18ct yellow gold Cartier Tank Chinoise wristwatch. Made 1950

The Chinoise played a role in the resurgence of interest in East Asian decorative arts in Europe dujring the early 20th century. Chinoiserie, the collective term for decorative objects and artworks inspired by East Asian and Chinese aesthetics, experienced its peak during the Rococo movement in the mid-18th century. Following the conclusion of World War I and during the early years of the Chinese Nationalist Republic, there was a renewed fascination with East Asian decorative motifs, and the Tank Chinoise was a part of this trend.

The original Tank Chinoise, created in 1922, featured a square-shaped case. What set it apart from the Normale and the Louis Cartier models were the brancards. These bars formed the sides of the Tank case for the Normale and the Louis Cartier, extending beyond the case to serve as lugs. This was a groundbreaking development in the early 20th century since wristwatches of that time were mostly modified pocket watches with lugs soldered onto the case. The Tank, along with the pre-war Santos-Dumont model, represented the first generation of wristwatches intentionally designed as such, rather than being adapted from pocket watches.