Cartier Tank Giveaway

Yes, you read correctly.

Oct 23, 2024

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the THIRRRRRD NDW Substack Gear Giveaway! Great big shouts out to David, Laurent, and Marco from Thillier Heritage for making this giveaway happen. And most of all, thank you folks for supporting me to the point where I can give back like this. Now after all, let’s get into the following:

Overview of Thillier Heritage,
A breakdown of the prize,
Detailing the rules of the giveaway, and
Providing some of my own insights into the watch itself.

I’m beyond stoked to be able to give away such a big ticket item, so let’s not waste any more time, and get into the rules!

What is Thiller Heritage?

Founded in 2016, Thillier Time is one of the foremost purveyors of vintage watches in all of Canada. They’ve built a reputation selling ultra-desirable vintage models from Rolex, to Patek Philippe, to Audemars Piguet and more. In 2023, Thillier Time decided to diversify their offering with the introduction of Thillier Heritage. This new line would introduce more attainable offerings from the likes of Cartier, Blancpain, Breguet, Jaeger LeCoultre, Universal Geneve, and more. Having bought and sold thousands of vintage watches, they have a keen eye for condition, originality, and tasteful design. Personally, I’ve steered many of my fellow Canadians towards Thillier for a few years now as their curation is unmatched. From newcomers to seasoned collectors, they’ve got a little something for everyone, and their pricing is pretty hard to beat.

The Prize

Now onto the prize itself. The lucky winner of this month’s giveaway will receive a mint-condition Must de Cartier Tank ref.2416. The case is executed in solid 925 silver, without the commonly found gold vermeil which is prone to chipping, meaning this piece should remain in tip-top shape for decades to come. Coming in at 22x30mm, it’s a mid-sized tank case that’ll look right at home on a vast range of wrist sizes. The dial features a cobalt blue “rail-track” and numerals, with Cartier’s signature interlocking C monogram in the centre. We also see Cartier’s classic sword hour and minute hands, and the hidden “Cartier” at 10-o-clock. Powering the watch is a battery-operated quartz movement featuring precise accuracy and low maintenance relative to a mechanical movement. While this case does feature improved water resistance relative to other tank models, I’d avoid water as much as humanly possible when wearing this watch. And in addition to its original steel deployant clasp, this watch also comes with its original box and papers!

The Rules

Alright, enough yapping, let’s get down to brass tacks and talk about how this’ll go down.

Follow Thillier Heritage on Instagram.
Free subscribers will automatically receive 1 entry
Paid subscribers will automatically receive 20 entries.
The winner will be announced via a random draw on Instagram live at 5:00PM EST on Friday, November 1st.
The winner will receive an e-mail from my email address notifying them that they have won. Please be wary of scammers who may try to impersonate me.
To comply with Canadian giveaway regulations, the winner will be required to answer a simple skill-testing question.
The winner will have 24hrs to respond, otherwise a new winner will be drawn.

En Francais:

Suiver Thillier Heritage sur Instagram.
Les abonnés gratuits recevront automatiquement 1 entrée.
Les abonnés payants recevront automatiquement 20 entrées.
La date limite pour participer sera 17:00 le vendredi 1 Novembre.
Le gagnant sera annoncé via un tirage au sort sur Instagram live après la fin du délai.
Le gagnant recevra un e-mail de mon adresse e-mail l'informant qu'il a gagné. Méfiez-vous des fraudeurs qui pourraient tenter de se faire passer pour moi.
Afin de se conformer à la réglementation Canadienne en matière de concours, le gagnant devra répondre à une simple question réglementaire.
Le gagnant aura 24h pour répondre, sinon un nouveau gagnant sera tiré au sort.

If you have any additional questions, please leave them in the comment box below and I’ll be sure to clarify any details!

My Thoughts

Alright, beyond purely technical specs, let me tell you what I love about this piece. First off let’s address the elephant in the room - Must de Cartier has a reputation in the Cartier community as being the worse-off version of Cartier wristwatches, and that’s not entirely un-true. Relative to a solid-gold Cartier Tank with an EWC movement, this thing doesn’t compare, BUT, that also comes at five times the price. That means you’ve got to worry about wearing this ultra-delicate, very valuable piece on a very flail-able part of your body, whereas the Must de Cartier raises a bit less concern. Then we have the case - I think 925 silver is an awesome material for a watch, it’s not all that common, and it gives the watch a nice heft without commanding the premium that gold does. And like I mentioned above, you won’t run into the issues that you do with gold vermeil. When it comes to the movement, a lot of purists (myself included) prefer a mechanical movement, but there’s some important nuance here. Mechanical movements are high maintenance (require expensive services, can’t be brought near magnets, are very susceptible to shock damage) and are less accurate than battery movements. For 99% of the population, a quartz movement makes far more sense. Then we come to the looks - I think this thing looks incredible. The small form-factor is super chic and elegant, the complete opposite of most overgrown mens watches of today. And those blue accents on the dial jump right up to your eyes. I can’t wait for one of you folks to get your hands on this, I think you’ll love it.

Aaaaaand that should be everything. Please let me know if I can clarify any details! Huge thanks to Thillier Heritage, and to you folks for the support.