To watch the Tank Alonge video, click here:

In this video, we explain the difference between Tank Allongee and Tank American.

I will explain what this means.

The Cartier Tank Alongée and Tank Américaine are both highly popular models, but they do have some differences.

After reading this article, you will quickly understand the differences and the roles assigned to these two models, so please read to the end.

What is the difference between Cartier's Tank Alongé and Tank Américaine watches?

First, regarding the appearance, both models have a vertically long design.

Let's look back at the history of each.

First of all, it is American, and its prototype, the "Cintrée" model, was born in 1921.

"Cintrée" means curved in French, and the actual watch has a curved case to fit the wrist.

And Tank American is a modern update of Cintrée.

If you want to see more details, please click here↓

The word "alongée" means "stretched" in French, and if we trace its history back to the time, it was an elongated version of the Tank that was created in 1917, and was born in 1922, the year after the birth of Cintrée.

At the time, several tank variants were created, including these two models.

From the beginning, the Cintrée was larger in size and classified as a men's watch, while the Allongée was smaller in size and classified as a women's watch.

What is Alongé?

The word "alongée" actually means "stretched" in French.

So what is being stretched? Well, it's the Tank Louis Cartier that is being stretched.

I think most people don't know this, but the Allongée is a derivative model of the Tank Louis Cartier.

Please see the image below↓

*2008 Cartier Japan catalogue: A page showing that Tank Louis Cartier includes Tank Louis Allongée

As you can see from this catalog, the official name of the Allongée is "Tank Louis Cartier Allongée," and you can see that it inherits the style of the Tank Louis.

Two patterns of allongee

With this in mind, the Tank Alongé has been reproduced in several different versions to date.

First, the early period is the 1980s.

On the left side of the image, what stands out is the gap between the Roman numerals and the square in the middle that has a straight line through it.

On the right is the later model, from the 2000s.

The spacing between the Roman numerals has narrowed and the central square area has been turned into a minute rail, a signature Cartier design.

The "Alongé" style was also used in the Raniere collection released in 1999.

In this way, Alongé has a history of being clearly classified as a ladies' watch.

Now, I will explain how to tell the difference between Alonge and American based on their appearance.

Let's take a look at the dial

Now let's take a look at each dial.

The left side is Alonge and the right side is American.

First, I will explain the three differences in an order that is easy to understand at a glance.

1. The crown shape is different

The crown of the Allonge watch has a pointed tip, while the American watch's is flat.

This is because when the Cintre was updated to an American style, the design was revamped, resulting in a crown like this.

Therefore, the design of the Alonge is closer to the original.

2. The shape of the minute rail is different

You can see that the rectangular minute rail (designed like train tracks) in the center of the dial is rectangular on the Allongée model, while on the American model it forms a semicircular arc between 11:00 and 1:00 and between 5:00 and 7:00.

3. The dial finish is different

This is hard to notice at first glance, but while the Allonge has a flat white dial, the Americana has a whiter silver dial with a satin finish.

If you look closely at the American version, you will see thin lines which give it a satin finish.

A look at the movement and materials

Looking at the movement, the Allongee only uses quartz movements, but the American model uses automatic movements from the MM size onwards.

As for the material, the American version went from stainless steel to a now discontinued yellow 18-karat gold model, and is currently also available in 18-karat pink gold.

On the other hand, there are no stainless steel models of the Allongée, and they are made of 18k white or yellow gold, with pink gold being used in the Raniere collection.

The reason there was no stainless steel version is because it is a high-end model exclusively for ladies.

The current model is the Baignoire, but this also does not have a stainless steel model and is positioned one step above other ladies' watches, closer to jewelry.

Therefore, since the Alongé is a model exclusively for ladies and is closer to jewelry, it is not available in stainless steel.

summary

To sum up, both models have beautiful designs that evoke the beauty of the Art Deco era.

You can't really tell until you check out the design carefully, so if you like vintage, I recommend Alonge, and if you prefer newer current models, American is a good choice.

However, I believe that whether or not you know about these origins will greatly affect the way you choose a watch, so I hope you will find this information useful.