Vintage Cartier Tank 1615 Must Quartz: Class and Convenience

If you’re engaged in watch Instagram or forums you may have noticed Cartier is seeing a bit of a resurgence in the watch world as of late. The Santos Galbee and Carree, the Mike Nouveau Bamboo, and almost every stock model for a new clothing company has a vintage Cartier Tank Must strapped to their wrist. Cartier has long been a respected watchmaker but we’ve been seeing a rapid increase in the popularity and price of some previously more affordable pre-owned models.

Maybe it was the algorithm that planted this seed in my mind, but early on this year, I decided I wanted a nice, “cheap” Cartier tank to add to my collection as an understated vintage dress piece. I began looking for a vintage Cartier Tank Must and initially was open to any dial variation, with a goal to stay under $1,000. My favorite dial became the “Lemon” with Roman numerals, often found on the Cartier Tank 1615, but I did find them to be more expensive compared to other dials.

While on vacation with my wife I found the exact watch I was after – a Cartier Tank 1615, lemon dial, in fantastic condition, with the original strap and Cartier deployant clasp. I made an offer within my budget and bought it on the spot.

It’s quartz, it’s plated, it’s small – but that’s the point! This watch is for those situations I want my timepiece to exist as a subtle detail of my outfit, not steal the show.

Table Of Contents

The Case
The Dial
The Movement
The Strap
The Verdict
The Specs

The Case

The Cartier 1615 case measures 23mm wide by 30mm tall, making this a perfectly understated watch that will look tasteful on all wrists. On my 6.6″ wrist I love the way it wears almost like a bracelet. It’s wafer-thin at just 6mm thick.

The sapphire crystal has a very subtle dome to it adding to the watch’s vintage aesthetic, and the crown is topped with Cartier’s signature blue sapphire (although on Must models this isn’t real sapphire but a synthetic spinel blue gemstone).

As indicated on the back, this is a gold vermeil or gold-plated case. The markings “Argent 925 Plaque or G 20M” indicate a sterling silver case plated in 20 microns of gold.

The downside of this plating is that heavier-used examples can have their plating worn down to the raw silver which can sometimes tarnish. Fortunately, there still exist many examples in good shape. For me, this watch may see wrist time once or twice a month, so sweating through the finish isn’t something I’m particularly concerned with.

The Dial

The lemon dial oozes vintage charm. This watch is likely from the early 1990s, but this dial configuration has been in production for decades prior without much notable change.

Roman numerals run around a railroad-style minute track with “Cartier” making up one line of the “V” in the 7’oclock indice. Pairing beautifully with the crown and creating a great contrast with the creamy lemon-yellow dial are Cartier’s signature heat-treated blue hands.

The Movement

This Cartier Tank 1615 is powered by Cartier’s calibre 90 quartz movement. It’s kept perfect time, but more importantly, it’s always ready to go when the time comes to grab it from the watch box. My collection doesn’t feature many dress watches. My other gold option, a 1963 Longines Conquest automatic, needs to be set each time I dust it off. I often find myself reaching for the Cartier out of convenience, especially considering the Conquest’s lack of quickset for its date function. Vintage watch owners everywhere know the struggle.

The Strap

A bonus of this particular watch is that it came on the original strap and Cartier deployant clasp. The black lizard strap is still in great shape, and the deployant adds a touch of special to the overall wearing experience.

Size adjustments can be made on the fly and the clasp makes a nice, satisfying pop into place. The buckle itself is adorned with the Cartier “C” logo. The one pain point is the 17mm lug width, which can be challenging to find straps for.

The Verdict

It’s not the cheapest tank-style watch on the market; there are plenty of affordable alternatives. But it is the original tank. You may argue that with most examples fetching over $1,000, a gold-plated, quartz vintage Cartier Tank Must doesn’t have a tremendous value proposition. To that, I say value is subjective! Even though it’s likely the most entry-level Cartier on the market, it really is a pleasure to slip on and look down on its warm cream-colored dial. It has a nostalgic charm that I’m not sure a contemporary affordable option could reproduce.

With such a long production run and so many dial combinations available, there’s likely a vintage Cartier Tank Must for you!