Dear Cartier Tank: you haunt my dreams

the cartier tank (louis cartier) is the ultimate little piece of luxury. worn by the greats (jackie kennedy, truman capote, michelle obama) it is the symbol of class and excellent taste.

i will not try to articulate the fascinating history of this watch (one of the first watches to be designed for style rather than functionality alone), so i shall instead quote from a recent article in vanity fair:

Placed without ceremony into the windows of Cartier's Paris salon in 1919 -- 90 years ago -- this wristwatch instantly took its place in history: as an icon, a symbol, and a standard for modern design. Within months it had a name: the Tank. And within a decade it was the watch of choice for the most singular people in the world...

This is a piece that haunts me, and i almost bit the bullet and made the grand purchase; i was all set to march into the local Cartier, credit card in hand, until i discovered the price... it's CAD $7,400. Then a little piece of me died.

one day...