The Normale can only be described as Cartier's true, original Tank: the first. A bastion of timeless design, this case shape is as desirable today as it was in 1917, over a century ago. The Normale was the very first Tank case shape, overtaken in fame since by the Tank Louis and retroactively named. For most of its life, this was simply known as the Cartier Tank. The 2018 Cartier Privé collection exists to revisit key areas of the brand's immense history. It has felt incomplete until last year, when a limited series of the Tank Normale were produced.
The case proportion and design has been gently updated since 1917's Tank, famously inspired by the Renault FT-17. Originally, the first Tank measured 30x23mm, where this revised case measures 32.6x25.7mm. Privé created 100 examples on bracelet and 200 examples on strap for yellow gold and platinum, respectively. This platinum case is satin brushed with mirrored bevels, a contrast echoed on the dial. Inside is a calibre 070, an ébauche provided by Le Temps Manufacture and one of the smallest diameter calibres in production today. The Normales decisively compact proportions are very respectful to the original Normale, particularly at just 6.85mm thin. The finishing choices and shape leave a more industrial, mechanical impression than most of Cartier's range.
That dial features a brushed metallic silver, split Swiss signature, and 1917 in the leg of 7. The monochromatic aesthetic is only interrupted by the crown's red cabochon. Closer inspection reveals a bevelled sapphire crystal, which is a difficult-to-manufacture nod to the origins of the Tank. The design is similarly respectful but updated, for example the railroad minute track is still enclosed, but with a stronger and wider presence than the original dial's.
The Tank has undergone many facelifts, updates, and experimental variations over the last century. Through all this time, the appeal of the unflinching industrial Tank silhouette has not faltered. The new Privé Normale adheres tightly to the beautiful impression of the original, updated with minimal degree necessary to create a modern watch. As a result, this is very clearly not just any Tank but the original masterpiece, the Tank which built Cartier's name in watchmaking first.
