To find your next wrist game upgrade, you very well might have to look to the past. Try more than a century, in fact. That’s when the most famous of all “tank watches,” the Cartier Tank, first took shape, with design cues drawn from French Renault tanks and dreamed up Cartier founder Louis Cartier.
The maison’s name is now virtually synonymous with the style, becoming a sort of shorthand for the eye-catching, retro style that is the slimmed-down, compact, and undersized rectangular watch.
As easily worn by the ladies in your life as by leading men like Don Draper, the best tank watches usually clock in at anywhere from 22 to 33mm in case size. They’re often found on a leather strap, sometimes one with a dash of texture or color.
Either way, the best tank watches for men are dressy, classic, and impeccably refined, easily paired with throwback musings like a knit polo or else adding heritage class to a seasonal suit.
Rather than announcing itself in bold fashion like today’s crop of large-format dive watches, the tank watch moves with intentionality through the world, serving as a pleasing, elegant statement rather than a distraction or an over-the-top style move.
In fact, the beauty of the best men’s tank watches lies in the fact that they’re at once humble and yet refined.
Wear yours artfully resting beneath the cuff of an Oxford shirt any time of year, or else alongside a wool cardigan in the colder months. Crisp and timeless, the tank watch is a horological statement you can count on, even if you’re just dipping your toes into this historical watch style.
And while the Cartier Tank is a tried-and-true mainstay of the category, you’ll find stylish rectangular and tank watches at every price point.
Speaking of… Some of my favorite picks below.
Photo via Cartier
Cartier Tank Must de Cartier Watch
It assuredly wouldn’t be a list of the best tank watches for men without including a modern, ultra-luxurious take on the silhouette that brought the style to the masses (or the fortunate masses, at least).
Sticker shock aside, the Must de Cartier offers a slightly more agreeable alternative to the Cartier Louis Cartier models on the market, bolstered by a high-autonomy quartz movement and steel case in a unisex 33mm case size, with plentiful dial color and case options available.
Class and style have perhaps never been more instantly recognizable on the wrist than with the original Cartier Tank.
Photo via Fossil
Fossil Carraway Three-Hand Brown Croco Leather Watch
There are illustrious examples aplenty of the tank watch in much more expensive, luxurious form, but Fossil delivers the goods on a budget. And while Nick Carraway of The Great Gatsby isn’t exactly the best character study, this Art Deco-inspired timepiece offers suitably stylish detail with a textured leather strap and Roman numeral hour markings. For best results, consider pairing with a linen or seersucker suit for the ultimate in easygoing elegance.
Photo via Timex
Timex Lexington 1976 Reissue Watch
Timex tends to pop up across the past century at key moments in American watchmaking, a fitting match given the company’s Connecticut roots (first as a clock maker). That lineage means the company has quite the archive to pull from, and the 1970s serve as groovy style inspiration for this supremely understated, subtly stylish 21mm tank watch. Affordable tank watches like this one just might be calling your name.
Editor’s Note: At time of publishing, this watch is sold out via Timex. Sign up for their newsletter to be the first to know when it’s back in stock. And/or be on the lookout for Timex collabs with outfits like Todd Snyder.
Photo via Hamilton
Hamilton American Classic Boulton Tank Watch
Just like its all-American watchmaking brethren at Timex, Hamilton wears its heritage with pride, and the 1940s-era Boulton drives home that sentiment in expert fashion.
It’s the kind of watch your grandfather might have worn (or still wears), complete with era-appropriate numerals, a handsome brass-toned case design, and a textured leather strap that pairs stylishly with your trusty leather loafers this spring and summer.
Photo via Bulova
Bulova Men’s Sutton Classic Tank Watch
A tank watch is distinctive enough in its own right, and a dash of color can level up that sense of distinction even further. Bulova calls its Sutton Watch “the new paragon for classic elegance,” with a matching textured strap and blue dial, one featuring a date window at the 6-o’clock marker for a slight change of pace from other tank watches.
Bulova was a treasured favorite of Frank Sinatra, and this watch just might make him proud.
Photo via Breda
Breda Virgil Rectangle Watch
A defining feature of the best tank watches for men? The subtle sense of style and watch insider know-how the wearer tends to gain, as the silhouette calls for a second or third glance without detracting from your overall ensemble. Just look at how Don Draper wore his tank watch. Utterly classy, ehh?
The Virgil takes things in an ultra-minimal, modern direction, boasting clean lines for hour markers and an 18-karat gold-plated rectangular case in a refined 26mm size. For pairing with charcoal suiting or sweater polos aplenty, Breda delivers one of the best affordable tank watches for men.
