Journey through time with Cartier's new release, the Tank Française
What do Rami Malek, French new wave cinema and Cartier all have in common?
To know all three is to appreciate culture, art, and luxury... but the simple answer to the above is Paris. The French 'City of Love' was not only the birthplace of New Wave Cinema, but also the birthplace of Cartier's historic Tank Française style, over 25 years ago. This iconic assembling made it the perfect location for British filmmaker Guy Ritchie to direct the French Maison's recent campaign film (starring Rami Malek) to celebrate the classic watch's reemergence.
This stylistic dedication to the Tank Française is an avant-garde homage to the way love and life was so artfully captured in New Wave cinema. Back in the limelight on screen, against the backdrop of the Parisian sky, the coveted watch takes centre stage halfway between the Left Bank and the Right Bank - a heroine of the passing of time which remains relevant today.
Rami Malek on one side, while Catherine Deneuve - the French legend of cinema and style - is on the other. They playfully meet as they cross the Pont Alexandre III, during different eras, creating a moment of complicity. Speaking of crossing the bridge - Fun Fact - Rami Malek walked 18,261 steps back and forth over the bridge while filming!
"The idea behind this film is the fantasy of crossing the bridge, from one bank to the other, a metaphor for the passage of time. I didn’t want to be too precious with this story, and preferred to add a fantasy element to it. It’s more of an encounter with cinema that is not necessarily literal and precise—that's what makes the film unique." - Guy Ritche
It becomes clear watching the film, that while times change, the elegance remains the same - the Tank, Rami Malek and Catherine Deneuve are the embodiment of French chic.
With varying roles like Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody and more recently a Bond villain in No Time To Die, Actor Rami Malek continues to follow his own path, celebrating his differences. It is these difference and creative drive that have allowed him to shed stereotypical roles over the years. This uniqueness made him a natural ambassador for Cartier time, whose vision he shares; that of a watchmaker who is equally attached to quality of time as well as its measurement.
"For me, there are two words that truly encapsulate this watch: beauty and simplicity. The continued appreciation for this watch across generations is evidence of its timelessness and the perfection of its iconic design.” - Rami Malek
"This film is an expression of Cartier's vision of watchmaking and the timelessness of its creations. It's a journey through time, where past and present merge, in the image of the Tank Française, a true icon of the past and present. It also represents the meeting between French style, symbolised by the Tank and Catherine Deneuve, with the avant-garde, free and legendary cinema that Rami Malek so brilliantly conveys." - Arnaud Carrez, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer.
Since it's debut, the new Tank Française has taken on more of a softened, rounded appearance with mostly satin finishes, it is also now available in steel and yellow gold, with or without diamonds! One thing that remains true, is that the Tank has an ability to reinvent itself with the upmost elegance - you can see the design evolution the timepiece undertaken to achieve that new modern allure, without compromising the original elegance that first won the world over in 1996.
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