1006
Cartier
Ref. 2554
Tank à Vis “Wandering Hours” CPCP
A rare and sought-after white gold wandering hours wristwatch with date, guilloché dial, certificate and presentation box
Full-Cataloguing
- Part of the Cartier CPCP collection
- Acccompanied with certificate, CPCP box and Cartier deployant clasp
- Wandering hours with date function
In the late 1990s, Cartier’s Collection Privée Paris quietly revived the Tank Étanche in a more modern guise as the Tank à Vis, offering it in three flavours: straightforward time-only,dual time, and the delightfully eccentric wandering hours. This particular example is the latter and easily the most mechanically entertaining of the trio.
Its unusual display traces its roots back to the Campani brothers, who devised the system in the 17th century for a clock destined for the Pope. Rather than conventional hands, revolving discs do the talking: a curved aperture at 12 o’clock reveals the wandering hour disc, while a blued central hand sweeps the minutes with quiet precision. Adding a further dash of whimsy is the vertical date aperture at 6 o’clock. An unexpected, slightly mischievous detail that keeps the dial from ever feeling ordinary.
Inside sits the ultra-thin Calibre 9902MC, finely decorated and fully visible through the sapphire caseback. Numbered 178 cased in white gold, the watch wears a beautifully engine-turned dial decoration by the signature rosette motif that identifies pieces from the exclusive Cartier Paris Collection Privée line. Presented in excellent overall condition, it is a superbly quirky yet thoroughly charming addition to any collection that appreciates both horological ingenuity and a touch of playful elegance.
Cartier
FrenchWith the Constitution of 1848 came a new standard for luxury in France. Founded one year prior by Louis-Francois Cartier, the house of Cartier was one of the first to use platinum in jewelry making. This incredibly expensive material became the stepping-stone for Cartier to experiment in form, mechanisms and attitude. It helped men move from pocket watches to wristwatches, effectively making the watch much more functional and prominent in a man's overall wardrobe.
Cartier did not only touch on functionality. Inspired by a commissioned painting by George Barbier featuring a black panther at the feet of an elegantly bejeweled woman, Cartier began incorporating wild animals in his designs—most notably, Cartier Panthère rings, bangle bracelets and watches. Yet it wasn't until the late 1960s that the house of Cartier debuted their iconic yellow and rose gold LOVE collection, which includes the famous bracelet that only a special screwdriver can open.