Dumb Drama: What is going on with the Cartier Tank Must SolarBeat watches?
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- I've been in contact with Cartier and I've done my best to get answers. Clearly I am not a journalist.
My original video on the Tank Must SolarBeat - • I got it! - The Cartie...
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I want to applaud Cartier for taking the games we play for luxury watches to the next level. Now not only can watches be difficult to buy but you're not even sure if they're available or real. That's just awesome.
media.tenor.com/JUa45Zo1SP8AAAAC/creed-bratton-the-office.gif
lol
😂 well said!
“Huge deal in the watch world which is to say pretty meaningless “ 😂 humility at its finest, love it
Evan is doing instigative journalism now. Thank you, Evan.
I'm certainly trying to instigate something.
It's amazing how well the Tank goes with so many outfits. It's like the watch version of a navy blue blazer: It won't convert a casual or informal outfit to formal, but it does add a nice touch to it.
If only a mass market manufacturer could bring this amazing solar technology to similarly designed dress watches at a much lower price
I know of none. Seiko has a few that are either made for children or for Paul Bunyan.
Have you heard anything about a watch brand called Citizen?
@@Sam_D the Corso is nice and all, but people would like more options and choices.
@@Thiccolo there are bunch of Rectangular watches on the market that kinda look like the Cartier Tank from Citizen, Seiko, Bulova, Oris, Longines,... Check out Seiko SUP250P9
Seiko have a solar tank, find them a little over 100 euros last I checked
You can get the "Seiko SUP250P9" until your Cartier Tank Solar arrives.
According to their website, there was one in their Paris Champs Elysees store so I lined up to get it last year. When I finally got inside, I was told that they had sold all their units and were not available any more. Once I was assigned a sales associate she searched their inventory and found one. Miracle. Between the time she walked to the back to process my purchase and give me the box, no less than 4 people offered to buy it. Crazy. Luckily no problems with the watch and it runs great. I wear it all the time with all sort of outfits.
It is nice to know that luxury stores are as bad at inventory as normal stores are.
Well done and well said! I'm enjoying my Small SolarBeat, and like you said in the video, I think some people are confusing the power-saving "feature" as a bug. I sincerely enjoy this "it would stop if you don't use it" part, which we watch folks are very much used to with our mechanical watches. Take this as a ridiculously long power reserve. Setting the watch once in a while manually gives back the tactile aspect of the mechanical watches to a quartz-regulated, rechargeable cell-powered Tank.
I asked around twenty ADs/boutiques across 4 countries (Singapore, Korea, Japan, Taiwan) and they all told me that they're unavailable and if I order with them, i "MAY" get one in 6 months. Ridiculous.
Very. It would be nice if Cartier communicated some timelines to their sellers.
Funny enough, I just walked into the Chicago Cartier boutique today specifically asking about the SolarBeat before I knew you released this video just a couple hours earlier. The nice lady there looked into a drawer to see if she had an extra lying around (sure enough, nope) and then told me a similarly vague line about production difficulties. Her best guess was that we'd start to see them again in the US market sometime around 2024 Watches and Wonders...so mayyyyybe April? @@YoureTerrific
Got mine (Solarbeat Large) in August here in The Netherlands. According to the sales person at the Cartier Boutique only one became available (in July) and I jumped on it immediately after waiting for 8 months. Love it!
solar beat vs eco-drive?
Thanks for the update. I had been looking for this for a while and thanks to your video found it available at my local Cartier boutique and am now a proud owner of a large Solarbeat. First vintage-style dress watch for me.
I love your channel’s casual take on watch collecting; not taking it too seriously. Good job!
Stopping production is the right call by Cartier. My wife and I purchased the small and large in early 2022. Her small has had issues holding charge and Cartier replaced it twice now. A couple weeks ago she notice the third watch has stopped again. I typically may wear my mechanical watches and the Tank is only worn on special occasions, so I checked mine and it also stopped. Not in hibernation mode because we’ve put left both with exposure to sunlight for a couple days and they won’t over turn a minute over. Quite disappointing to find out two years later. Hoping to just swap for the quartz movement at this point.
Great video Evan. Thanks for doing some due diligence to get us some answers about the solar beat!
I wish I had more answers
I have your answer as I had a Cartier SolarBeat & after six months the face of the watch discolored with a red color(burn through from the cell). When I pushed to get Cartier to give me a replacement, they refused and would only swap out for a quartz. They originally wanted to charge me for the price increase that occurred between the time I bought the SolarBeat and the time they replaced it with the quartz version. I pushed back & they ultimately didn’t charge me the delta between the price I paid for the SolarBeat and the new price on the quartz Must. I hope this helps solve the mystery.
I went to the San Francisco store a few weeks ago to ask about the large Solarbeat and they said they didn't have more official information, but they thought that Cartier may be stopping production due to reliability concerns. However just today, a sales rep texted me to let me know that one large Solarbeat is available for sale.
Just go with the quartz version, that's what I did. Yes, it's not as "cool" as the solar beat but:
1. The battery lasts 8 years which is crazy long for quartz
2. It's MUCH easier to get one
3. I will be easier and cheaper to fix if something does go wrong with it
4. Without a loupe, it looks exactly the same as the solarbeat
Yeah, but SOLAR.
Stop being so correct and reasonable. You make me look bad.
@@YoureTerrific 🤣
That was my reasoning for choosing the standard quartz version last year
How much does the Quartz cost? USD/CAD. I am not able to find
Hi! I got a phone call from the boutique and they offered me a large solarbeat two weeks ago. I was going to get the solarbeat, but ultimately passed on it because the LC Tank will be in my future soon, and I already have a Tank Must XL and thought that would be one to many Tanks in my collection. PS it’s James-Michael the crazy internet person that sent you the Blue PVD santos!
Love the video! More hard-hitting PDX style journalism please. Seriously, one of your best videos, Evan. Hits on a bunch of my favorite topics-thanks!
My PDX-style docile rage.
I got mine when they first came out. My local AD got two and has not received another shipment since and been told the other one had issues and was sent back to Cartier. Mine has been running perfectly, and I am absolutely in love with it. I agree tho, it's a real shame that they can't clearly communicate the issue here. It's wild how these big watch companies don't know how to talk to their customer base in 2023.
Save yourselves the frustration and just get the regular quartz version. Identical charm without the drama. No waitlist here in Oz and even scored a 4% discount. A battery change every 7 years is no big deal. The quartz Musts from the 70's still go solidly so no stress there. Tried and tested movt with no ticking seconds hand to drive anyone nuts. I've had the large for a few months now and love it both formally and with casual dress. It is the quintessential dress watch in my mind.
Solarbeat reliabilty issues with claims of not being serviceable are a concern.
I'm in Aus too! How did you score the discount?
Yes very true, I bought the large a year ago and it's great 😊
@@yanaTHEbanana151 contacted the AD, we had a long chat about the history of the watch etc. and built a rapport. I asked the question, asked for 5% and they gave me 4%.... I jumped at it.
Just went to a large Cartier boutique and the Tank Must Large regular has been routinely in and out of stock over the years, but now the SA told me explicitly that Cartier is limiting the supply of this particular model for no specific reason and I heard the same thing in a boutique in Las Vegas about how Cartier plans to “limit” their watches availability for the future. So, they’ll be harder to get in the coming years. I know finding a new Tank Must Large on a bracelet I stock anywhere has been a pain 🤦♂️
I have a regular large tank which, aside from not being solar powered, is identical to your watch. Absolutely love the simplicity, the design, and the understated elegance every time I wear it.
I swapped the Solarbeat for the normal quartz. The solar movements on my Citizen and Seiko hold charge way longer than the Solarbeat
Good investigative work. Cartier's lack of transparency as to availability is problematic. My son bought his girlfriend a new small SolarBeat last year. At the time, there were only 11 new ones for sale in the US. It is a lovely watch and has been flawless.
I have two. And they work great. Let’s hope it stays that way. The solar aspect was definitely part of the appeal. If it was “regular quartz” I would have gotten the manual wind Louis Cartier instead.
I have a solarbeat L which I had to send in for warranty (there were small spots on the dial), it took 4 months to replace the dial which talks towards a lack of parts. I also talked with my local AD (Sweden) about a month ago and asked if the Solarbeat was still in production and he said "yes, we took an order for one last week". So yeah.
I asked to be on the waitlist for the Cartier boutique here in Manila back in 2022. I never heard back from them, so I'm not hopeful about getting one. I guess with the relatively more attainable price point, too many people want one but not enough supply.
I’ve been wondering this exact thing for so long!! Rarely has this model appeared on the Canadian Cartier website, which is so unfortunate because the technology (in my mind) gives it a leg up on the base quartz model. Right now only the small is available on the Canadian website, hopefully the large comes soon!
I have an Eco-Drive Citizen that has been completely trouble free for 10 years. It was under $200. I don't see $2800 in better finish from Cartier.
Yeah but “Cartier”.
@YoureTerrific I agree. I'm just making myself feel better because I don't want to spend the money. Also, I want a JLC Reverso if I'm going to get that style of watch. I need a grown-up fidget spinner. I really don't want to spend JLC money either. I tried on the Reverso while on vacation in Paris in October. It was perfect. The Zenith El Primero Revival that I tried on was perfect too. Why do I do this to myself? Is there treatment for this sort of issue? Is therapy less expensive than a new watch?
Therapies are even more addictive, let’ s keep the watch hobby
I was told during a visit at Cartier London that the Solarbeat was a capsule collection and not being made any more. - Now it’s back on the website, together with the new and quite a bit higher prices
Imagine working in PR and using 'indeed' twice in a sentence in a 2-line email.
I got my large Cartier solar beat watch about 13 months ago so far it has been running great.
Couple months ago my mom’s year old SolarBeat stopped working. I went to Cartier boutique in San Francisco and they exchanged for the brand new one no questions asked. It took a month for the watch to arrive, but the whole process was very easy.
This makes me so glad that when I had the option to choose between the standard Quartz and the SolarBeat, I went with the Quartz.
Timing on this video is impeccable. I've noticed the watch return on Cartier US website yesterday. I inquired and was able to place an order this morning. Still not in stock but was able to place an order, no ETA but got a order number.
SolarBeat arrived today.
Hello, tks for your video. Could you tell me, please, where did you get this tank bracelet ? Tks
Just got a small one of these in Lisbon. I wish I knew the lug size so we could get a longer strap.
Thanks for your research! I have a solarbeat small size and am looking to swap the strap. Can you share where you got yours?
Thanks
Great Review and update mate, in Germany it’s available at my AD and also on the Cartier website. What I heard was that due to Covid and chip crisis they had issues with movement supply.
I believe that I just wish they would be more transparent about it.
@@YoureTerrific absolutely, Marketing, more nowadays everyone is scared to tell something which might be a problem…
I am in one week at my ad and will try to get some news from him, maybe they can get some further or more solid news.
Woooh Mister B doch hier zu sehen hätte ich nicht erwartet
@@H_tudor Evan macht einfach gute Videos und ich bin aktuell im Cartier Wahn 😱😂🙏🏻
@@mb-watchesgeht mir wirklich genauso , obwohl ich mir grad erst die schönste Tag Heuer die ich je gesehen hab zugelegt habe.( Tag heuer Carrera Full Carbon mit dem Calibre 02 Manufaktur Werk) sie kommt morgen an und ich fühl mich wie mit 6 wieder wenn man an Heiligabend nicht schlafen konnte weil der Weihnachtsmann kam 😂✌🏻
Thanks Evan! Another Great Video! And by the way...I still Love Cartier too! 🤩
I've seen stories of them breaking and Cartier just replacing them with the quartz version. I have doubts about the reliability and I think the secondary market prices should go down. At which point I'll of course grab one
Great video! Love the investigative reporting!
I got one for the wife last March here in Singapore. I called their customer service and they helped me look for a branch with available units, they got my name and number so they could reserve it for me and then told me to pick it up within a couple of days or they’d release it to other interested buyers. I went to the boutique the day after the call and that was that. The sales rep told me they had a few more reserved pieces, but that anyone could just walk in and buy the remaining ones in stock. I’d say it was relatively easy to get that time.
Cartier Singapore treats their customers well. Maybe it’s a US thing.
Damn, put my name down in SG for 1 about 2 years ago and never got the call at all.
I had the opportunity to get a solar beat but the sales person advised me to avoid it at all cost as they have been receiving lots of problems from selling the solar beats. In the end i went for a regular quartz Tank.
Had one. It stopped working after a few months. Dealer is trying to replace it but given its discontinued not sure how they are going to manage that.
What size is the perlon strap at 1:47? I can only find 18/20mm but not 19mm.
I bought a Solarbeat early in 2022. I preordered off the back of the original Hodinkee article. The first watch I received had an issue holding charge after a few weeks. Cartier replaced it and have had no issues with the replacement. At the time I heard there were some issues with original batch.
Approximately what month/year did you get it replaced? Did you handle it through your AD? And how did you determine it stopped holding a charge? Were you storing it in a dark drawer and it stopped keeping time?
I was just looking at it on their site the other day. Checked the website again just now and it works. I can see both sizes listed in the Tank collection and visit their pages. I'm in the US.
I don't think my compulsive tendencies would allow me to have a solar watch without a second hand or some indication it's actively working - you know aside from the time being right. i guess they save some energy that way and use a small battery to keep it to slim classic cartier dimensions. i'd still pick a manual wind or auto in this style and suffer through the brief setting procedure each time I use it.
Thanks for a great and informative video.
Hi 👋 from Toronto Canada 🇨🇦 I scored a second hand a small tank with original box and document when I was 19 when I was getting my vintage omega watch fix. Saw it, and beg to pay installment and they can have it in display till I pay it off. Scored it for 1 thousand Canadian. I got a battery and clean once and still a show stopper. Got the leather bracelet replaced 10 years ago with Cartier original. Best watch to own. Love your mesh replacement bracelet, I need that as it looks elegant 👌 BTW, the solar tank available in Canadian Cartier website. I'm going to save up on that one wink unless you want to sell yours for 1 thousand 😉
Ugh, I just heard about the rumors and stumbled on this video. For the past few years I’ve had a goal that when I reach it I was going to treat myself with a flight to Paris to buy one. I’m bummed that may not be a possibility when the time comes.. might have to jump on one before hitting that goal if I see one for sale?
These are now readily available in Europe and easy to get :)
Don't waste your time waiting for one, we've been back to the service centre 3 times in the last 6 months. The watch can barely run for 2 days after a half day charge. What's the use of a watch which can't work, not to mention the strap started peeling within a year.
Put my name down for one with the Singapore AD about 2 and a half years ago. Was told there was about a 20-person waitlist. Never got the call. Chance upon one that was available when i went on holiday at Taiwan about 6 months back, bought it immediately.
I ordered one from the Dubai boutique very recently. They said it could take a couple of months to receive it.
I bought one in seattle couple months ago, just walked in and they had it, I was so surprised because before that I went to the bellevue mall n they told me it was discontinued
Chiming in from Singapore here. Early this year, my friend's solarbeat has a malfunction and Cartier couldn't fixed it. It seems like the battery wasn't charging and the power reserve wasn't reliable. Cartier took the watch back to HQ to fix it but they could not. A few weeks of back and forth with Cartier, they offered another watch to replace the solarbeat and the boutique manager said they no longer sell solarbeats. I told my friend to choose a more expensive watch as it seems like cartier want to be hush hush about their failure in solarbeat. He was brought to a VIP room to choose a watch of his liking within acceptable price range and they just give it to him along with some freebies.
I bought one from SG boutique (Takashimaya) for my wife few months after release and it stopped working after few months. Sent it in and they could not repair it and replaced it with a new one. It’s been more than 6 months since and it’s been working great (fingers crossed). Actually it stopped once again for no reason and worked again on its own after 1 hour or so. Wasn’t certain if their solar technology is robust but since it’s her daily wear, we choose not to worry too much…until the next one that is 😅
In April 2022 when I bought my wife's Cartier Tank Must (regular battery version) in Australia they had both battery and solar available in all the different sizes in the cabinet (and I was a nobody with no purchase history at that AD, not accessing some manager's Special Reserve or anything) I didn't quite like the visual effect of the solar cell on the dial compared with the regular so picked that one. I didn't even know availability was an issue until early this year.
I suspect that the combination of technical issues (how or why is the really interesting question, this isn't some ground-breaking, space-age revolution in technology, is been around for decades in watches that cost a hundred bucks) and supply chain issues are combining to reduce production. It also seems like most of the reports of apparent unavailability seems to come from the US and to a lesser extent European WIS, which suggests they may have been diverting limited supply to other markets.
I agree that a tank can be quite casual. I think almost all square/ rectangular watches dress down excellently. Something to do with the industrial or art deco designs they all have.
“Huge deal in the watch world which is to say pretty meaningless…” So true
Been on a expression of interest list for a quartz watch for over 8 months, my Rolex came before the Cartier.
I'm not waiting anymore this is beyond a joke, Cartier is dead to me.
Do these watches fly under the radar? looking into the Francaise model.
These are instock here in Australia. They can be bought online on the website
Where is the mesh bracelet from “?
How is Cartier having trouble getting solar cells, when Citizen is selling solar watches by the truckload?
It's possible Citizen makes their own.
I'd love some help from happy Solarbeat owners! Any tips on how to charge your watch in the winter? I've had mine on a window sill for days, and under a lamp for 4+ hours and no charge. I've had the watch for 6 months and it was running fine. But now it seems to have met its match with a weak, winter sun. I'd hate to think Cartier didn't account for this scenario :/
Sounds like you need to return, because I wore mine daily in winter, made zero effort to expose it to light and it runs fine.
Indeed, the statement is that the production continues but indeed at a lower pace.
Direct light? Does it have to be sunlight? What about indoor artificial light?
Always enjoy your videos.
I think it’s discontinued cause everywhere I tried to buy or contact it has been not available for check out. Or the rep says discontinued.
Beautiful video!! thank you!
Fantastic job tracking this information down!
4:48 Totally agree. Bill Lind at Royal in Massachusetts is great!!
Yeah, I wear a vintage burgundy dial Must as a daily, looks great, works great.
My solution… skip over these solar and quartz models and sourcing a pre-owned Tank Must XL with a mechanical movement. Arrives today. Really looking forward to it and crowing about my plan. Wish me luck!
an alternative is the tank solo. i got one preowned for $1,300. can't beat that and looks 99% the same.
As far as I know, I was the first one in Minnesota to get the large Solarbeat and according to my AD, they couldn't fulfill any of the orders after me......😐😬
The solarbeat in large is flipping great. If you can get it!
I really like mine and I'm better than everyone who can't get one. That's science, folks.
Brother - if that's your 'angry voice' I'm willing to bet you've never been in a fist fight, and that your baseline anxiety level is approximately 0.017 out of 10.
In the Cartier boutique in London a month or so ago, they told me the solarbeat tank has been discontinued!
They were wrong but it's not their fault.
I had the good fortune to buy this watch on a whim while on vacation in Europe in the summer of 2022. Since then, all I’ve heard is that it is either discontinued or simply not available in the US. I love mine, and am very happy to have it. Thanks for shedding some light on this very confusing subject!
Have been unable to source one in Canada, anecdotally.
I was totally disinterested in this model but now i hear theyre hard to get i really must have one 😂. Oh i also want an explorer .
I wish they release XL ver.
Ugh. I was wanting one of these but all this BS has put me off, especially if it can't be repaired in the future.
It's available right now for purchase on the US website and in store in the 5th Ave NYC store lol.
Edit: I was one Ave away
Damn. Now you got me jonesing for a Cartier! Sheesh. This is messing with my self image.
Oh, I see...
That why there are new Longines Mini Dolce Vita...
Yeah so I just looked...on their website, but as a "notify me"
Like a message in a bottle, never to be seen again.
I’m so disappointed in their lack of communication and transparency, I was ready to purchase one of these but after this mess I’ll look for a tank alternative.
Tried to order one for my wedding day but was told Cartier was having issues with them and discontinued the model. Purchased a standard quartz instead. I like it and cherish it as my wedding watch, but it isn’t what I wanted. Cartier is a joke with their lack of transparency. I really wanted the Solarbeat.
The all-news AD technique to boost sales this holiday season? A: Gaslighting by the brands!
I just bought my 1st Cartier Tank must and my Sa told me not to get the solarbeat as it has issues😅she doesn’t recommend to get it. The quartz is the better choice for sure
Please consider offering "You're Terrific Shrug of Meh" merch.
I got my Solarbeat about three months after it dropped. I owned it for a year. During that year, it spent 9 months with Cartier in service. The issue was every time the watch went to “sleep”…..it wouldn’t wake up. If it was exposed to light, it was fine. If you put it in a watch roll, for example, and it lost access to light, it would stop working and you could not get it to run. After the second service, I sold it. YMMV.
Same
@@m.stewart8094 at least it wasn’t just me, I guess.
Lesson - If you want a Solar Watch. Always buy Japanese. Casio, Seiko or Citizen. Japanese brand have the longest experience with Quartz and Solar.
Indeed I need “Shrug of Meh” merch indeed.
Indeed that is the comment
I hope collectors can give quartz a second chance, they align perfectly with the average urban desk sitter watch dude that is most of us.
Indeed.
Indeed