The legendary retailer Cartier was founded by Louis-François Cartier in 1847 in Paris, and today is admired for their exquisite craftsmanship and classic, sophisticated designs. Their fashionable watches and jewellery have adorned famous clientele for more than a century with names like Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Andy Warhol, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent and the Maharajah of Patiala. One of their most endearing timepieces, the Tank, was introduced in 1917, and since then Cartier has produced variants of the model playing with proportions of the bezel, case shape and dial configuration. Designed near the end of World War I, the inspiration for the Tank’s ground-breaking design came from the top view of the very first Renault military tank vehicle deployed that same year. In 1921, Cartier launched the Grand Tank Cintrée with an aesthetically pleasing long, slender, and gracefully arching case. At the time, the model was the largest and boldest adaptation with a modern, fresh design on the rectangular shape and case dimensions of the Cartier Tank wristwatch. Today, the Tank Cintrée is incredibly popular, having inspired modern successors in the “Collection Privée, Cartier Paris” series.
Fresh-to-the-market and consigned by the original owner’s family, the present Grand Tank Cintrée made in 1941 measures a dramatic 46mm long by 23mm wide, with the Cintrée’s highly curved case 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 design that was far ahead of its time. The elongated dial is timeless in its design, with Empire-style Roman numerals and Chemin-de-Fer central chapter ring. Housing one of the era’s most prestigious and well-finished movements, the caliber 9’’’ movement is signed European Watch and Clock Co., and was made exclusively for Cartier by LeCoultre, and meticulously hand-finished by Edmond Jaeger.
Known as the “Jeweler of Kings, and the King of Jewelers” Cartier has a long and storied history, and their commitment to breathtaking design and innovation is beautifully displayed in the Grand Tank Cintrée. The present example, accompanied by valuation and service documents from Cartier dating back to 1989, is in lovely original condition, and has remained within the same family for over half a century. 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the Grand Tank Cintrée, and this is a very rare opportunity to own an original version of one of the most beautiful and iconic timepieces of the 20th century.
PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL FAMILY