A certain je ne sais quoi, which is simple yet sophisticated, both masculine and feminine, with a classic allure that makes all the difference. From the Tank it takes its timeless elegance, all its aesthetic codes and its own particular art of always keeping up with the times.

A unique ability to reinvent itself and stand the test of time, that it owes to the intelligence of its design. Aesthetes and artists make no mistakes: it’s their watch of choice.

Launched in 1996, the Tank Française debuted a metal bracelet in perfect harmony with the case, becoming an immediate member of the great Tank family. A monobloc metal design that Cartier is radicalising with this brand-new version. A new approach, both aesthetic and ergonomic, which energises the ultra-profiled lines of the watch, available in steel and yellow gold, with or without diamonds.

An expression of a certain avant-garde spirit, the Tank Française connects us to Paris, its freedom and creativity, a cultural geography that was so well captured by New Wave cinema. It was therefore only natural to capture it on film halfway between the Left Bank and the Right Bank, a heroine of the passing of time which remains relevant today.

This film is a tribute to cinema and to the idea of creative freedom upheld by Cartier. Paris plays the lead role, surrounded by an international cast of strong personalities.

Director: Guy Ritchie, the daring English filmmaker. In the title roles: Rami Malek, one of the most singular actors of his generation, and Catherine Deneuve, the French legend of cinema and style.

It is a story of chance and the funny tricks that fate plays on you; the story of a karmic bond that seems to exist between certain people. On one side, Rami Malek, on the other, Catherine Deneuve. They cross paths over the Alexandre III bridge in several time periods, bemused accomplices.

She is in her leading roles, that of the Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Jacques Demy, Indochine by Régis Wargnier and Place Vendôme by Nicole Garcia and he in his role of the multi-talented artist.

Times change but the elegance remains the same, that of the Tank, Rami Malek and Catherine Deneuve, the embodiment of French chic.

TANK FRANÇAISE WATCH

• Quartz movement, small model, steel.
  Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet).
  Ref.: WSTA0065
  
  
• Quartz movement, medium model, steel.
  Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet).
  Ref.: WSTA0074
  
  
• Mechanical movement with automatic winding, large model, steel.
  Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet).
  Ref.: WSTA0067

A look back at this parisian and cinematographic encounter experienced as a journey through time.

An expression of a certain avant-garde, the Tank Française is linked to Paris, its freedom and creativity, whose cultural geography was so well captured by New Wave cinema.

More than 25 years after its creation, this watch is back in the limelight, remaining faithful to its iconic design whose lines Cartier has radicalised: proof it knows how to evolve with the times without ever losing its elegance, somewhere between great classicism and modern allure.

As such, it required a film to do it justice: an exquisite and cultured tribute to the passing of time, punctuated with cinematographic references against the backdrop of the Parisian sky. To direct, Cartier commissioned British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, who is best known for his ensemble cast films, creative editing and unparalleled sense of pace.

Paris takes centre stage, supported by an international cast of strong personalities: Rami Malek, one of the most singular actors of his generation, and Catherine Deneuve, the French legend of cinema and style.

It’s a story of chance and the often-funny tricks that fate plays on you, as well as the karmic links that seem to exist between certain people. Rami Malek is on one side, while Catherine Deneuve is on the other. They playfully meet as they cross the Pont Alexandre III, during different eras, creating a moment of complicity. Deneuve can be seen within her leading roles in Jacques Demy’s Parapluies de Cherbourg,, Régis Wargnier’s Indochine and Nicole Garcia’s Place Vendôme, while Malek is shown as a multi-talented artist.

Two characters, two continents and two generations all linked by the same love of cinema and French culture.

Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 1968) is an English writer, producer and author who became famous for amalgamating genres. He’s made numerous films, ranging from iconic crime capers—Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, RocknRolla, The Gentlemen—to more commercial, critically-acclaimed films including Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, as well as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., the live-action adaptation of the Disney film, Aladdin and Wrath of Man. He also currently has two films in post-production: Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and Onus.

Indifferent to the preconceived ideas which relegated him for a time to stereotypical roles, actor Rami Malek follows his own path and relies on his differences. It’s this creative and spiritual uniqueness that has made him a natural ambassador for Cartier time, whose vision he shares; that of a watchmaker who is equally attached to quality of time as well as its measurement.

Born in 1981 in Los Angeles to an immigrant family, Rami Malek garnered attention in the series Mr. Robot, for which his interpretation of the main character earned him an Emmy Award and industry recognition.

His career accelerated in 2016 with the filming of Bohemian Rhapsody, in the lead role of singer Freddie Mercury. The tour de force performance won him a Golden Globe in 2019 followed by a “Best Actor” Oscar a month later.

In 2020, he also starred opposite Daniel Craig in the 25^th James Bond film No Time To Die as the main villain.

“For me, there are two words that truly encapsulate this watch: beauty and simplicity. The continued appreciation for this watch across generations is evidence of its timelessness and the perfection of its iconic design.”

1917 CREATION OF THE “NORMALE” TANK WATCH
At the beginning of the 20^th century, Louis Cartier sought a purity of shape, fitting the round hours into the line of the bracelet. Following the Santos watch, the first specifically designed to be worn on the wrist, the Tank watch took a new step in 1917: following the same straight line, the case, lugs and bracelet became one.

1922 TANK LOUIS CARTIER
Very quickly, the Maison began to offer different versions of the watch. In 1922, its case was stretched, brancards refined and edges softened: the Tank L.C. watch for Louis Cartier had arrived.

1977 TANK MUST DE CARTIER
In 1977, midway through the Must de Cartier period, a collection of vermeil watches following the form of the Louis Cartier Tank watch was launched. Its plain coloured dial with no numbers echoes the materials used in jewellery: onyx, coral, ivory, lapis lazuli, tortoiseshell and garnet.

1988 TANK AMÉRICAINE
The lines of the Tank watch will always evolve. In 1988, with the Tank Américaine, the compact rectangle of the curved case and the larger dial were in tune with the energy of the era.

1996 TANK FRANÇAISE
The Tank Française debuted a metal bracelet in perfect harmony with the case. Its name refers to a very French state of mind, between classicism and a freedom of style.

88 technicians, hairdressers, make-up artists and stylists
116 metres of travelling shots on the bridge
18,261 steps walked by Rami Malek on the bridge
26,202 photos taken during the shoot
447 minutes of rushes
« BRAVO », the French word most said by Rami Malek

What defines french cinema?
Rami Malek: “Catherine what would you say defines the French cinema”
Catherine Deneuve: “More talking in French films. American films, in the films they do what they are doing, and in French films, they explain to you what they are going to do.”

Comedy or film noir?
CD: “Do you prefer comedy or film noir?”
RM: “I enjoy both, but for me I’ve always loved to escape into a comedy and especially when I’m watching something that is quite dramatic, it always has to have some type of levity for me.”

What makes a film iconic?
RM: “For you, what makes a film iconic?”
CD: “The actor, the actress, the light, the music, the sound, mostly the sound.”

Nouvelle vague or new generation?
CD: “Nouvelle vague or new generation?”
RM: “I would say, easily nouvelle vague, just because I love things that are revolutionary especially in art and culture. And for filmmakers to break out of the studio system and do things on their own.”

If you could travel through time?
RM: “Catherine, if you could travel through time any time period?”
CD: “17, 16-17^th century, « le Temps des Lumière ».”
RM: “I always romanticized being in Paris in the 20s. I think it was very romantic, very exuberant.”

Your definition of french style?
CD: “What is your French style?”
RM: “Complicated and sophisticated.”
CD: “That’s right, complicated.”

The most elegant word in french?
RM: “What would you say is the most elegant word in French?”
CD: “Zut.”
RM: “What does “zut” mean?”

What are the sound you like in Paris?
CD: “What are the sound you like in Paris?”
RM: “I like all the sounds that come from Café de Flore. The door opening, the table being set, just all the voices coming from every direction. The stories that, you know, exist in that place.”

Which tank do you prefer?
RM: “Which Tank do you prefer?”
CD: “I like this one [Tank Française]. But also, sometimes I like one which is smaller as well. I like it to be soft you know, I don’t like when it’s tight. I like that there’s a sort of like uh... like a bracelet. And you?”
RM: “I like this one. The Tank Française because it can be both extremely sophisticated for a very elegant event and it can be casual...”
CD: “Yeah, that’s a big advantage.”
RM: “Don’t you think”
CD: “Tank Française Cartier. Voilà.”
RM: “Tank Française Cartier. Voilà.”


Guy Ritchie, on the making on the Tank Française film

• So, we are making a film for Cartier, about the timeless classic, the Tank watch, a fantasy of crossing one bridge, from one side of the bridge to the other, which is a sort of metaphorical bridge in time.
  
• I have to move forward with a certain amount of momentum and not be too reticent about being technically correct, and how the Tank has managed to remain classical throughout those decades.