A Tonneau case is a watch case that is wider in the middle than at its ends, so it looks like a barrel. It is one of Cartier’s classic case shapes. It gave wearers a refined alternative to the usual round watch.
What does a tonneau case look like?
A tonneau case is widest across the middle. From there it narrows towards the top and the bottom, which is where the strap is attached. The result is a barrel outline, not a circle, a square or a rectangle. Some tonneau cases also curve in depth. Franck Muller’s Cintrée Curvex case curves in two directions. It curves along the axis from 12 to 6, and also along the axis from 3 to 9. Seen from the side, the case is not flat in either direction.
Where it comes from
The name is the French word for barrel, the kind of container used to carry wine. Louis Cartier is credited with bringing the shape into watchmaking. He took his cue from the long outline of a cigarette case. Cartier’s tonneau came before two of its other case designs: the Tortue of 1912 and the Tank of 1917. Vacheron Constantin was also using the shape by 1912. Later, in the 1990s, Franck Muller is credited with bringing the barrel-shaped case back into fashion.
Not to be confused with
A tonneau is different from Cartier’s Tortue. A tonneau is wider in the middle and narrows towards the top and bottom, where the strap is fixed. The Tortue is a more complicated curved shape. Its case bulges outward on every side, not only across the middle. Both are Cartier case shapes, and the tonneau came first.
Which brands make tonneau watches?
Cartier counts the tonneau among its classic case shapes, and Vacheron Constantin was using it by 1912. Franck Muller makes the Cintrée Curvex tonneau, with its case curved in two directions. Richard Mille makes tonneau watches too, including one in 18k gold. The shape also appears on watches from Longines, Tissot and IWC Schaffhausen. So the tonneau is not tied to a single house.
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