Imagen: Cartier, web oficial
The storyWhy this reference matters
The Tank arrived in 1917 as the Tank Normale, straight-sided with sharp corners. Five years later, in 1922, Cartier showed the Tank Louis Cartier: bigger, the rectangle more pronounced and, above all, the brancards rounded exactly where they curve to become the lugs. That curve is the whole model. It's what makes the watch read as one continuous piece of gold with a window cut in the middle, rather than a box with two legs bolted on.
The brancards are the rails running down either side of the dial, and their name comes from where everything in this family comes from: the tracks of a tank. On the Louis Cartier they are polished and full, and the dial sits wedged between them like a plate. On the WGTA0011 the case is 18-carat rose gold, 33.7 by 25.5 mm and only 6.6 thick, with a beaded crown capped by a sapphire cabochon.
In 2025 Cartier moved the line along: it launched a 38.1 mm automatic Tank Louis Cartier with the 1899 MC calibre, and that new size pushed the whole naming scheme down a rung. The result is that the same WGTA0011 appears as large on Cartier's site in some markets and as medium on the Spanish one and several other European ones. There aren't two different watches here — there are two labels for the same one.
SpecificationsThe numbers, in one table
| Brand | Cartier |
|---|---|
| Family | Tank |
| Reference | WGTA0011 |
| Movement | Cuerda manual |
| Power reserve | 37 horas |
| Diameter | 25.5 mm |
| Thickness | 6.6 mm |
| Lug to lug | 33.7 mm |
| Case | Oro rosa de 18 quilates |
| Crystal | Mineral |
| Water resistance | 3 bar (30 m) |
IdentificationHow to tell it apart
The case measures 33.7 by 25.5 mm and 6.6 thick, in 18-carat rose gold. Silvered dial with barleycorn guilloché, black Romans, blued sword hands, two hands and nothing else: no seconds, no date. Semi-matte brown alligator strap and a signed rose gold pin buckle.
The detail that surprises people most is the crystal: Cartier fits mineral, not sapphire, and puts it in writing on its own spec sheet without explaining why. Mineral picks up fine circular scratches that sapphire never collects; if an example is spotless and the seller insists it has sapphire, either the crystal has been replaced or he hasn't read the manufacturer's own sheet.
Cartier doesn't publish a calibre number for this reference either: the specification says only hand-wound mechanical manufacture movement, and quotes 37 hours of reserve. Listings circulate attributing specific calibres to it, and they don't even agree with each other. If the power reserve in the advert isn't 37 hours, the numbers have been copied off another watch.
CollectingWhat collectors check
Rose gold and polished brancards make this Tank the perfect candidate for a disastrous refinish. Look at it edge-on against the light: the edge of the brancard should be a clean line, not a soft ridge. Once rounded it never comes back, and on solid gold every pass of the cloth carries away material that cannot be put back.
The mineral crystal, on the other hand, is good news for a buyer: it's a spare part from the manufacturer itself and replacing it is neither expensive nor invasive. What should light a red lamp is an aftermarket sapphire fitted to an original case, because it means somebody has been inside and hasn't mentioned it.
Check the buckle and the dial. The buckle is 18-carat rose gold and signed; an unmarked steel one is a previous owner's economy that you end up paying for. And on the dial, make sure the barleycorn guilloché still holds a crisp relief and that the printing of the Romans hasn't been retouched, smudged or left with uneven blacks.
Common questionsWhat people ask us about this reference
Does the Tank Louis Cartier have a sapphire crystal?
No. Cartier's official specification for the WGTA0011 states mineral crystal. It's a known quirk of the hand-wound Tank Louis Cartier versions and worth keeping in mind when you buy.
Which calibre is in the Tank Louis Cartier WGTA0011?
Cartier doesn't publish the number. Its specification says only that it's a hand-wound mechanical manufacture movement, and quotes 37 hours of power reserve.
Is the WGTA0011 the large or the medium model?
It depends on the market. Cartier lists it as large on some sites and as medium on others, the Spanish one included, ever since a 38.1 mm automatic Tank Louis Cartier appeared in 2025. The measurements are always 33.7 by 25.5 mm.
What's the power reserve on the Tank Louis Cartier?
37 hours, according to Cartier. It's a hand-wound watch with no seconds hand, so the healthy routine is to wind it every morning before you put it on.
Keep readingWhere to go from here
Close relativesThe ones it gets confused with
Confidence: alta — this page was checked against the sources below. If a detail looks wrong to you, write to us and we will fix it.