Les Must de Cartier: The Misunderstood Entry-Level Cartier

The Cartier of today is undeniably a symbol of luxury and has strategically manufactured that imagery. From its quintessential deep red boxes with gold filigree border to its looping cursive script, even before you get to the object itself, whether it be jewelry or a watch, the brand has carefully crafted the entire experience of its product to position it as such. But today, we’re taking a look at an anomaly in the maison’s past, for which Cartier descended from its luxurious heights to extend its hand to the mass market. Les Must de Cartier is representative of a pivotal time in the history of watchmaking, and its contrasting accessibility played a crucial role in the maison’s longevity and its ability to weather shifting market trends. Down below, I’ll be walking you through how Must de Cartier came to be, some significant design codes, how the line has reemerged after its discontinuation, and share some musings and philosophical ponderings about this strange chapter in Cartier’s history. 

Les Must de Cartier Context

From its relatively humble beginnings as a local, artisanal jewelry workshop in 1847, by the turn of the 20th century, Cartier had already established itself as a global luxury powerhouse, operating in London, New York, and Paris by 1909. Each independent branch of Cartier at this time was operated by a trio of Louis-François Cartier’s grandsons, and while they often collaborated, each location developed its own unique flair and catered to its respective clientele. This “three-brothers” model of operations was quite successful and directly led to Cartier’s defining itself as a key player in the luxury goods industry, be it jewelry or watches. Many key elements of the Cartier DNA were defined in this era, from the development of the Santos and Tank designs by Louis Cartier in Paris, to the establishment of the brand’s iconic Fifth Avenue mansion in New York by Pierre Cartier, to cultivating elite clients on the British royal court by Jacques Cartier in London. But even if your last name is Cartier, you have the same fate as all mortals do. By 1964, with none of the Cartier brothers still standing, the direct family control of the brand was waning, and, with each of the respective houses being independently owned and operated, the Cartier name was in flux. 

Image: Bonhams

Fragmented and without a clear, unifying vision, when the quartz crisis began in 1969, Cartier was undoubtedly facing a precarious scenario. While Cartier was facing its greatest challenge yet, a new trio swept in with plans to revive the maison in its own vision — this time not brothers, but ambitious businessmen. In 1972, entrepreneur Robert Hocq united forces with Joseph Kanoui, and Alain Dominique Perrin stepped in to acquire Cartier Paris, aiming to modernize the brand enough to weather changes in the marketplace and reestablish Cartier’s competitiveness in the industry. This trio next bought out the London branch of Cartier, integrating it under the Paris management by 1976. 

Image: Christie's

But how was Cartier going to modernize, to resuscitate itself from its great plummet from grace after the brothers’ respective deaths? Well, as early as 1973, Robert Hocq had been cooking up his own answer. Hocq had already begun experimenting with giving the more everyday consumer a taste of luxury with Must de Cartier to great success, starting first with lifestyle-oriented products. The tagline “Les Must de Cartier, cest un must” or “It’s a must” sank its teeth into the cultural consciousness, and Cartier began peddling leather goods, pens, lighters, keyholders, and other accessories to consumers in Paris’ rising upper-middle-class in the post-World War II economic boom. In 1977, with Hocq spearheading the charge, Cartier’s watch department got the Les Must treatment. Sights set on wooing the hearts (and wallets) of a younger, stylish consumer, the Les Must line embraced more affordable quartz-powered movements, bold displays of color, and democratized its case construction, by shifting away from the precious metals that were the maison's bread-and-butter to silver cases with gold vermeil plating. In this way, Cartier could produce a product that used the case silhouettes and design codes that were already icons within their horological repertoire, but offer them at a much more affordable price. 

In 1979, the final branch of Cartier was bought out by the industrious trio, officially unifying the company under Cartier Monde. By that time, Les Must de Cartier watches were already being pumped out. The collection was a hit, and Cartier expanded beyond the Tank Louis case design, producing the Must Vendôme, and even in rare instances, the Santos, all with the Must de Cartier treatment. Despite its strong start, the Must de Cartier collection began to lose favor starting in the late 1990s, coinciding with a general decline in demand for “entry-level luxury.” People wanted the real luxury. Cartier shifted its focus, and the Les Must collection of watches was phased out by the early 2000s.

The original Les Must de Cartier watches are now circulating all around the secondary market, and you can find many of them at pretty competitive prices. But it is important to note that if you are considering one, these pieces show their age more intensely than, say, a solid gold watch would. This is due to the shelf life of the gold vermeil used across the cases for much of the Must de Cartier watch collection. The shelf life of gold vermeil is, on average, about 30 years, so you’ll find many of the platings on the cases of the watches chipping off, and, in the case that it isn’t, you should prepare yourself for the chipping to become a reality if you get one yourself. I’m not a purist by any means, but I would advise anyone with an interest in these watches to prepare themselves for the inevitable. Of course, you can get a watch re-plated, but that is not my forte, so at this moment, I don’t really have any advice on how/when/if you should (or shouldn’t) go about that. 

Les Cartier Tank Must Case And Wear

The story of Must de Cartier watches didn’t end in its finality in the early 2000s, dear reader. As watch houses are wont to do, Cartier welcomed its Must de Cartier back into its catalog in 2021 with the introduction of the Tank Must. In a colorful trio (which I will dive into deeper in the next section), the Tank Must brought back a similar spirit of affordability (relative to Cartier, at least) into the brand’s catalog. The secret sauce? Steel case construction. 

Yep, the Tank Must is the same Tank you know and love, but at a price significantly less than its fully golden siblings. For the “Large” size, each steel Tank Must case measured 33.7mm long and 25mm wide, with a profile of just 6.6mm, along with the “Small” model Tank Must at 29.5mm by 22mm, and the “Extra Large” at 41mm x 31mm. For all intents and purposes, both of these watches are quite tiny, in spite of their naming conventions. It’s part of the quintessential DNA of the Tank. All models are typically paired with a leather strap, but Cartier also offers bracelet pairings for the Tank Must, which look nice but are much less “Tank-like,” in my opinion. 

Cartier Tank Must Dial 

Though Cartier has a few dial options to choose from, the most quintessentially Must de Cartier-like (and my personal favorites), are the colorful, lacquer-dial models that the brand launched in 2021 as part of the line's contemporary comeback. The deep burgundy model, paired with a coordinating strap, is the one I still find the most compelling, followed by the emerald green, then the deep blue. Unfortunately for all of us, these fun dial options seem to have been phased out, and now the lacquered dial option seems to be limited to black. For these models, this rendition of the Tank Must went full throttle on the minimalism, forgoing any timekeeping numbers or indices, and even doing away with the “Must” branding on the dial. In contrast, there is still the more classic Cartier Tank Must, white dial, blued hands, and Roman numeral indices and all. 

Cartier Tank Must Movement 

Image: Christie's

The Must de Cartier collection of watches has predominantly been quartz powered, though the brand did release some mechanical watches under the line with ETA calibers. That theme continues into today. Primarily, you’ll find the Tank Must to be quartz-powered, or even solar-quartz (the SolarBeat photovoltaic quartz, to be precise) or high autonomy quartz powered, though Cartier doesn’t like to disclose the exact references of the quartz movement its watches are equipped with. This is all aligned with Cartier’s jewelry-first ethos. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say we can assume that the quartz is sourced from ETA or a similar Swiss supplier. The Extra Large remix of the Tank Must is available with an automatic movement, though it doesn’t transparently state the reference of this movement, either. Touché, Cartier. 

Final Thoughts 

Image: Bonhams

Given Cartier’s current might in the market, it is strange to grapple with the fact that even the luxury giant had its off days, or well, years. The history of Les Must de Cartier is one of a brand trying to regain its footing, to look to the masses, which it for so long alienated, for the strength to sustain itself, and survive. A work of clever marketing and business ingenuity, there’s a lot of charm in the vintage archive of the Must de Cartier repertoire. While I think Cartier initially captured that charm when it first debuted the revamped identity of the Tank Must, as it stands, I think the current lineup is missing some of the playful experimentation, especially in its use of color, that made the Must de Cartier, well, a must. 

Also, even with the use of more affordable materials, with the current Tank Must, Cartier is still wielding is luxury prowess. When the Must de Cartier lineup first debuted, the watches were priced around $300, and, adjusted for inflation, that would be around $1,400 in today’s market. Currently, pricing for the Tank Must starts at $3,600, which is attainable relative to Cartier, sure, but still steep enough to be lacking in the mass-market appeal that was foundational to the line. Personally, it’s a bit much for me to justify. Maybe if they introduced some new lacquer dial variations in colors I really loved, I would start to think about it. As it stands, I think I’d risk the vermeil chipping and go with the more daring vintage options, and save a few thousand bucks. You can learn more at cartier.com.