Cartier Tank Cintrée

Cartier and European Watch & Clock Co., Inc Tank Cintrée “Large Size” | A large yellow gold curved wristwatch with Arabic numerals, Circa 1926

Cartier and European Watch and Clock Co., Inc Tank Cintrée “Large Size” A large yellow gold curved wristwatch with Arabic numerals, Circa 1926 Dial: silvered Calibre: European Watch & Co, mechanical, 18 jewels Movement number: 23'881 Case: 18k yellow gold, case back secured by 4 screws Case number: hand stamped 23’881, 1’792 and 16’670 Closure: unsigned brown lizard strap and 18k yellow gold and pink gold Cartier folding clasp with hand stamped number 12'250 Size: 46.5 mm length x 23 mm width Signed: dial signed Cartier, case and movement signed European Watch and Clock Co., Inc Accessories: none The Tank is a watch that truly needs no introduction. It is not only one of the most famous, widespread and influential designs in wristwatch history, but has also remained culturally relevant virtually since its creation. 4 years after the creation of the very first Tank, the Normale, Cartier introduced what would become one of its most coveted Tank variations: the Cintrée. French for “curved”, the watch was considered extremely oversized when it was unveiled in 1921. To aid its wearability but also as an elegant design feature, the entire case of the watch is, as the name would suggest, quite dramatically curved. This bold aesthetic has allowed the Cintrée to remain extremely relevant until the present day, more than a century after its creation. The original run of Tank Cintrée wristwatches were manufactured by Cartier in France in three sizes: small, medium and large. Aside from the differences in case size and some minor dial variations, the more technical differentiation between them is the size of the movement, with each size using a 7, 8 or 9 ligne movement respectively. The large size with 9 ligne movement is widely considered to be the most desirable of all vintage Cintrée production as the case curvature is the most pronounced. Though the Cintrée strictly followed the original Tank blueprint for the first few years of production, it is observed that Cartier began to produce dial variations within the Cintrée line towards the mid to late 1920s. The present watch is no different, with the traditional Roman numerals and wide railroad track found in other examples of the period replaced with highly stylised Arabic numerals along with a narrower track. A similar example can be found in the Harry Fane collection. As all inter-war Cartiers were produced in extremely limited quantities, the many dial variations make watches from this period even more collectible. The eccentric Arabic dial paired with the beautiful and original Breguet hands, or “Apple” hands in Cartier speak, all housed within the large size 9 ligne case really tick all the boxes when it comes to a top tier vintage Cartier Tank Cintrée. The present watch is not only offered in a sought after configuration, but connoisseurs will recognise the attractive condition that it is presented in as well. Present and correct are twin French hallmarks, one on the case band and one on the case back, as well as a set of 3 case numbers. The yellow gold case has charmingly oxidised in some areas, likely indicating that it has not been polished in some time. Also included is the original Cartier folding clasp constructed out of both yellow and pink gold, as is typical for all vintage Cartier, and is also double stamped with a Cartier number. All of these attributes combine to make this lot an absolute must-see for any discerning collector.卡地亞 Tank Cintrée “Large Size” 大尺寸黃金弧形腕錶，備阿拉伯時標，約1926年製