VINTAGE CARTIER TANK MUST GUIDE
A guide on how to tell a genuine Cartier Tank Must from redial and fakes.
HISTORY
Cartier is a brand known for its high-end luxury watches and jewelry. However, to survive the quartz crisis in the mid-1970s, the brand wanted to make its products more accessible to a wider audience. This led to the creation of the Must de Cartier line, which included a range of accessories, fragrances, and the Must de Cartier Tank wristwatch. The watch was based on the classic Tank Louis Cartier design, which was created in 1917. The Must de Cartier Tank was made from silver that was gold-plated, known as Vermeil, making it a more affordable option than the traditional Cartier watches.
DIAL OF CARTIER MUST
The line included a variety of dial options, including faux-stone dials that resembled onyx and lapis.
Wrong case
Poor quality steel with erosion. Also Wrong font with incorrect caseback stamps. See the next picture for the correct caseback for this model. Interestingly this model is not even a Must!
Correct case back
Note the correct size and font of the case back. The steel quality is also much better compare to the fake.
Dial
Dial is probably the most important part of a Cartier Tank Must showcasing different colour and design.
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Can you tell which of the two Cartier above (or beside if you are viewing from the desktop) is correct?
WRONG DIAL
- Note the incorrect position of the text "Cartier"
- C is too thin and "Cartier " font is too tall
- Incorrect crown strips spacing, shape of sapphire crown also different
CORRECT DIAL
Note the correct Cartier font and position.
The Cartier logo is also more crisp
CORRECT STARRY NIGHT DIAL
Appreciate how even in different colour variation, the font is still crisp and in the correct position
KNOW THE SIZE AND MOVEMENT
FROM THE CROWN
QUARTZ TRICOLOUR MUST
Note how the shape of the crown is different from the others with fewer threads. This is the correct "Quartz crown"
SIZE OF THE CROWN
The size of the Cartier Must can be known by the proportion of the crown and the watch case, this proportion shown is a SM (small model)
LARGE MECHANICAL MUST
This crown portion and shape tells you this is the most desireable vintage must - Large Mechanical Must