Cartier Tank Cintrèe Large - Paris Dial Circa 1971
Straight Facts
The Cartier Tank was one of the first wristwatches. Full stop.
Inspired by the Renault Tanks used on the battlefield in WWI - yes, thats a true story - the Cartier Tank Louis is one of the worlds most iconic watch designs, and well over 100 years old at that. Revolutionary at the time - Cartier took the look of the tank's perpendicular treads and integrated it to the lugs, by way of brancards making it part of the case itself. Over the 20th Century, the Tank became the watch to wear. Silent movie stars like Rudolph Valentino, artists like Andy Warhol, and even Jackie Kennedy were all fans of the signature timepiece from the King of Jewelers and the Jeweler of Kings.
Enter the Tank Cintrèe
In 1921, Cartier introduced the now legendary Cintrèe model, an elongated and highly curved take on the Tank. The word cintree means ‘curved’, another example of how literal Cartier can be. The Tank from the Tank Vehicle, and the Curved Tank becoming the Tank Cintree. While very early Cintree’s favored Breguet style hands, later versions moved to blue steel sword hands like the present example from 1971. The Cintree was the choice of watch for one Mr. Fred Astaire, and has always embodied that early 20th century swagger of the roaring 20’s that birthed it.
Cintree’s have never been officially discontinued, but are rarely stocked in Cartier Boutiques around the world making them incredibly elusive to collectors. A recent example, for the 100th anniversary of the Cintree in 2021, Cartier simply released and sold 1:1 re-issues of the first Cintree to its top 150 clients without ever even issuing a press release! Finding a vintage Cintree is an even harder proposition! The present example is preserved in stunning overall condition with crisp printing that has aged to a slight eggshell with its Paris signature at ‘6’. The watch is powered by the appropriate European Watch & Clock Co. manually wound movement - essentially produced under private label branding by JLC for Cartier. An opportunity to acquire such a fine watch may never come around for quite some time, so take a page from Fred Astaire and let this leap onto your wrist quickly!
*Some marks or spots on the dial are reflections or dust on the crystal and are due to high intensity strobe lighting used while photographing. They are not actually on the watch or visible in natural lighting.
Case
Condition
Movement
Bracelet
Shipping, Returns, & Warranty
At Oliver & Clarke, domestic shipping is on us! If you are international and require a quote – please feel free to reach out to us at info@oliverandclarke.com so we can get you squared away.
Returns (accepted within 3 days of initial delivery of your purchase) must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. For payments via Credit Card, a 5% restocking fee will be in place for any returns or cancellations in order to cover our processing fee. Of course, watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.
If you happen to trade a watch with us, which we welcome, trades are final, except of course if the watch is grossly misdescribed or misrepresented.
We back each Oliver & Clarke timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty starting at the date of first delivery. We service or perform necessary maintenance to the extent necessary to all of our watches, unless otherwise noted. All watches are listed and sold running and functioning as intended.
*Please note that due to the vintage or antique nature of many of our watches, these machines may not run as accurately as they did when new, nor will any mechanical timepiece keep time as accurately as a quartz or electronic device.
We do not guarantee water resistance, thus do not warranty against moisture incursion or water damage.
*We also do not recommend deliberate exposure to water or worse - steam!
Our warranty is voided under the following circumstances:
- Internal or external damage caused by an accident, mishandling, abuse, modification, or handling/service performed by a third party individual other than one of our own.
Our warranty is non-transferable.
The Oliver & Clarke Guarantee
Through rigorous vetting of each watch offered, we’re able to guarantee authenticity of our pieces. Ultimately, your satisfaction is our mission, as is helping you get YOUR perfect watch. If you have any questions at all, we will get back to you ASAP.
Each of our timepieces are vetted, evaluated, authenticated, and approved by our experienced team prior to sale. We guarantee the period-correctness of all components unless otherwise disclosed. We guarantee the authenticity of each watch in perpetuity.
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From Rolex & Patek Philippe, to Cartier & Audemars Piguet. As collectors first, we love the small details that separate the Submariner from Daytona and Calatrava from Royal Oak. This is why you'll find our curated assortment spans decades of generations of models and brands. We believe that watches don't just tell time, they tell history - and life is too short to wear a boring watch.
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