Introduced in 1921, the Tank Cintrée model was the largest and boldest variation of Cartier’s Tank line. With its long, slender, and gracefully arching case, the Cintrée is without a doubt one of the most beautiful watches made during the 20th century. The Cintrée’s highly curved case was designed to hug the curves of the wrist. The expansive dial and case combine straight lines, sensual curves, and crisp angles, resulting in a ‘modern’ wristwatch with a design far ahead of its time - so much so, in fact, that the design has spawned multiple re-editions; the latest one, just released in 2021, being a virtually perfect replica of the vintage model.

While a Tank Cintrée is already a very special piece, what makes the present watch even more extraordinary is the presence of the dark inky blue dial that almost looks black, along with the gold painted numerals. Such extraordinary pieces do not appear on the market often, no less in such impressive condition. Possibly unique, the present watch is the only known Cintrée with this dial configuration. The case is crisp with sharp hallmarks and numbers throughout, including the English marks corresponding to 1970 (denoted by " P") that are visible on the caseband and clasp. Even the clasp displays the same number as the case, attesting to the fact it was delivered to the watch. Furthermore, the maker's mark "JC" is visible on the case and clasp, which is the maker's mark for Cartier and represents Jacques Cartier. This maker's mark was seen on pieces made by Cartier London.

The present watch furthermore has a noteworthy provenance, as it was formerly in the collection of Ben Clymer, the founder of Hodinkee - the influential editorial and e-commerce journal in the world of watches. This timepiece has been immortalized as it has also been seen on various print media and watch journals, and featured in a video with Ben Clymer wearing the timepiece, recounting the story of how he acquired the watch and how Cartier New York had unofficially confirmed its existence and the dial colour being dark blue.