually wanting to wear. But don’t worry, many of my colleagues gave it a spin on the left wrist and found the orientation to be suitable there too. The curated focus of only two apertures makes for a watch that is almost never disorienting or disoriented.

Cartier made clear during our appointment that the Guichet “Oblique,” with its diagonal orientation, is not a direct reference to a vintage example that is known to exist. That being said, a drawing of something similar sits in the Cartier brand archive and was used as inspiration for this 2025 release.

The Guichets Market

When I first heard the talk about the possibility of Cartier reviving the Guichets design a few months back, it immediately made perfect sense. The brand’s Privé collection is the only place in the modern watch world where that vintage emotional response is triggered for me, so I trust that Cartier is going to execute a “re-edition” like this to a T. The Tank à Guichets is a great example of that execution.

But that’s not the only reason it sounded like a home run. Would you believe me if I told you that, before Watches and Wonders, the entry point for a Cartier Tank à Guichets in yellow or rose gold was around $100,000? That just last week, a 1997 platinum example was offered by a dealer for $198,000 — and sold in under 10 days? And that the second most expensive Cartier Tank, of any kind, ever sold at public auction was a 1931 platinum Guichets, selling for $448,346 at Phillips in May of 2024? That is second only to a Tank owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

All are true. Collectors were desperate for the Tank à Guichets leading up to Tuesday, let’s see what they make of this latest Cartier Privé release.

The retail price of the 2025 Guichets is $47,700 in yellow or rose gold and $55,500 in platinum. The limited edition Guichets “Oblique” is offered at $61,000, 200 pieces will be produced.

For more information, visit Cartier online.

​Hodinkee 

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