Cartier Tank Basculante 2391

CARTIER, LIMITED EDITION YELLOW GOLD 'TANK BASCULANTE', REF. 2391 CASE NO. 303/365

CIRCA: 1999 CASE MATERIAL: Yellow gold CASE DIAMETER: 25 x 38 mm. DIAL: Silvered MOVEMENT: Manual FUNCTIONS: Time only CLASP: Yellow gold Cartier deployant clasp BOX: Yes PAPERS: Yes WITH: International Guarantee Certificate dated 1999, Limited Edition Certificate, document holder, product literature, presentation box and outer packaging REMARK: Limited edition of 365 piecesThe Cartier Tank Basculante, which debuted in 1932, a year after Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso, was a clever variation of the protective reversible watch case, but this time it featured a vertical tilting mechanism. This was no accident: LeCoultre and Cartier had a strong business relationship in the early 1900s, with LeCoultre providing Cartier with movements and Spécialités Horlogères SA, its subsidiary, manufacturing the Basculante cases. Similar to the Reverso, the Tank Basculante was designed to have a flipable dial and crystal to protect them from possible harm while participating in sports. The watch gracefully rotates inside its swing frame, living up to its name, Basculante, which translates to 'tilting' in French. Its 360-degree rotation, which remarkably enables it to stand upright and serve as a miniature table clock, perfectly embodies Cartier's ability to blend practicality with elegant design. Like many of Cartier's most creative works from the interwar period, the Basculante was never put into mass production and ended up in the maison's archives before being brought back to life in the 1990s. With its distinctive caseback engraving commemorating the start of the new millennium, 1999, 2000, and 2001, the current reference 2391 is especially unique. It features Cartier's signature design elements, including a stunning guilloché dial, painted Roman numerals, the Paris signature at 12 o'clock, and the maison's discreet secret signature hidden inside the VII marker. It was produced in a strictly limited edition of 365 numbered pieces.