Raphaël Quenard’s Watches
In the Who wears what? section, today we’re looking at the watches worn by Raphaël Quenard. A rising figure in French cinema (with a delivery that’s distinctive, to say the least), he divides opinion: some love him for his singular acting and unusual cadence, others reject him for those very same reasons. One thing is certain: Quenard never leaves anyone indifferent. And for some time now, he has been regularly seen wearing Cartier watches, as part of an unmistakably commercial collaboration with the Parisian maison.
While the actor has been spotted with several of Cartier’s emblematic models on his wrist, one watch comes up particularly often in his public appearances. A highly recognisable piece—luxurious, almost theatrical in its presence: the Tank Louis Cartier WGTA0269.
The Tank Louis Cartier WGTA0269: the most visible watch on Raphaël Quenard’s wrist
Among all the Cartier watches worn by Raphaël Quenard, the Tank Louis Cartier WGTA0269 is undoubtedly the one we notice most often. This isn’t a “well-behaved” or discreet Tank: it’s a decidedly jewellery-forward take on the icon, with a black lacquer dial set with diamonds. A Tank that fully embraces its status as an ostentatious luxury object—far from the minimalist image sometimes associated with this century-old collection.
Originally conceived by Louis Cartier in 1917, the Tank is one of the pillars of 20th-century watch design. Its geometric silhouette, inspired by tanks seen from above, has crossed the decades without ever really ageing. The model worn by Raphaël Quenard sits within that historical lineage, while pushing it in a more spectacular, almost high-jewellery direction.
Listed at around €14,000 in Cartier’s catalogue, this Tank Louis Cartier WGTA0269 isn’t just a watch: it’s an image marker. On Quenard’s wrist, it becomes a fully fledged style statement, contributing to the construction of his public persona—somewhere between unapologetic elegance and a hint of aesthetic provocation.
Technical sheet – Tank Louis Cartier WGTA0269
Movement: quartz
Case: 750/1000 yellow gold
Crown: beaded, set with a diamond
Dial: black lacquer set with 151 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.71 carat)
Hands: sword-shaped, gold-finish steel
Crystal: mineral
Strap: shiny black alligator
Buckle: 750/1000 yellow-gold pin buckle
Dimensions: 29.5 x 22 mm
Thickness: 6.35 mm
Water resistance: 3 bar (approx. 30 metres)
The Cartier Crash: the ultimate anti-watch
At the opposite end of the spectrum from the Tank’s geometric rigour, Raphaël Quenard has also been seen wearing one of the most radical watches Cartier has ever produced: the Crash. A timepiece whose case appears to have slumped, as if warped by heat or time. A watch that seeks neither symmetry nor discretion, but embraces a deliberately strange—almost unsettling—shape.
The model worn by the actor on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival is a Cartier Crash in 18-carat rose gold, from a limited edition of 267 pieces, with a diamond-set bezel. A rare, highly expressive piece that turns the watch into a genuine conversation starter. More than an accessory, the Crash becomes an aesthetic manifesto here.
This Crash stands out in particular for its asymmetrical case, its dial with deliberately “distorted” Roman numerals, and its hand-wound mechanical movement. A watch that doesn’t aim to reassure with classic codes, but instead to disrupt the usual visual reference points of luxury watchmaking.
Technical sheet – Cartier Crash (model worn at Cannes)
Case: 18-carat rose gold, asymmetrical (38.5 x 23.1 mm)
Bezel: pavé-set with diamonds
Crown: beaded, topped with a brilliant-cut diamond
Dial: silvered, distorted Roman numerals
Movement: hand-wound mechanical calibre 8970 MC
Bracelet: rose gold, signed Cartier
Buckle: Cartier folding clasp
A brief history of the Cartier Crash
The Crash was born in the late 1960s in Cartier’s London workshop. At the time, Jean-Jacques Cartier—then head of Cartier London—worked with designer Rupert Emmerson to create a watch that reflected the creative ferment of Swinging Sixties London. The goal wasn’t to produce yet another classic watch, but to offer a horological object that broke with established forms.
Legend has it that the Crash’s shape was inspired by a damaged Cartier watch whose case was deformed in an impact. This story is part of the folklore surrounding the Crash, but the reality is simpler: above all, it was a deliberate decision to create an unconventional watch, in tune with the era’s avant-garde spirit.
Produced in very small quantities in London until the early 1970s, the Crash quickly became a rare piece coveted by collectors. It would be reinterpreted by Cartier Paris from the 1990s onwards, notably in platinum and then in gold, often in limited series. Each re-edition further fuels the legend of this now-mythical watch.
Santos-Dumont, Baignoire: the other Cartiers on Raphaël Quenard’s wrist
In addition to the Tank Louis Cartier and the Crash, Raphaël Quenard has also been spotted with other emblematic models from Cartier. Among them, the Santos-Dumont—an aviation-inspired watch, slim and elegant—evoking a more classic kind of watchmaking, almost bourgeois in the best sense of the word.
He has also been seen wearing the Baignoire, an oval watch with sensual lines, historically associated with a more feminine universe, but which Cartier now positions as perfectly unisex. On Quenard’s wrist, the Baignoire becomes a style object in its own right, deliberately blurring the codes of gender and elegance.
When the watch becomes a storytelling tool
In Raphaël Quenard’s case, the watch doesn’t seem to be merely an accessory. It plays a full part in shaping his public image. By associating him with models as different as the Tank, the Crash or the Baignoire, Cartier is less interested in fitting him into a mould than in leveraging his singularity.
Quenard thus embodies a kind of watchmaking that embraces strangeness, off-kilter charm, even a certain aesthetic provocation. Through him, Cartier shows that a historic house can still engage with a generation of actors whose style is rougher, less polished—without disowning its heritage.
Watches in his image
Ultimately, the watches worn by Raphaël Quenard paint a fairly faithful portrait of the public persona he projects: eclectic, sometimes disconcerting, never entirely consensual. Between the gem-set Tank, the radical Crash, the sensual Baignoire and the more classic Santos-Dumont, we find the same tension between heritage elegance and a taste for going against the grain.
One thing is certain: with Quenard, the watch is never neutral. It tells a story—about him as much as about the house that accompanies him. He likes telling stories, and there are many to tell about the history of Cartier and its models. It’s a very astute move on their part.
