Actor Austin Butler spotted wearing a Cartier

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Austin Butler appeared on the Netflix interview carpet wearing a deep burgundy double-breasted tuxedo, bow tie, and what horological observers quickly identified as a Cartier Tank Must Large in yellow gold PVD finish with a black lacquered dial — reference WGTA0053. It is a subtle but considered choice that speaks to a growing sophistication in Butler's personal style beyond the rhinestone-studded wardrobe of his most celebrated role.

The Tank Must Large measures 33.7mm × 25.5mm — deliberately slender by modern standards — and houses Cartier's in-house calibre 1847 MC, a robust quartz movement that purists often overlook but which delivers impeccable reliability in a dress context. The yellow gold PVD case provides warm, enduring colour without the premium of solid 18k gold, while the black dial version was reintroduced as part of Cartier's 2021 Tank Must relaunch, which also brought back the iconic burgundy and green dials that promptly sold out worldwide.

The Tank Must line occupies a fascinating position in Cartier's catalogue. Originally launched in 1977 as an accessible entry to the Tank family, the Must de Cartier was conceived for a broader audience. The 2021 reissue repositioned it with upgraded movements and a contemporary finishing standard that immediately attracted both new collectors and veterans who remembered the originals. The black dial references in particular carry a stronger secondary market premium precisely because they read as the most versatile and architecturally clean execution of the case shape.

Butler has previously been seen wearing Cartier pieces on press circuits, suggesting a genuine affinity with the maison rather than a purely contractual relationship. The Tank Must, specifically, aligns with the mid-century aesthetic that defined his breakout work — Louis Cartier designed the original Tank inspired by Renault tanks on the Western Front in 1917, making its visual language contemporaneous with the early rock-and-roll era Butler so convincingly inhabited.

At retail, the Tank Must Large WGTA0053 lists around $3,150 USD. On the grey market, strong demand for the black dial variant has pushed secondary prices to $4,200–$4,800, a meaningful premium that reflects genuine collector appetite rather than speculative flipping.