No need to hunt through vintage watches to find timeless classics for the wrist. Here are a trio that has withstood the test of time
Cartier’s Tank timepieces are instantly recognisable thanks to the iconic rectangular case. It is one of the few watch designs that has been successful in consistently creating a bridge between classic and modern times. Compare a vintage Tank with a contemporary model, and there is noticeably little difference because of its wonderful base design.
The Tank’s history began at the end of World War I when the liberation army’s tanks with their caterpillar tracks inspired Louis Cartier to design it. Peace restored, Monsieur Cartier expressed his joy in the form of a timekeeper that imitated the shape of “peace-making” tanks, combining functional shape with avant-garde style. The parallel flanks on either side of the rectangular case evoked tank treads, while the rest of the case represented the vehicle’s cockpit. This characteristic form allowed the lugs and strap to be seamlessly integrated into the case for the first time in the early history of wristwatches.
The mechanics inside Cartier’s simple masterpiece were equally exquisite in the early days –the movement came from specialist movement maker Jaeger-LeCoultre.
From the start, the Tank was a bestseller – one-quarter of the company’s entire wristwatch production accounted for the new product line as early as 1925, and Cartier soon offered milestone variations like the Tank Cintrée (1921), Tank Chinoise (1922), Tank à Guichets, Tank Allongée, Tank Asymétrique, Tank Américaine (1988), and Tank Française (1996).
In almost every decade, the Tank provided new impulses without abandoning its original appearance. On top of that, the Tank was the first unisex wristwatch, and it has been equally popular among men and women right up to today, which is quite a rare feat. That just might be the very key to its longevity, as also exemplified by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso.
The Chanel Première was not “the first” (it wasn’t even the second) watch among this time-honoured trio to exist, but in just 38 years, it has become a classic. Its design originates in Paris – the octagonal stopper of Chanel’s famous perfume bottles was directly inspired by the shape of the French capital’s most luxurious shopping square, Place Vendôme. The stopper, in turn, inspired the shape of the Première’s octagonal case.
The name ‘Première’ – French for ‘first’ – itself clearly indicates that this was the Maison’s debut timepiece. Debuting in 1987, it kicked off Chanel’s horological journey, entering the world of fine watchmaking with the freedom of a designer with no roots in the art of horology.
The Première was originally conceived by designer Jacques Helleu, the then artistic director of Chanel, who said, “I fought to make a design that was strong, that was unique, that – more than just launching a single collection – would become an eternal reference.” Further, this design, with its enduring shape and black-lacquered dial, was one of the few feminine-oriented watches that wasn’t a scaled-down version of a men’s watch.
This timepiece has spawned different variations over the years, notably at its 30th anniversary in 2017, where it received a skeletonised manufacture movement. Five years later, in 2022, Chanel re-released the original timepiece – the quartz-powered Première Édition Originale, featuring an interlaced leather-and-chain watch strap that recalls the brand’s iconic quilted handbag.
A 94-year-old watch is bound to have at least as good an origin story as a WWI tank – and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso does. Born in colonial India to fit the needs of polo-playing gentlemen, this must-have wristwatch of the early twentieth century did not need to be removed for them to play their favourite sport.
So many other timepieces suffered broken crystals thanks to flying balls and hooves, but the Reverso, with its clever rotating case, protected the crystal. That was in 1931, and its brilliant principle involving a simple mechanism of two spring-mounted spurs that fit into grooves on either side of the watch’s frame still enjoys great success almost a century later.
The protective case back of the Reverso has always been a great canvas for personal embellishment, be it enamel painting or personal engravings. In the 1980s, the Reverso received its first diamond settings, and in the 1990s, the manufacturer’s creative watchmakers added a second time zone to the flip side of the Reverso for the first time, which opened up a whole new expanse of technical possibilities.
This iconic unisex wristwatch has been equally popular with men and women over the years. In 2004, Jaeger-LeCoultre continued its long-time love affair with exceptional Reverso timepieces for feminine wrists thanks to the use of new and experimental diamond settings, like snow setting.
Function and style were emphasised as of 2016 with the introduction of the Reverso Classic Small Duetto and Reverso One, available in small, medium, and large options. The latest feminine oeuvres include the Reverso One Precious Flowers and Precious Colours, as well as the Reverso Secret Necklace.
