Where most of us start
By Priya Nair, Singapore ·
My first Cartier was a Tank, bought at 28 with a bonus I probably should have invested. I tell you that so you understand my bias: I think everyone should own one Tank, and for most people the Must is the sensible one.
33.7 mm tall, 6.6 mm thick, steel, silver dial with Roman numerals and the railway minute track, a blue cabochon on the crown, quartz. On a 20 mm leather strap it vanishes under any cuff and looks right with a suit, a sari or a linen shirt on holiday (though at 30 m, keep it out of the pool). It's the classic Tank shape at a steel price of about 3,250 to 3,500 dollars.
The catch: it's a battery watch, so resale is modest and nobody at a collectors' dinner will ask to hold it. The strap Cartier supplies is lovely for about a year. Budget for a new one, and for the boutique trying to sell you a second colour while you're there.
Still the right first Cartier.