Cartier

Tank (Skeleton Dial)

Name: Cartier Tank (Skeleton Dial)
Brand: Cartier
SKU: WHTA0012
Availability: InStock

Ref. WHTA0012

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Case26.2mm platinum

DialSkeleton, Arabic numerals

MovementManual winding

StrapPlatinum

The Tank is the most copied watch shape of the twentieth century, drawn by Louis Cartier in 1917 from the tread of a Renault tank. From Rudolph Valentino to Jackie Kennedy, its brancards have framed more famous wrists than any other design.

A Tank in 26.2mm platinum, skeleton on the wrist.

Fun fact: A skeleton Cartier turns the Roman numerals into the bridges of the movement itself, so the numbers you read are load bearing. Cartier patented the idea in 2009 and it takes a finisher weeks to bevel one dial.

Cartier Privé Tank Asymétrique Skeleton in platinum

ReferenceWHTA0012

CasePlatinum, 47.15 x 26.20 mm, 7.82 mm thick, solid platinum case back, water resistant to 30 m

MovementCartier calibre 9623 MC, manually wound, skeletonised, 22 jewels, 28,800 vph, approx. 48 h power reserve

ProducedCartier Privé, 2020, limited edition of 100 individually numbered pieces; no longer in production

Why this one matters

The maison dates the first Tank to Louis Cartier's 1917 design, sold from 1919. The line that matters here is 1936, when Cartier built the Tank Asymétrique, also called Parallélogramme or Losange: a case rotated so the dial reads on the diagonal across the wrist. The Tank's recurring cues are the brancards running into the strap and a stone set crown. This reference has no dial and no minute track: skeletonised bridges form Arabic 12 and 6, filled with blue lacquer.

Bridge formed numerals date from 2009, when the Santos 100 Skeleton and its calibre 9611 MC used Roman numerals as the movement's structure. Calibre 9623 MC here is a later development of that idea. Platinum was one of the case metals in the 2020 Cartier Privé Tank Asymétrique series, which also ran in gold, and this skeleton version was capped at 100 numbered pieces.

The movement

Calibre 9623 MC, manually wound and skeletonised, runs 22 jewels and 112 parts at 28,800 vibrations per hour, with a power reserve Cartier states at about 48 hours; some 2020 launch reports quoted 38. The movement measures 32 by 21.1 by 4.2 mm. Skeletonising here is the design rather than a modification: plate and bridges are laid out to carry the numerals, so nothing sits in front of the mechanism. Winding is a daily routine, and we go through the published specification in the shop.

On the wrist

The case is a parallelogram of 47.15 by 26.20 mm set on the diagonal, 7.82 mm thick, so it lies long across the wrist rather than square to it. Platinum is the densest metal Cartier uses in the Tank, and the case is noticeably heavier than the gold version. Open worked dials read best in good light, so check the hands against the movement indoors before you commit.

Questions we are asked about this reference

Is a skeleton dial harder to read?

In good light, no. The bridges form the Arabic 12 and 6 in blue lacquer, so the reference points are large and well spaced. In dim light there is no contrast behind the hands and nothing luminous, and the diagonal layout takes some learning. Try it indoors before buying.

Does platinum need different care?

It is soft. Scratches displace metal rather than remove it, which is why a good watchmaker burnishes rather than polishes. Every full polish takes material off a case that cannot be replaced, so fewer interventions are better.

Is this reference still in production?

No. It belongs to the 2020 Cartier Privé run, limited to 100 individually numbered platinum pieces, and Privé editions last a single season; the slot moved to the Cloche de Cartier in 2021. For servicing, follow Cartier's stated interval for calibre 9623 MC. Skeleton movements also show dust and dried oil more plainly than closed ones, so appearance often prompts a service before the timing does.

Tank

Cartier's rectangular dress watch, in production since 1919

Louis Cartier drew the Tank in 1917 and the first watches sold in 1919. The line has run ever since, with Cartier owned by Richemont for decades. The defining move is the brancards, the vertical bars that frame the dial and carry straight into the strap or bracelet, so case and band read as one line. The family covers Louis Cartier, Française, Américaine and Must, plus the Solo, which the Must replaced in 2021, now sold secondhand only.

brancards framing the dial

blued steel sword hands

cabochon crown, sapphire or spinel

Roman numerals on most dials

Sizes in the family

21 to 31 mm wide, 26 to 44 mm long

Who it suits

Suits a buyer who wants a flat, formal watch that sits under a cuff and reads as design first.

See every Tank we have