8100Σ︎
Cartier
Ref. 2391
Tank Basculante Millennium Edition CPCP
A highly rare and attractive limited edition yellow gold rectangular-shaped reversible wristwatch with guilloché dial, numbered 270 of a limited edition of 365 pieces made to commemorate the new millennium
Full-Cataloguing
- Part of Collection Privé Cartier Paris
- Made to commemorate the arrival of the new millennium in a limited edition of 365 pieces
- Featuring a caseback with engraved years "1999 2000 2001"
- Ever since its first appearance in 1932, the Cartier Tank Basculante has always been produced in small numbers even it was revived in the 1990s for standard production. The present yellow gold Tank Basculante ref. 2931 was released as part of the Collection Privé Cartier Paris, aimed at taking classic and iconic Cartier designs and reissuing them by using high quality mechanical movements, in 1999.
- Produced in a limited number of 365 pieces, it was released to commemorate the coming new millennium. The current example is numbered 270, and by flipping the reversible case it reveals the caseback engraving “1999/2000/2001”, signifying that arrival of the new epoch.
- This Basculante features a silvered guilloché dial; at the Roman number “VII”, one can see the hidden Cartier signature on the stroke. Together with the iconic chemin de fer minute track, the watch by its look speaks out as a typical and emblematic piece of the Maison.
- The Collection Privé Cartier Paris is a collaboration with renowned, high-end watch movement manufacturers, and this ref. 2391 is fitted with the Frédéric Piguet cal. 610, which is redesignated as cal. 060MC by Cartier. It is an ultra-thin manual winding movement, allowing the watch to keep a slim profile with reversible function.
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.