Cartier for the World’s Greatest Boxer?
Muhammad Ali shadowboxing in his Cartier Tank
The Cartier Tank was designed by Louis Cartier in 1917. With WWI still underway, Louis had seen pictures of Army tanks and the tracks that they would imprint in the ground. This would give way to one of the major design features of the Cartier Tank – the vertical brancards. One of the prototypes was presented to US General John Pershing in 1918 and by the following year the Cartier Tank was available for mainstream sale.
The Cartier Tank wristwatch design / Credit: The Business Times
Muhammad Ali was a boxer, activist, and philanthropist – among many other things.
He was born on January 17th, 1942, in Louisville Kentucky and by his 18th birthday, in 1960, he was an Olympic gold medalist. Then, in 1964, he was officially the world heavyweight boxing champion.
His next major battle would come in April 1967, when he was drafted into the Vietnam War. He refused, however, on the grounds of a religious exemption being a practicing Muslim cleric. The US Department of Justice rejected his exemption status and he was found guilty of violating service laws and sentenced to 5 years in prison. He was also stripped of his boxing license and titles. At this time, he was arguably one of the most famous anti-war figures in the public eye.
Muhammad Ali remained free while fighting his conviction and for three years was unable to compete professionally. Finally, in 1970, he was able to return to the ring with a victory over Jerry Quarry. The following year his conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court.
It was after this dramatic period in his life that Muhammad Ali was first seen in his Cartier Tank, during a photoshoot at WCVB studios in Boston, Massachusetts in January 1975. His last fight leading up to this was the infamous ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, on October 30th, 1974. This historic bout was against George Foreman, where he earned the title of World Heavyweight Champion for the second time.
On February 20th, 1976, Muhammad Ali won the 50th fight of his career by knockout in Puerto Rico. It was during this period that the second, more famous image of Muhammad Ali came out with the Cartier Tank.
Muhammad Ali photographed for the second time with the Cartier Tank (1976) / Credit: Howard Bingham
Many watches carry the gravitas of their owners and Muhammad Ali’s interest in this specific watch is quite interesting. The Cartier Tank is very elegant with a lot of provenance behind it. But in the larger scheme of Muhammad Ali is it simply one minor facet of his complex public image.
The fundamental design features of the Cartier Tank are present throughout the many variations created, each carrying a distinct vibe emblematic of their respective time periods: the Cintrée, the Basculante, and the Chinoise would be just a few examples. Upon the Cartier Tank’s release to the public in 1919, it was an instant success. Now 102 years later, in 2021, the Cartier Tank is still a bestseller.
Muhammad Ali is universally regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. He also dedicated a large amount of his later life to philanthropy, which earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. He died in Phoenix Arizona on June 3rd, 2016.
Muhammad Ali and the Cartier Tank – both timeless symbols of excellence in their fields.
By: Eric Mulder
Muhammed Ali and his Cartier Tank wristwatch
Read more:
“Tank.” Cartier, https://www.en.cartier.com/maison/living-heritage/cartier-collection/2/3.html.
“Muhammad Ali and his Cartier Tank.” Timezone, April 27th, 2015, https://www.timezone.com/2015/04/27/muhammad-ali-cartier-tank/.
“Muhammad Ali.” Biography, April 2nd, 2014, https://www.biography.com/athlete/muhammad-ali.
“Muhammad Ali's ring record.” ESPN, November 19th, 2003, https://www.espn.com/classic/s/Ali_record.html.