Available to source

Pre owned Cartier Tank: available to source

Mozeris Fine Antiques sources a pre owned Cartier Tank on request, whether you want a vintage 18KT gold Tank Louis Cartier, a steel Tank Française or a current Tank Must. Designed by Louis Cartier in 1917, the Tank is a rectangular wristwatch whose parallel brancards frame the dial. Tell us the model, size, metal and movement you prefer and we will locate an authentic example, check it thoroughly and present it to you before you buy.

History of the Cartier Tank

Louis Cartier designed the Tank in 1917, drawing on the outline of the tanks then in use on the Western Front: the vertical brancards of the case suggest the tracks, the dial the cockpit. A prototype was presented to General John Pershing, and Cartier began limited production of the Tank Normale in 1919. Variations followed quickly. The curved Tank Cintrée appeared in 1921, and in 1922 Cartier introduced the Tank Louis Cartier, with softer rounded brancards, together with the Tank Chinoise and the elongated Tank Allongée. The reversible Tank Basculante followed in 1932. In 1977 Cartier launched the Must de Cartier line, which brought the Tank to a wider audience in vermeil (gold-plated silver) with lacquered dials. The curved Tank Américaine followed at the end of the 1980s, and in 1996 the Tank Française introduced a steel case with an integrated bracelet. In 2021 Cartier relaunched the Tank Must in steel, including a solar-powered SolarBeat version, and gave the Tank Louis Cartier the slim manual-winding calibre 1917 MC. Roman numerals, a railway minute track, blued steel sword hands and a cabochon-set crown have marked the Tank throughout its history.

Key references

Tank NormaleRectangular case, originally 18KT gold or platinum. Manual-winding movement. Made from 1919. The original 1917 design with straight, squared brancards.
Tank Louis Cartier ref. 244118KT yellow gold case. Quartz. Made around 2000. A smaller quartz Tank Louis with rounded brancards, cabochon crown and leather strap.
Tank Louis Cartier (2021)Large model, 18KT gold. Manual-winding calibre 1917 MC. Made from 2021. A slim in-house movement only 2.9 mm high.
Must de Cartier TankVermeil (gold-plated sterling silver). Quartz or manual winding. Made from 1977. Often fitted with plain lacquered dials in burgundy, black or navy.
Tank AméricaineElongated, curved case in 18KT gold. Quartz and automatic versions. Introduced in the late 1980s. The curved profile follows the wrist; the collection was redesigned in 2023.
Tank Française ref. W51008Q3Small model, stainless steel, 20 mm wide. Quartz calibre 057. The Française line launched in 1996. Integrated steel bracelet with a chamfered case.
Tank Must ref. WSTA0041Large model, stainless steel, 33.7 x 25.5 mm. Quartz. Made from 2021. The steel relaunch of the 1977 Must line.

How to spot a fake

  • Turn the watch over: the caseback is engraved with the Cartier signature, the reference and an individual serial number. Engraving should be clean and evenly spaced, and on gold cases accompanied by the correct hallmarks.
  • Look for Cartier's secret signature: on many Tank dials the word CARTIER is hidden in the stroke of one of the Roman numerals, usually the VII or the X, visible under magnification.
  • The crown is set with a blue cabochon (sapphire or synthetic spinel according to model). It should be cleanly set and well polished, never glued or cloudy.
  • Dial printing should be razor sharp with a fine railway minute track. Blurred numerals or an uneven chapter ring indicate a replacement or fake dial.
  • Open the caseback and check that the movement matches the reference, with a Cartier-signed calibre: quartz, automatic or manual winding as the model was made.
  • The deployant buckle or ardillon buckle should be signed and match the case metal; 18KT gold buckles carry hallmarks.
  • Original Cartier box and dated certificate with matching serial number support the watch. Cartier's own after-sales service can also inspect a watch and confirm it.

How we check a sourced piece

Every Tank we source is opened by a watchmaker, who confirms the movement matches the reference, checks the case serial and hallmarks, and tests timekeeping and, on quartz models, battery and circuit. We review any service history and paperwork and send you detailed photographs and video before you commit to buy. Mozeris Fine Antiques is an independent dealer and is not affiliated with Cartier.

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Questions

Which Tank should I choose?

The Tank Louis Cartier is the classic dress choice in gold on a leather strap. The Tank Française suits daily wear on a steel bracelet, the Tank Américaine has a longer curved case, and the Tank Must offers steel in a historic shape. We can source and compare any of them for you.

Quartz or mechanical?

Quartz Tanks are accurate, slim and need only a battery change and occasional service. Manual-winding and automatic Tanks offer traditional watchmaking and need servicing every few years. Both are authentic Cartier configurations.

What should come with a pre-owned Tank?

Ideally the Cartier box, the certificate with matching serial number, and any service papers. A Tank without papers can still be fully authentic, which we confirm through the case, dial and movement.

What drives the value of a vintage Tank?

Model, metal, size, movement type, dial originality and condition, and whether the case retains its original lines without heavy polishing. Box and papers and documented service history also count.