What kind of model is Cartier's discontinued model "Premust Tank"?
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What model is the mast tank?
If you don't know what model the mast tank is, you won't be able to talk about the pre-mast tank, so we'll start with a brief explanation of what a mast tank is.
First of all, the Must Tank is a model that Cartier developed from 1978 to around 2005.
This is a long-selling model that was in production for nearly 30 years, and although it has been discontinued for 20 years, it is still popular and its price continues to rise.
There are many reasons why it is so popular, but I will talk about some of the most prominent ones.
1. Size
Today's watches are generally large across all brands, but the Mast Tank was originally made in the late 1970s, when cases were not yet as huge as they used to be, and is just the right size, making it popular with both men and women.
2. Diverse dials
Over the 30-year history of production, many dials have been made.
All of the dials are beautiful, and it's fun to find your favorite one from among them.
3. Price
Prices have risen quite a bit at the moment, with the minimum starting price now being around 300,000 yen, but overall it's still good value for money.
It is possible that the price will continue to rise in the future, but for now it is not unaffordable and can be said to be a realistic price.
4. Between convenience and luxury
The watch case is made of pure silver coated with 18K plating, known as vermeil.
Since they are not made of stainless steel, they have the shine unique to pure silver, and although not all of them are 18K, they are popular because they have a luxurious feel yet are easy to handle.
There are many other reasons why it is popular, but it can be said that it is by far the greatest model in Cartier's collection to date.
If you want to know more about mast tanks, we have an explanation here, so if you are interested, please check out this video ↓
What kind of watch is the Premast Tank?
Now that you have a basic understanding of mast tanks, we will now explain pre-mast tanks.
First of all, Premast Tank is not a model name announced by Cartier.
It will be a name given to it by the public.
In English it is "pre", which means It is used to mean "before" or "in front of."
The reason it's called a "pre" is that the mast tank we know is the one that is commonly recognized, but prior to that, a prototype or prototype-like product was sold for a short period of time.
Therefore, the prototype model is called the "pre-mast tank."
We don't know the details of how long it was actually on sale, but based on the current numbers it's likely been around a year.
Now take a look at this image.
The left side is the "Pre-Must Tank" and the right side is the "Must Do Tank".
Pre-mast tanks do not have the word "must de" written on them.
It may not be clear from the image, but when you actually touch it, the Pre-Mast Tank is slightly thicker, and the shape of the case is not smooth-edged like the Mast Tank, but rather sloped, giving it a more stylish look.
The case shape is slightly different.
Please see the image below.
Although there are pre-mast tanks with the rounded case of a normal mast tank, this Concorde type case is the one we generally see.
There is an airplane called the Concorde, and what makes this plane special is that it has a droopy nose and a flat fuselage.
Premast Tank is also called Concorde because the tip of the case is drooping and the back cover is flat.
Both pieces are made from 925 sterling silver with 20M yellow gold vermeil on top.
Now let's take a look at the crown.
The Pre-Mast Tank has a bullet-shaped crown and is closer in design to the Tank Louis Cartier.
(There are also some with a regular round crown.)
But why did they stop production so soon?
This is just my speculation, but I think that because it is similar to the Tank Louis Cartier, they probably decided that it would be difficult to differentiate it from the other models, and quickly revised the design.
Now let's take a look at a comparison with Tanklui.
On the left is the Pre-Mast Tank and on the right is the Tancrui Cartier.
It is true that they are similar, but the case shape of the pre-mast tank is that of the Concorde, so I think that the regular mast tank that was created later is more similar to the Tank Louis.
(As mentioned above, pre-mast tanks also exist with the usual rounded case, so don't think that the Concorde is the only one with a pre-mast shape.)
Differences between American and European pre-mast tanks
Cartier opened branches in London and New York in the early 1900s, each of which continued to operate independently until the 1970s.
Among them, Cartier watches that were said to have been made in the United States seem to have been a little different, and there are watches that have a mixture of both Cartier-like and non-Cartier elements.
Pre-mast tanks also come in American and European versions, each with their own appeal.
So let's take a look at the differences.
Pre-mast tanks for the European market
- Hardened blue steel hands
・The windshield is mineral glass
・Serial number is written on the back of the case
Pre-mast tank for the American market
・The case is a snap-in type with no screws on the sides
・The needle is black
・The windshield is plastic
-Brand logo hand-engraved on the back of the case
-No serial number
There are other differences, etc.
Now let's look at the back cover.
The serial number 01735 is engraved on the back, but there is a number "4" before that.
The number 4 indicates the reference and proves that it is a European Cartier LM size.
The LM size of the Premast Tank is 31mm in height and has a case diameter of 24mm (excluding the crown).
The movement is the Cal. 78-1, which is also found in other Cartier models.
summary
The pre-mast tank had a short production run and there aren't many left, so there are still many mysteries surrounding it.
However, it is precisely because of these indescribable models made during transitional periods that we come to love Cartier even more.