Cartier recently announced the Tank MC, the brand’s new entry level Tank wristwatch with the in-house 1904 MC automatic movement.

Cartier Tank MC in pink gold

Cartier has finally presented a Tank equipped with its in-house calibre 1904 MC-PS automatic movement. The new Tank MC – for “Manufacture Cartier” – features similar styling to the Tank Americaine, but with a wider, more squarish case. The Tank MC features a date window and a sub-seconds at six o’clock; the “PS” in 1904 MC-PS stands for “petite seconde“. A workhorse calibre which is also used as a base for complications like the Rotonde de Cartier Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, the 1904 MC has a 48 hour power reserve thanks to twin barrels, as well as a highly efficient bidirectional “Magic Lever” winding mechanism.

The 1904 MC blown up with double barrels in blue, Magic Lever in red and the C-shaped regulator index in yellow

Available in steel or rose gold, the case measures 44 mm by 34.3 mm, with a height of 9.5 mm, giving it wrist presence without being overly large. It has an open case back revealing the 1904 MC movement. Several dial versions will be available – silver or black for the steel, and silver or chocolate for the rose gold. Both dials are in the typical Cartier style, with a guilloche centre and sword hands. The fact that the date disc is a matching black shade on the steel model is a welcome touch.

This is welcome news for Cartier traditionalists as the Tank MC is the first classic Cartier case style to use the 1904 MC movement in an entry level watch; previously it was only available in the much more modern Calibre de Cartier. This will launch officially in Asia in September, during Watches&Wonders, dubbed the mini SIHH, which takes place in Hong Kong from September 25 to 28. Expect it to retail in the same ballpark as the Calibre de Cartier, which means about S$10,000 for the steel model (about US$8000) and S$30,000 in gold (equivalent to US$24,000), inclusive of 7% tax. – SJX