A Look at the Many Vintage Cartier Tank Homages

1919 Cartier Tank again with the classic dial configuration / Credit: Cartier Archives

1970s manual winding Cartier Tank with the classic dial configuration. For sale here on Montres Publiques Market.

I’ve always had a thing for the Cartier Tank but it’s actually manifested itself in a pretty unusual way. Instead of being interested in the Cartier Tank itself I’ve always been interested in all of the ‘fake’ or homage tanks that hundreds of other brands have produced. Ever since the Cartier Tank was released it was an extremely popular timepiece, and this prompted many other companies to mimic its design – much like many brands do with the Rolex Submariner. Also like the Submariner, these ‘homage’-producing brands aren’t only the Steinharts of the world but brands from Patek Philippe to Seiko. In many cases, these homages were made only a short time after the release of the Cartier Tank – take the many Art Deco Tissot and Omega Tanks as an example. So, today we’ll explore some of those references, starting with one from Zenith.

Above is a 1970s Zenith ‘Tank’ ref. 20.1700.355, this is an example with a 17-jewel manual winding Zenith movement (Cal. 1740) and is electro gold-plated. The key to Cartier Tank homages, in my opinion, is the dial configuration - they all share the familiar rectangular pattern on the inner dial - this pattern and the Roman numerals is what does it. You often find more variety in terms of case design, and if I might add I do prefer this manual Zenith movement to a quartz from Cartier.

Patek Philippe Gondolo ref. 3671 / Credit: Christie’s

Next up is the Patek Philippe Gondolo ref. 3671. Now this reference comes with a few dial variations but one of them is the one above that again features the same pattern and Roman numerals on the dial that distinguishes the original Cartier Tank design. This Patek again features a manual winding movement, the Cal. 177. No gold-plating here though, this is 18k yellow gold. In fact, although not excessively expensive the ref. 3671 is somewhat rare, not readily available online or at your local dealer. Generally, you’ll find that when brands have collections like the Gondolo or the Cellini – in Rolex’s case – there are often many models/references that relate to the Tank. The Cellini has several close references like for example the 4103 or 4105.

Chopard ‘Tank’ ref. 2112 / Credit: watch.de

This is one that I find very interesting as it comes from a somewhat unusual brand in the vintage watch world – Chopard. The reference 2112 is a classic Tank homage with an ETA-based Chopard manual winding movement (Cal. 895). Also, in 18k yellow gold. Chopard also has a women’s version of this along with quartz models. All of these with the same pattern in the middle depicted in the Cartier Tank above. This is a great mid-range Tank homage that comes in a genuine precious metal - likely in better age than most gold-plated.

1977 Vacheron Constantin ‘Tank’ ref. 33201 / Credit: Tourneau

Now for one I really admire. There’s something aesthetic about the Vacheron Constantin ref. 33201 that I prefer over the others. Something I can’t quite put my finger on – especially considering how similar these all are. This reference was produced between the 1970s and the 1990s in fairly high numbers - they’re not quite that hard to find even with the original strap. Although, 20 years is a surprisingly long time for such an under the radar timepiece. It features a manual winding Vacheron Constantin movement (the Cal. 1003/1) and also comes in 18k gold. This reference came in several dial variations so not only the classic Tank dial configuration depicted above is available.

Circa 1923 Omega Tank in 18k yellow gold / Credit: Heritage Auctions

Turning to Omega, above we have an example of an early Art Deco Omega Tank – the very first Cartier Tank homages, if you will, from almost 100 years ago. As you can see it still maintains the same classic Tank dial configuration albeit the sub-seconds at 6 o’clock. A more modern example of a very similar Omega dress watch is the reference DD 6923, released by Omega in 1978 as part of the US Collection. This featured one of Omega’s most popular movements, the manual winding Cal. 625.

Omega Tank ref. DD 6923 / Credit: Doppietta Tokyo

Omega Tank ref. DD 6923 dial configuration / Credit: Doppietta Tokyo

As examples of some lower end of the Cartier Tank homages there are several Raymond Weil references that fit the bill – particularly with the noted Tank dial configuration. These include the ref. 5768/2, 5767/2, 5766/2, and 9007. Below there is an example of the ref. 5766/2 for ladies. These particular Tank homages were made mostly in the 1990s/2000s and feature quartz movements and gold-plated cases. They’re not particularly collectible but still very nice on the eyes, with their aesthetic clearly matching that of the other watches described above. They’re also much easier to find in good condition given their age than other, older gold-plated ‘Tanks’.

Raymond Weil Genève Ladies ‘Tank’ ref. 5766/2

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The Raymond Weil references could be great starting points for anyone interested in these Tank homages, they make great casual watches especially considering they are relatively modern and thus not as delicate as some of the other examples.

Now for our only Japanese example! While Seiko has made many, and I mean many Tank homages, the SUP880 is a great modern example. Now this is a Solar Seiko, meaning it is solar-powered. It is also gold-plated like the Raymod Weils and comes on a leather strap. This is the only one whose dial does not exactly match the classic Cartier one as inside the inner rectangular pattern there are gold-plated markers instead of filled-in black shapes. Nonetheless this is the most prominent of the Seiko tanks as it is a modern example. It features the Seiko Cal. V115, that has a power reserve of approximately 6 months. This piece is also much wider than the others at about 38 mm versus the others ‘Tanks’ that are in generally between 20-25 mm in diameter.

Going through all of these watches, you get a sense of what gives them each unique character. However it also begs the question – what is really a homage? I think most of us would rightly consider the Seiko a homage but what about the Patek ref. 3671 or the Vacheron ref. 33201? Somehow their status as part of the Holy Trinity sets them apart. I’d also potentially feel the same way about the Chopard. And yet, these are all certainly homages, all built over a different time period, and really just a testament to how iconic the Cartier Tank design really is. The fact that so many other companies can reproduce it, for almost as long as the Cartier Tank has been produced itself, while it remains highly desirable on its own is very rare. And it’s an honour the Submariner does not have. Moreover, the irony of the superior quality of some of these homages to many Cartier Tanks is not lost on me.

By: Andres Ibarguen