Slight of hand
It feels like we’re officially in our ‘small watch era’. After what feels like decades – scratch that, it was decades – of ginormous, chestbeating steel watches, we’re seeing the return of dainty, Deco-era watch cases on chic leather straps.
I’m attributing part of the shift to the affluent, small-wristed Asian customer, and possibly the wave of Chinese celebs being co-opted by luxury brands hoping to entice the next generation of watch enthusiasts. Also to note: the insatiable appetite for vintage watches. As with fashion generally, there’s a new young army of watch nerds who delight in flexing their forensic knowledge of cult if-you-know-you-know brands and models.
Cartier has been impressively early to the party of these influences. At Watches & Wonders in Geneva last week, it unveiled a petite 16mm x 24mm Tank Louis Cartier Mini with a sexy alligator-print leather strap (top and below).
For classicists with delicate wrists who want a watch that’s not bigger than their whole hand, this looks like an appealing alternative to the Cartier Panthère. (P.S. should you need reminding, the Cartier Tank is up there as the culturally significant watch of our times, as worn by everyone from Andy Warhol, Muhammad Ali and Jackie Kennedy, to Tyler, The Creator.)
The Cartier Tank Louis Cartier Mini ($7,000) will launch in September. Read more here.
WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Tank Louis Cartier Mini by Cartier Watch Community Instagram; Cartier
NOTE: Most images are digitally enhanced. Some posts use affiliate links and PR samples. Please read my privacy and cookies policy here
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