The short answer
A "fake Cartier Tank Chino" is a replica of the Cartier Tank Chinoise, the Tank variant from 1922 whose brancards sit above and below the case like the porticos of a Chinese temple gate. Cartier never sold a model called the Tank Chino. That spelling shows up in search bars because it is quicker to type than Chinoise, and most of the traffic behind it comes from people shopping the replica market rather than the vintage one. So when you see the term, read it as: Tank Chinoise, not genuine.
Chino and Chinoise are the same watch
The Chinoise belongs to the Tank family Cartier built through the 1920s. The Cintrée stretched the case, the Louis Cartier softened the lines, and the Chinoise made the brancards the whole point. On a standard Tank those vertical bars are thin rails. On the Chinoise they are wider, tapered, and molded, and the case is squarer than a Tank Louis Cartier. Vintage examples from the 1920s are small and scarce. The modern reissue, released around the Tank's centenary, comes in yellow gold, rose gold, and platinum, with skeleton versions that add lacquer and gems.
What a genuine one gets right
- Case metal: 18k gold or platinum on every modern piece. There is no steel Chinoise, so a steel "Chino" is a replica by definition.
- Brancards: machined with a visible bevel and a steady taper, reflecting light in one continuous line.
- Dial: crisp Roman numerals, a hidden Cartier signature worked into one numeral stroke on some references, and blued-steel sword hands that stay blue instead of painted blue.
- Crown: a faceted sapphire cabochon, set so the table sits flat against the case.
- Caseback: hallmarks and a reference number stamped deep, not laser-etched shallow.
Where replicas give themselves away
Weight is the fastest test. A gold Chinoise has mass that a plated steel copy cannot fake, and the gap shows the second you pick it up. Past that, tilt the case under a raking light and study the brancards. On cheap copies the molding is soft or asymmetric, and the bars look glued onto the case rather than grown out of it. Dial printing is the next giveaway. Genuine Cartier numerals are thin and evenly spaced, while replicas thicken the strokes and let the XI and IX drift out of alignment. Hands matter too. Blued steel carries a deep, slightly matte blue that shifts with the angle. Painted hands look flat and purple under warm light.
Size, movement, and what photos hide
Modern gold Chinoise pieces run an in-house hand-wound caliber, and the skeleton versions use a different, more complex movement. Replicas almost always use a small automatic or a quartz module, which changes case thickness. That extra millimeter is hard to spot in a listing photo but obvious on the wrist, and it also throws off how the brancards sit relative to the lugs. When you compare listings, ask for a side profile shot and a measurement across the case, not just a straight-on dial photo. Straight-on shots flatter everything.
What the tiers actually cost you
Replica pricing for the Tank Chinoise runs in a wide band. At the bottom you are looking at plated cases, mineral glass, and printed dials. Higher up you get better case geometry, a sapphire crystal, and a movement that keeps time but is still not the caliber inside the real watch. Decide which of those you care about before you compare numbers, because the gap between tiers is mostly finishing and feel, not how the watch reads on a screen. If gold content matters to you at all, skip the replica conversation entirely.
FAQ
Is "Tank Chino" a real Cartier model name?
No. The model is the Tank Chinoise. Chino is shorthand that circulates in the replica and resale markets.
Did Cartier ever make a steel Tank Chinoise?
Not in the modern lineup. Gold and platinum only, which makes any steel example suspect.
Can a replica pass as genuine in person?
In photos, sometimes. In hand, rarely, mostly because of weight, brancard molding, and dial printing quality.