Bite Autumn 2012

handles of a stretcher – two extended sides of a square – and, graphically simplified, they would soon become the distinctive, easily recognisable features of the Tank, a new watch.” The 1920s saw the Tank Watch become the iconic timepiece that was worn by aristocracy, celebrities and members of the upper class. Legendary silent film actor Rudolf Valentino is said to have persuaded director George Fitzmaurice to allow him to wear his Tank watch in every scene of his last film, Son of the Sheik in 1926. Through different variations of the Tank Watch such as the Tank Cintrée (Curved Tank), Tank L.C. (for Louis Cartier) and the petite Tank Allongée (Rectangular Tank) from 1919 onwards, the design of the watch continued to reflect developments in style. With a choice of Roman or Arabian numerals and the option of platinum or gold, and later on, various woven metal bracelets, the Tank increased its range of versions and popularity throughout the early 20th century. The Tank Chinoise inspired by the architectural doorway of Chinese temples would lead to the creation of Chimera and Portique mystery clocks. Soon Cartier’s clientele would include the Princes of Kapurthala, the Aga Khan, the Maharajah of Patiala and the entire royal families of Yugoslavia and Serbia. Among leading Swiss watch-maker manufacturers such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, Jaeger LeCoultre and Piaget, French jeweller Cartier has made a fundamental contribution to the development of the wristwatch and the Tank afforded Cartier’s credentials and reputation in the

Page 113 “ Take that terrible watch off your wrist and wear this!” When the embarrassed journalist tried to refuse, Truman Capote insisted: “No, please take it. I’ve got at least seven of them at home!” Courtesy of The Truman Capote Literary Trust / © Rue des Archives / Farabolafoto /Ital Page 110 Gary Cooper, a legend of Hollywood’s golden age and a symbol of masculinity and elegance, was a Tank lover. Here he is wearing his Tank Basculante. Circa 1940. Courtesy of Mrs. Maria Cooper Janis / Rue des Archives / RDA Page 111 Stewart Granger, posing for posterity with his gold Curved Tank on a 7-row flexible tile bracelet, circa 1954. Courtesy of Mrs. Tracy Granger © MGM / Sunset Boulevard Collection Page 126 Simone Signoret and Yves Montand in Los Angeles, April 1960. The French star won an Oscar for Best Actress of the Year, with her role in Room at the Top. Yves Montand wore the Tank watch that she had given him the year before. Courtesy of Mlle Catherine Vaudaux-Allégret / © AP / Sipa Franco Cologni is published by Flammarion and can be purchased from Rizzoli New York and other leading book retailers. www.groupe-flammarion.com www.rizzoliusa.com Swiss world of watchmaking, while preserving its French identity. From pocket watches to the wristwatch, Louis Cartier achieved his goal of bringing a revolutionary invention into the 20th century and beyond by changing people’s concept and ideals of time-keeping, and its unprecedented impact on the watch industry is still evident today. Cartier: The Tank Watch by

JADA BROOKES REVIEWS A SELECTION OF RECENTLY PUBLISHED DESIGNER BOOKS.

T he Tank Watch, the classic timepiece designed by Louis Cartier in 1917, revolutionised the era of modern design, style and craftsmanship. As one of the world’s first square wristwatches it represented the perfect combination of fine watch-making and art. From Cartier’s creative reinterpretation of famous models such as the Chinese Tank, the Crash Watch and the recently designed Tank Anglaise, each model retained Louis Cartier’s original concept. In Cartier: The Tank Watch, writer and historian Franco Cologni captures the historic icon of the wristwatch that has made Cartier one of the most respected and renowned French jewellers and watchmakers in the industry. The book celebrates one of Cartier’s greatest masterpieces, taking the reader on a journey of discovery with designs from their rich archives, historical models and photographs of Cartier’s most famous clients such as Clark Gable and Andy Warhol, who made the Tank Watch their favourite timepiece. It was in December 1916, at a time when France was at war and Paris was preparing for the festive season, that Louis Cartier began sketching an idea for a revolutionary watch that he had in mind. He was already head of the famous jewellery company, founded by his grandfather Louis François in 1847, with branches in New York and London. As a lover of wristwatches he was one of the first to wear one in France, although they would not become really popular until the 1930s. At a time when men’s pocket watches and women’s timepieces in the form of pendants, brooches

and chatelaines were the style of the day, Louis Cartier’s desire to revolutionise the ideas of watchmaking inspired him to create the watch of the future. Cartier: The Tank Watch gives an insight into the history of the prestigious watch, the collaboration between Louis Cartier and Edmond Jaeger that would span over three decades, as well as showcasing the various styles of watches that superseded the original Tank. It also reveals the important roles that pioneers such as Nobel Prize winner Swiss physicist Charles- Édouard Guillaume, French watchmaker Adrien Philippe (who would later formed the brand Patek Philippe with Antoine Norbert de Patek) and Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf played behind the scenes in the development of one of Cartier’s most famous models, the Santos: a watch modelled on the famous flying pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont and the first square watch designed to be worn on a strap around the wrist. The Tank Watch, influenced by the British tanks that descended on the German enemy lines during the First World War in France, was the key element in the creation of this new technology. Franco Cologni writes, “The tracks were like the