MANILA, Philippines — An expression of a certain avant-garde, the Tank Française is linked to Paris, its freedom and creativity, whose cultural geography was so well captured by New Wave cinema.
More than 25 years after its creation, this watch is back in the limelight, remaining faithful to its iconic design whose lines Cartier has radicalized: proof it knows how to evolve with the times without ever losing its elegance, somewhere between great classicism and modern allure.
As such, it required a film to do it justice: an exquisite and cultured tribute to the passing of time, punctuated with cinematographic references against the backdrop of the Parisian sky. To direct, Cartier commissioned British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, who is best known for his ensemble cast films, creative editing and unparalleled sense of pace.
Paris takes center stage, supported by an international cast of strong personalities: Rami Malek, the most unique American actor of his generation, and Catherine Deneuve, the French legend of cinema and style.
It’s a story of chance and the often funny tricks that fate plays on you, as well as the karmic links that seem to exist between certain people. Rami Malek is on one side, while Catherine Deneuve is on the other. They playfully meet as they cross the Pont Alexandre III during different eras, creating a moment of complicity. Deneuve can be seen within her leading roles in Jacques Demy’s Parapluies de Cherbourg, Régis Wargnier’s Indochine and Nicole Garcia’s Place Vendôme, while Malek is shown as a multi-talented artist.
Two characters, two continents and two generations all linked by the same love of cinema and French culture.
“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,” says Arnaud Carrez, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Cartier. “It also represents the meeting between French style, symbolized by the Tank and Catherine Deneuve, with the avant-garde, free and legendary cinema that Rami Malek so brilliantly conveys.”
Ritchie (born 1968) is an English writer, producer and author who became famous for amalgamating genres. He’s made numerous films, ranging from iconic crime capers — Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, RocknRolla, The Gentlemen — to more commercial, critically acclaimed films, including Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, as well as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., the live-action adaptation of the Disney film, Aladdin and Wrath of Man. He also currently has two films in post-production: Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and Onus.
“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,” he says. “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.”
Malek, on the other hand, indifferent to the preconceived ideas that relegated him for a time to stereotypical roles, follows his own path and relies on his differences. It’s this creative and spiritual uniqueness that has 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.
Born in 1981 in Los Angeles to an immigrant family, Malek garnered attention in the series Mr. Robot, for which his interpretation of the main character earned him an Emmy Award and industry recognition.
His career accelerated in 2016 with the filming of Bohemian Rhapsody, in the lead role of singer Freddie Mercury. The tour de force performance won him a Golden Globe in 2019 followed by a Best Actor Oscar a month later.
In 2020, he also starred opposite Daniel Craig in the 25th James Bond film No Time To Die as the main villain.
“For me, there are two words that truly encapsulate this watch: beauty and simplicity,” Malek says. “The continued appreciation for this watch across generations is evidence of its timelessness and the perfection of its iconic design.”