Cartier reissues the Asymétrique watch
In 1917 Louis Cartier, the founder of the eponymous French luxury jeweller and watchmaker, introduced a revolutionary new watch to the market that is still lauded as one of the great designs of watchmaking. Inspired by the Renault FT-17, an iconic tank from the first World War, the Cartier Tank watch features a rectangular face and clean, sleek, modern lines that are both bold and elegant.
A favourite of presidents and film stars alike, the Tank has proven to be timeless; staying in continuous production since the beginning of the twentieth century. Although various iterations of the watch exist, with modern models including the Anglaise, Française, Americane and the Solo – by far the most curious is the Asymétrique with its off centre watch face situated at 30 degrees to the right.
Designed for motorists and pilots to check the time easily at a glance whilst driving or flying, the Asymétrique is a design classic that is admired by watch collectors everywhere. Watch enthusiasts are in luck however: this year, Cartier has reissued the watch as part of their Privé Collection, a batch of limited-edition versions of historic designs.
The Asymétrique features the original manual winding movement from 1917 with redesigned numerals and is available in three regular face styles (yellow gold with a champagne dial, pink gold with a grey dial, or platinum with a silver dial) and three skeletonised versions (platinum, pink gold, or gem-set platinum cases). Each of these will be limited to just 100 watches.
Joining the Asymétrique reissue are limited editions of the equally iconic Santos-Dumont and the controversial Cartier Crash (a watch purportedly inspired by a gruesome car crash).
One thing is for certain. any of these iconic timepieces would look amazing whilst wearing black tie…we can’t wait to rock this look at the annual DDW BAFTA’s party next year!