Cartier Tank Basculante 2390 Stainless Steel
An incredibly iconic timepiece, the Cartier Tank features one of the most easily recognizable watch designs of all time. With its thin rectangle-shaped case and elegant dial, it remains as classical a timepiece today as when it was first released in 1917. Inspired by the Renault FT-17 Tank, the Cartier Tank is, somewhat ironically, a dress watch. Recognizing the need for a more robust variant, Cartier released the Tank Basculante. Launched in 1933, Cartier took inspiration from the JLC Reverso, another classically styled early sports watch that would rotate within its case, to create the Tank Basculante, a watch that would also turn in its case. As such, the Basculante rotates vertically along the 12 to 6 axis within its case to protect its dial from damage caused during sports, and enabling it to double as a table clock if you so wished. Debuting in the early 1990s, the Basculante model that we have here is the Basculante Mechanique ref. 2390 with a 26mm x 38mm stainless steel case. Powered by the 2mm thick manually-wound Piguet-derived Cartier cal. 050 MC, the ref. 2390 is just 5.8mm tall and brings a distinguished wrist presence through its unique design and rich heritage.
THE DIAL Fitted with a typical Cartier dial, the ref. 2390 features a white dial a subtle guilloche engraving, Cartier's signture black Roman numerals, blued steel hands and a black railroad-style minute track.
THE CASE Unlike the well-known JLC Reverso, its inspiration, the Basculante folds over vertically, not horizontally. The patent for this mechanism was granted in 1932 and it allows the Basculant to be used as a desk clock if its wearer decides to use it as such.
TIMING MACHINE READOUT This reading was taken (crown down) with a ONEOF Accuracy Boutique Edition timing machine at time of cataloging. It is provided as a courtesy only, and shall not be construed as a warranty or guarantee of any kind. Please refer to our terms and conditions of sale for more information.
