Cartier Tank Française WSTA0067 - Review & Buying Guide

Since the dawn of the horology industry, luxury and timekeeping have gone hand in hand. From curating sleek designs to intricate mechanical movements, the luxury watch industry has always been driven by the pursuit of precision and craftsmanship. And, one brand that has diligently exemplified this commitment is Cartier.

The Cartier Tank is one of the most popular Cartier watch collections, and its appeal is unisex. Part of the prestigious Cartier Tank collection is the Cartier Tank Française, an iconic and classic luxury timepiece that has been around since 1996.

Throughout its long history, the Cartier Tank Française has undergone numerous variations, resulting in a wide range of options for collectors, buyers, and enthusiasts. One of the most notable of the lot is the Cartier Tank Française Ref: WSTA0067, a sleek and sophisticated stainless steel Tank model.

But before The Luxury Hut reviews it, we'd like to discuss the Tank Française's incredible journey from introducing a metal bracelet to the Tank family to becoming one of Cartier's bestsellers.

Cartier Tank Française: The Beginning

Cartier has been a leader in the world of horology since 1847, and one of the most enduring creations from the brand is the Cartier Tank Française. Louis Cartier, the grandson of the founder, drew heavy inspiration from the Renault Tanks used by the French military during WWI to design the Française, which first appeared in 1996.

Despite its feminine name, the Française embraced a huskier design compared to the well-known Tank. However, the wider brancards, less rectangular case, and sharper lugs altered the vision of a Tank Française as a rugged model a little bit. This updated Tank model with a slightly elegant proposition was quite well-received.

Today, the Cartier Tank Française is one of the most enduring timepieces, and this legendary timepiece is a testament to the brand's commitment to excellence. While it's true that the Française doesn't get as much attention as the Normale or Cintree, despite its soaring success in the 1990s and 2000s, it's worth pointing out that the Cartier Tank Française has been spotted on the wrists of icons like Lady Diana, Michelle Obama, and Fred Astaire.

While the Cartier Tank Française embodies the essence of a Tank, it also outpours a modern twist, adding to its charm. Paying homage to its contemporary origins, the characters of the newer Française models are interesting subjects that highlight the evolution of the watchmaker.

Did you know the Cartier Tank Française was the first Tank with an integrated bracelet designed to complement the case? Over the years, Cartier has left the Tank Française largely unchanged, but in January 2023, it revamped the Tank Française lineup with seven exciting references. The largest among them all is the Cartier Tank Française Ref: WSTA0067. 

Key Design Characteristics of The Cartier Tank Française

What sets the Cartier Tank Française apart is its fantastic blend of timeless design and contemporary refinement, making it a standout in the Cartier collection. Here are some of the key design features of the iconic Cartier Tank Française:

• A rectangular case made from high-quality materials such as steel, gold, or platinum, the Tank has a shorter aspect ratio than the original Tank, giving it a squarish look.
• It has a twin linear, parallel bezel that extends beyond the case and doubles as the lugs. Cartier refers to these vertical bezels as 'brancards'. 
• The brancards are rounded and curved.
• Dial decorated with Roman numerals, blued steel hands and intricate engravings for a visual effect.
• Lugs with pointed tips.
• Overall, mainly satin finish.
• An inlaid crown to match the profile of the brancards.
• Integrated and compact bracelet with pointed tips and angular ends.

Things To Love About The Cartier Tank Française Ref: WSTA0067

In addition to its striking design, the Cartier Tank Française WSTA0067 offers a range of standout features that make it a notable timepiece from its extensive catalogue.

The Cartier Tank Française Ref: WSTA0067 is a large model with a bold, distinctive shape, ensuring it has a prominent presence on the wrist. The curved case hugs the wrist beautifully. Compared to most of the Tank that came before, the Tank Française is noticeably flatter, and the watch case and bracelet beautifully embrace this theme.

The dial is attractive, as it always is in any other Cartier model.

One of the biggest differences at a glance is the crown, which is now wider but flattened and inset into the case. Overall, the watch is very well-proportional and has a muscular appearance.

Coming in at a large size, this Française WSTA0067 at £5500 is what you call a bargain! With a name that carries the same weight as Cartier, this price is not very expensive.

Our Initial Review

Have you ever noticed how a luxury watch brand makes its new releases appear so fresh and stunning, and subsequently, the outgoing one looks like a complete mess?

In January 2023, Cartier decided to refresh the legendary Tank Française, and hands down, Cartier is exceptionally good at designing things.

Instead of creating a new one and making it look ugly and lead to collectors' despair, Cartier has just played mildly with the old, existing design, only with some tweaks here and there. The changes are minor enough to keep you guessing but prominent enough to make you notice.

The brushed finish instead of the polish gives this Française a less jewellery-like feeling.

It's more or less like adding the necessary updates to an already perfect timepiece and making you realise what you missed before. Now you get it- it's all in the tiniest of decisions!

Well, speaking of the Cartier Tank Française Ref: WSTA0067, we feel Cartier is all about evolution and not revolution. This new Tank Française looks very similar to the old Française, and the official photographs of the timepiece don't do justice to how it actually looks and feels on the wrist. It's almost perfect!

It's nice to see Cartier updating the Française in a very Cartier way, which means introducing many small changes to a watch to give it a more updated look than older models.

But don't trust us for saying it; just try it out yourself. Most of our attention went to the large case, which is mostly satin-finished. However, the bracelet can also be the main culprit for the Tank Française's voluminous appearance. The sweet spot could be 34 x 28.5mm or something close, but the 36.7 x 30.5mm also does a good job.

One thing we feel Cartier could have skipped past is the small date window on the dial, which is very small and not having it would have provided more area for the dial space. But, never mind; let's consider it as a practical addition.

If you've gotten used to seeing the Tank in a rectangular frame, it may feel a bit odd to see how square the Tank Française is. However, interestingly, the first-ever Tank commercially released in 1917 featured the same square crystal and dial configuration as the Tank Française. From the side, you can see the new Tank Française curves to better follow wrist contours.

What's even more surprising is that Cartier brought a large, steel Française to the show with an automatic movement, even though what's running inside is the Calibre 1853, a Sellita-based automatic movement. You can easily find plenty of competitors at this price, but of course, it won't have Cartier's elegance.

According to The Luxury Hut, the natural conclusion is that Cartier updated this watch to meet today's consumers' relaxed sensibilities and supposed sporty aesthetic preferences.

Who knows, maybe more will come in this category in the next few years!

After having worn it, we can surely say that the Cartier Tank Française is a completely different watch—so similar yet so different from its predecessor.

Review Cartier Tank Française Reference WSTA0067

Basics:

• Model: WSTA0067
• Case Diameter: 36.7mm x 30.5mm
• Thickness: 10.1mm
• Material: Stainless Steel
• Dial: Silver
• Bezel: Stainless Steel
• Bracelet: Stainless Steel
• Crystal: Sapphire
• Movement: Automatic, Calibre 1853
• Power Reserve: 37 hours
• Water-Resistance: 30 metres (approximately)

Case & Bezel

The Cartier Tank Française Ref: WSTA0067 features a stainless steel case measuring 36.7mm x 30.5mm and 10.1 mm thick, surrounded by a smooth, polished steel bezel. This updated design carries a slightly squarish case with a substantial bracelet. The case is more brushed than it appears, which gives the timepiece a more subtle look.

Like other steel Cartier timepieces, it has the signature Cartier faceted crown in steel decorated with a synthetic cabochon-shaped spinel almost integrated into the case. This gives the watch a more compact and refined profile. The thickness of the case tapers towards the edge. The sides of the case are the only polished parts, other than the seven-sided crown. Its rear and front faces both feature vertical brushing, making it look a little more robust than Tanks usually do.

The lugs flow effortlessly into the clean, flat edges of the vertical brancards, giving the watch a distinctive look. The brancards flow into the bracelet's end links, completing the frame of the Tank Française's dial.

Moreover, the sharp, precise lines have made this Française a favourite among the free-spirited clientele.

Dial

From the far, it looks like a typical Cartier monochromatic dial with Roman numerals. Look closer, and you'll discover tiny details that work together brilliantly. Rather than sticking with traditional white, Cartier used a subtle pearl silver base for the dial. While it appears slightly metallic when viewed from certain angles, it mostly stays muted. There's no starburst finishing seen.

The Tank Française dial features very intricate vertical brushing instead. The Roman numerals appear black and the sword hands in blued steel offer great legibility over the pearl silver dial for easy time reading. To balance things out, Cartier has engraved an outer border, perfectly framing the Roman numerals.

Cartier chose to keep the printing simple with only the brand's name in prominent print, Automatic in lighter print type and Swiss made below 6 o'clock. The secret Cartier signature is predictably found at the V at 7 o'clock, as it always does on light-coloured dials. The minute track is actually engraved this time into the dial.

However, the date window at 3 o'clock is way too small and appears unnecessary at a glance. While it doesn't affect the functionality, its absence would have created more space on the dial.

The contrast between the numerals and the dial is definitely softer here but not very soft. The restrained colour gives the sturdy watch a bit of a much-needed softness, that's all. Readability is never a threat for Cartier watches because of the characteristic bold numerals and hands.

The square dial and crystal sit perfectly in line with the bracelet, and the brancards (case sides) flank the dial on both sides to make this watch a 'Tank'.

Bracelet

The stainless steel integrated bracelet features brushed satin finishes as opposed to the more polished surfaces of the Française. The links are not as removable as they appear, and you need a special tool to do it. The bracelet and lug width is 22mm.

The bracelet appears voluminous and heavy with sharp edges. However, you can't deny that the wide bracelet is meticulously designed to integrate with the case and sits seamlessly, contouring the wrist.

The solid heft of the steel bracelet really contributes to the overall feel of the Française WSTA0067. The end links where the bracelet meets the case are now one piece instead of multiple, giving it a simpler and less fussy look.

When you look at the bracelet from the side, the gaps appear like the tracks of a Tank. Unlike the first model, this updated Tank Française gets entirely brushed end links instead of the ones with polished outer sections. Find each bracelet link with thin polished strips flanked by vertically brushed centre sections and outer segments. The use of brushed finishes on the outer segments makes this new Tank Française feel a little bit sportier. Similar to the case, the side of the bracelet also features polished finishes.

Both ends of the bracelet terminate with a push-button deployment clasp, a mechanism similar to that of the Santos de Cartier.

Movement

The movement of the Cartier Tank Française Ref: WSTA0067 is slightly concerning. Opposed to what we all expected, sitting inside this large steel Française is the Calibre 1853, a Sellita-based automatic movement offering a power reserve of 37 hours, which is pretty short considering today's standards. The Calibre 1853 is a pretty simple three-handed movement with a date mechanism.

Earlier variants of the Française featured the date display at 6 o'clock, completely replacing the Roman numeral. But this latest Française model shifts it to 3 o'clock, intersecting the minute tracks and partially obstructing the Roman III.

The Calibre 1853 is not an in-house movement. It is based on the Sellita SW100, based on the ETA 2671 that Cartier used to put in older and smaller Santos models. The Calibre 1853 has a screw regulator on it for easy adjustment.

Pricing & Availability

One key reason the Francaise is so popular is that it's a beautiful Cartier design in an affordable package, and not because of any hardcore technological evolution.

The Cartier Tank Française Ref: WSTA0067 is a current production model as of November 2024 and is priced at £5500. Due to increased demand, expect to pay a slightly higher price when buying from the secondary market. 

The exact price may vary depending on where you buy it from, the watch's condition and whether it comes with the original box and papers. 

Who Should Buy The Cartier Tank Française WSTA0067?

The Cartier Tank Française WSTA0067 embraces an elegant and timeless design, and its versatility piques the interest of many. The watch is ideal for those looking for something classic with contemporary flair. Its subtle luxury makes it perfect for both formal and casual occasions.

The 36.7 mm x 30.5 mm size is ideal for both small and large wrists. It can also be a great unisex luxury watch option, particularly for those with smaller wrists.

The Cartier Tank is an industry icon worn by royals, celebrities, and many influential figures. So, owning a part of the collection—the Cartier Tank Française —is equivalent to owning a piece of horological history.

The fact that this sophisticated Cartier creation is available at an accessible price point is a strong selling point, especially for those looking to enjoy the prestige of this brand at a reasonable price.

TO END WITH..

This larger Tank Française never fails to catch your attention whenever you see it. Its restrained proportion and sensible use of polished sections give it an aura of confident elegance. Even with its large size, it doesn't beg for attention but effortlessly captures it nonetheless.

For someone who likes to wear the same watch to a party after dinner in the garden, this Cartier Tank Française WSTA0067 is the ideal pick. If you're wondering whether Cartier is a good investment and which models hold value, the Tank Française WSTA0067 is definitely a piece you won’t regret.

While this steel Tank Française WSTA0067 has just arrived, it feels like we've known it for ages.

 

Also Read About Cartier Watch:

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Cartier Tank Francaise vs Panthere Watch: Comparison
7 Little-Known Facts About Cartier Watches
How Cartier Became A Serious Watchmaker?