Watch Paparazzi

Film director George Folsey Jr spotted wearing Cartier

Few watches carry a backstory as bluntly charismatic as this yellow gold Cartier Tank Louis Cartier, spotted on the wrist of veteran Hollywood producer George Folsey Jr. The caseback — engraved 'FUCK'EM IF THEY CAN'T TAKE A JOKE' — is a direct line into the personality of the man who gave it: director John Landis, whose career was defined by exactly that kind of defiant irreverence.

The Cartier Tank Louis Cartier is the purest expression of Louis Cartier's 1917 design concept, inspired by the Renault FT tank's overhead profile. The yellow gold version houses a manual-winding movement — typically the Cartier Calibre 430 MC in modern references, or a Piaget-sourced ebauche in vintage examples — beating at 21,600 vph with a 44-hour power reserve. The rectangular case, guilloché dial, blued-steel sword hands, Roman numerals, and sapphire cabochon crown are all hallmarks that have remained essentially unaltered across a century of production. The brown alligator strap visible here is factory-correct and expected on this configuration.

From a collector standpoint, the Tank Louis Cartier in yellow gold occupies a specific niche: it is not a speculative asset like a steel sport watch, but rather a connoisseur's choice — a piece bought for what it represents culturally and aesthetically rather than for grey-market appreciation. Its value is intellectual as much as financial. That said, yellow gold examples in good condition command consistent demand among serious dress-watch collectors.

The provenance here elevates the object entirely. Folsey Jr collaborated with Landis across some of the most commercially and culturally significant comedies of the 1980s — The Blues Brothers (1980), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos (1986), and Coming to America (1988). The watch was a tangible thank-you, and the engraving transforms it from a luxury gift into a personal artifact. Landis' choice of the Tank is itself telling: a watch with military origins given to a creative collaborator, with a joke on the back.

At retail, a yellow gold Cartier Tank Louis Cartier in the current large reference (WGTA0011) lists north of $20,000. Grey market prices hold relatively firm given the model's evergreen status. This particular example, with its unique engraved caseback and documented Landis provenance, would be considered a one-of-one piece — essentially unpriceable on the open market.