Cartier - The 2021 New York Watch Auction New York Saturday, December 11, 2021 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Cartier
    Year: Circa 1941
    Movement No: 100’269
    Case No: 269’186, 4
    Model Name: Grand Tank Cintrée
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, 18 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Dimensions: 46mm Length
    Signed: Dial signed Cartier, Paris, movement and case signed European Watch & Clock, Co. Inc.
    Accessories: Accompanied by letter from the son of the original owner dated March 30, 2021, Cartier insurance valuation dated June 2, 1989, and Cartier service receipts dated June 2, 1989 and October 17, 1991 for completed servicing. Further accompanied by Cartier service estimate dated May 8th, 2009.

  • Catalogue Essay

    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

  • Artist Biography

    Cartier

    French

    With 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. 

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A rare and very fine 18K gold rectangular curved wristwatch with European Watch & Clock movement, accompanied with Cartier appraisal and service papers

Circa 1941
46mm Length
Dial signed Cartier, Paris, movement and case signed European Watch & Clock, Co. Inc.

Estimate
$10,000 - 20,000 
CHF9,300-18,700
€8,900-17,800
HK$78,000-156,000

Sold for $88,200

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros

Head of Watches, Americas

+1 (212) 940-1293

WatchesNY@Phillips.com

 

The 2021 New York Watch Auction

New York Auction 11 - 12 December 2021