The replica Cartier Tank Must in green is a 33.7 x 25.5 mm steel watch with a lacquered green dial, printed Roman numerals, a rail-track minute scale, and blued sword hands. A solid copy runs on Swiss quartz or a Miyota 2025, uses sapphire crystal, and ships on a 16 mm green leather strap with an engraved ardillon buckle. A weak copy uses mineral glass, an unbranded Chinese quartz, and stamped numerals that lose their edges in raking light. Judge the dial printing, the crown cabochon, the case finishing, and the movement before you judge the price.
Before You Shop
- Measure your wrist. The large Tank Must is 33.7 x 25.5 mm, the small is 29.5 x 22 mm, and the rectangular case reads bigger than its numbers suggest.
- Decide between quartz and mechanical. The original green Tank Must is quartz, so a quartz copy is the closer match.
- Set a price band and stay inside it. Green lacquer dials are easy to fake badly and easy to fake well.
- Pick a seller who posts macro photos from customers, not studio renders.
Specs That Matter
- Case: steel, 6.6 mm thick, brushed flanks with polished brancard edges.
- Dial: green lacquer, glossy, with printed black Roman numerals and a chemin de fer track.
- Crystal: sapphire with inner anti-reflective coating.
- Movement: Swiss quartz or Miyota 2025, both with a smooth sweep-free tick.
- Strap: 16 mm green calf or alligator-grain leather, stitched edges, no plastic sheen.
- Buckle: steel ardillon with deep engraving, not a laser etch that washes out.
How to Judge a Copy Before You Pay
- Ask for macro photos of the dial taken in daylight at a low angle, then zoom on the numeral 6 and the minute track.
- Check the crown cabochon. It should sit in a polished bead and read as a deep blue synthetic spinel, not a flat plastic dot.
- Compare the printed numerals to reference photos. Original Roman numerals have crisp serifs and even stroke weight; copies show thickened or bridged strokes.
- Look at the hands. Blued sword hands should be uniformly colored with a clean center line, not painted blue on one face only.
- Inspect the caseback engraving depth under a light at 45 degrees. Shallow, sandy letters mean a cast case, not a machined one.
- Request a photo of the movement with the back removed, and confirm the caliber stamp matches what the seller advertises.
- Confirm the strap width is 16 mm at the lugs and that the buckle engraving matches the caseback script.
- Ask for a short video of the second hand. A quartz copy ticks once per second; a mechanical copy sweeps.
Where Replicas Fall Short
The green lacquer is the hardest part to copy. Originals build color in thin layers over a polished base, so the dial shifts from dark emerald to near-black as your wrist turns. Cheap copies spray one heavy coat over a matte blank, and the result looks flat and slightly milky under indoor light. The second gap is the case. Original Tank Must cases are stamped and then machined, which leaves a soft, even radius along the brancards. Cast cases show pitting near the lugs and a hard, squared edge. The third gap is the strap. Most copies ship with stiff corrected-grain leather that creaks and cracks within months.
Care and Storage
Wipe the case with a dry microfiber cloth after each wear to lift skin oils off the lacquer. Keep the watch away from solvent-based cleaners, which dull the dial finish. Store it flat in a case with the strap unclasped so the leather keeps its curve. Replace the battery on quartz copies every two to three years, and have a watchmaker reseal the caseback gasket at the same time. A green lacquer dial fades under direct sun, so keep it out of a car dash or a bright windowsill.