Cartier Tank Cintrée

Cartier, Paris Tank Cintrée | A yellow gold rectangular wristwatch, Circa 1975

Dial: silvered Caliber: cal. 2412 mechanical, 17 jewels Movement number: 46'314 Case: 18k yellow gold, case back secured by four screws Case number: 031'284, 61'200 Closure: 18k yellow gold Cartier folding clasp Size: 34 x 18.5 mm Signed: case, dial, and movement Box: no Papers: noWhen French industrialist and automobile industry pioneer Louis Renault unveiled his design for the Renault FT Tank that went into production in 1917 in France during the height of The Great War, little could he have known about another revolutionary design that was brewing. Emerging first in 1917, Louis Cartier was inspired by Renault’s ingenious feat of engineering and designed the timepiece to reflect the world’s first modern tank, the Renault FT, seen from above. The first prototype was presented as a gift to General John J. Pershing, and thus, the first Cartier Tank was born. The Tank was then introduced to the market in 1919. And just like how the Renault FT is regarded as one of the most revolutionary military designs in history, the Cartier Tank revolutionized watch design with the first tick of its hands. From the first Tank sprang a kaleidoscope of colors and designs that went on to dazzle and delight avant-garde tastemakers of the 20th century. The Art Deco Movement and continued popularity of Chinoiserie in the 1920s and 1930s inspired a series of groundbreaking designs such as the Tank Cintrée, Tank Chinoise, and Tank Basculante, many of which have been re-launched by Cartier in recent years to the delight of collectors. Adored by the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Andy Warhol, and Frank Sinatra, any discerning man or woman of taste wouldn’t be without a Tank adorning their wrists in the decades that followed its creation. The present Tank Cintrée was produced in France circa 1975 and was modeled after the era defining Tank Cintrée first unveiled over a hundred years ago in 1921. Bearing crisp French Assay marks and Maison Cartier's distinctive maker’s mark, the case and clasp are in astonishingly well preserved condition with strong proportions to lugs and sharp beveled edges. The popularity of Cartier Tank models mean that examples of this quality and condition from this period are exceedingly rare to come across. The universally beloved design and exceptional condition makes the present watch a truly timeless timepiece fit for the modern, jet-setting history lover.