![back to the future part iii watch back to the future part iii watch](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/a8cc260ea343c0c66ec5069421e420b12ea0d07f1bec9170314a9bf7bb0a3452._UR1920,1080_RI_SX329_.jpg)
The Cartier Tank’s sleek, rectangular lines defined a new aesthetic in watchmaking, and one that would change the future of timepieces. The story goes that he was influenced by the first appearance of armored tanks during the war, hence the name. He sketched the concept-just four lines forming a square with two sides extended, like a stretcher, with a strap fitted between them.
![back to the future part iii watch back to the future part iii watch](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmRmZmJmMTMtOWQ3Zi00NTE5LWFhNzMtMGJjYWQxYzcwYTBkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzU1NzE3NTg@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,59,500,281_.jpg)
His brothers Pierre and Jacques were serving in the armed forces, but Louis, 41, was rejected because of earlier injuries. It was conceived by Louis Cartier during World War I, while he was living at the Ritz Paris on Place Vendôme.
![back to the future part iii watch back to the future part iii watch](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/back_to_the_future_time_train_-_publicity_-_p_2017.jpg)
The Cartier Tank may be a classic now, but it was considered a radical design when it was unveiled in 1917. It’s the perfect balance of form and function, with an enduring legacy that ranks alongside Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chair as a modern design with lasting appeal in every generation. The remarkably simple, unadorned Cartier Tank has been coveted by a diverse group of tastemakers, from Duke Ellington and Yves Saint Laurent to Liz Taylor and Madonna, for over a century. At the time, she said hoped to pass it down to her own daughter one day. But Meghan had already considered this iconic design an empowering accessory: She purchased a two-tone Cartier Tank in 2015 as a gift to herself and a symbol of her independence and had 'To M.M. Harry later gave the timepiece to his wife, Meghan Markle, who also appears to place significance on the watch: She recently wore it in a rare portrait of the couple that was released ahead of their episode of Time100 Talks. On more formal occasions, she wore a gold Cartier Tank Française watch, which her sons inherited after her death. The Cartier Tank Louis wasn’t the only Tank watch that Princess Diana owned. While she had numerous timepieces, Diana favored the streamlined classic watch and it aligned with her emerging independent spirit. In its place she frequently wore a classic Cartier Tank Louis on an alligator strap, which was a gift from her father, Earl Edward John Spencer. When Princess Diana’s marriage started to unravel, she stopped wearing the Patek Philippe gold watch that Prince Charles had given to her on her 20th birthday.