Cartier being first and foremost a jeweller, the Cartier Tank Louis Cartier was essentially a canvas for artistic expression. Despite his artistic genius, Louis Cartier was also good at recognising talent in others. In this instance, it was the ingenuity of watchmaker and inventor Edmond Jaeger.

A century-old marriage between French romanticism and Swiss know-how was formed, albeit during the turmoils of a torn country. Like fellow upper-class aristocrats and artists of his time, Louis Cartier saw WWI in a different light. The war provided inspiration and a sense of adventure. Louis drew up inspiration for the Cartier Tank during his many protected tours to the trenches. The Tank illustrates Louis Cartier’s motto “Never copy, only create.” beautifully, which inspiration could and should be taken from everywhere, except existing jewellery. Unlike the cumbersome trench watch, the Cartier Tank was born out of artistry rather than a necessity on the Western Front. The Tank is not merely a timepiece, but a living piece of art that flourished from the darkest times in modern history.

A hundred years onward, the Cartier Tank Louis Cartier remained essentially the same since its conception, from the cabochon crown, brancards and radial Roman numerals. To have it any other way would be a comprise. A Tank is so iconic that it befits any wrist from pop artists to Royalty and all walks of life in between. The 100th anniversary Louis Cartier Tank is everything you would expect a Tank to be, down to the beating heart of the 8971 MC (Jaeger-LeCoultre 846 ebauche). Essentially the heart and soul of Jaeger-LeCoultre in Cartier flesh.

Exaltation of the “in-house movement” has been a trend since the turn of the 21st century, when ETA made their movements exclusive within the Swatch group. The premier of the venerable A Lange and Sohne L951.1 was, of course, another preeminent tour de force. For better or worse, many brands followed suit with “in-house” branding. The time when watchmakers and jewellers each poured their hearts into a timepiece slowly drifted into the past.

Following these footsteps, Cartier recently updated the movement of the Cartier Tank Louis Cartier to the in-house 1917 MC. The passionate bond between a jeweller and watchmaker was no more. Cartier will never be the same without Jaeger because the focus on artistic expression is lost when Cartier was left to do everything on their own.