After having reimagined signature models like the Tank Cintree and Tank Asymetrique, Cartier now turns it attention to something less well known. The Cheap Cartier Privé Tank Chinoise Replica arrives just in time for the 100th anniversary of the original Tank Chinoise.
For fans of the 2004 Tank Chinoise, which was very square yet made up of rounded edges and lines, the new model will be jarringly different with its angular form.
Yet for anyone who appreciates a traditional Tank, the new Chinoise is more like a Tank than any past version of the design.
I like the redesigned case. Where I would have wished for something different is the dial, which repeats the same elements found in past Cartier Privé best replica watches in the world; a bolder dial would have gone better with the restyled case.
However, Cartier certainly went all out with the skeleton version, which is striking and original. It comes close to being too much with its Chinese-inspired motifs, but not quite, so it still looks and feels tasteful.
The new Tank Chinoise is akin to a Tank Allongée – it’s an elongated version of the earlier CPCP Tank Chinoise. This gives it proportions that are in line with most Tank watches, which are longer than they are wide.
The Tank-like aesthetic of the new Chinoise continues with the case details. The Cartier 1:1 replica watches case has steps on each brancard, allowing for contrasting brushed and polished surfaces. Both horizontal bands, however, are rounded and polished.
And as is typical for the Cartier Privé, the Tank Chinoise will be available in two colours of gold as well as platinum. Each version has a slightly different dial colour to complement the case metal, though all three share the same design.
The skeletonised version of the Cartier Replica Tank Chinoise is almost identically sized, but it is certainly more striking. The colours and complexity of the skeleton version diminish the angularity and edges of the case, giving the watch a very different feel, despite the case being largely unchanged.
But most unusual is the base plate that doubles as the dial – it’s been filled with lacquer. While Cartier grade 1 replica watch has used lacquer to decorate cases in the past, the lacquered bridges are a first.
Another is platinum with a blue and red lacquered movement, while the final version is the platinum model but with diamonds on the case.
