The pick that holds up is the authentic Cartier Tank Must with the green dial, bought new from Cartier or pre-owned from a dealer who can show service history. The criteria for judging any green-dial Tank, real or not, come down to four things: whether the movement can be serviced, whether the reference number traces to a real production run, whether the watch keeps value, and whether owning it creates legal risk. A counterfeit of the green Must fails on all four, no matter how close the listing photos look.

Option 1: Authentic Tank Must, green dial

The Tank Must green dial is a steel, quartz, no-date Tank with a lacquered green face and a strap chosen to match it. Cartier publishes the case size, movement type, and strap material on its own product page, so treat that page as the specification sheet rather than a forum post or a reseller's description. The lacquer finish is the part that matters most: it reads as a deep, even green with a soft sheen, not a metallic or flat paint.

  • Pros: quartz movement that any authorized service center can handle, documented reference number, strong resale, no legal exposure at customs or in resale.
  • Pros: the dial color is verifiable against Cartier's own catalog, which removes the guesswork.
  • Cons: the green dial sells out at boutiques in some markets and carries a premium on the secondary market.
  • Cons: full retail is real money for a quartz watch, and the Tank Must is not a complicated piece.

Use case: this is the right answer if you want the look and plan to keep or resell the watch. It is also the only version a jeweler will service or a buyer will accept on trade.

Option 2: The counterfeit sold as a green Tank Must

Fake Tanks come out of the same workshops that produce replica Rolex and other counterfeit watches, and the green Must is a frequent target because a quartz movement is simple to copy. There is no balance wheel or decorated rotor to compare, so the tells move to the case, the printing, and the finish.

  • Pros: lower asking price than the real watch, and photos can look convincing at thumbnail size.
  • Pros: none that survive inspection. The case back engraving tends to be shallow or uneven, the crown cabochon is glass or plastic rather than a synthetic spinel, and the lacquer dial often shows a metallic cast under bright light.
  • Cons: importation of counterfeit trademarked goods into the United States is illegal, and shipments are subject to seizure.
  • Cons: no service path. Cartier will not touch it, and independent watchmakers often decline.
  • Cons: zero resale. You cannot list it on any major marketplace without the listing being pulled.

Use case: none. If the goal is the green dial on a budget, the routes below get you there without the seizure risk or the dead-end ownership.

Option 3: Legitimate routes to the same look

Pre-owned is the practical path. A Tank Solo or an earlier steel Tank in good condition costs less than a new green Must, comes with a real reference number, and can be serviced. A good dealer will hand over the service history and let an independent watchmaker open the case before you pay.

  • Pros: a real Cartier with a real movement, plus the option to trade it later.
  • Pros: steel Tanks in white or silver dials are plentiful, so you can wait for the right example.
  • Cons: the green lacquer dial specifically is a recent Must feature, so pre-owned green examples are scarce.
  • Cons: vintage steel Tanks need a service budget on top of the purchase price.

Use case: buyers who want the rectangular Tank silhouette and the Cartier name, but not the green dial premium, should start here.

Criterion: how to check a green Must before money changes hands

  1. Pull the reference number from Cartier's own site and compare case size, dial color name, and strap material against the listing.
  2. Look at the crown cabochon under a light. A real one is a synthetic spinel with a rounded dome; fakes use glass or molded plastic with a seam.
  3. Read the case back engraving with a loupe. Crisp, even lettering with a matching serial is a baseline; shallow or blurry stamps are not.
  4. Ask for the original box, warranty card, and any service paperwork, and check the serial against them.
  5. Meet at a boutique or an authorized service center if the seller allows it. A seller who refuses is telling you something.
  6. Treat a price far under market for a current model as a signal, not a bargain.

Each of these checks costs nothing and takes minutes. Together they separate a real green Tank Must from the counterfeit listings that share its name.