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Cartier, the great maker of shapes and jeweler to celebrities, is known for its many variations of the Tank watch. The Tank watch, since its production in 1919, has been front-and-center as one of the most iconic watch designs of all time. It all began with Louis Cartier’s Tank Normale, inspired by the treads of the French Renault FT-17 tank used in World War I. One wouldn’t think that one of the most famous dress watches of the 20th Century would be born from a military-inspired design, and yet this is what makes Louis Cartier the most masterful designer of his era. His ability to transform the bleak realities of World War I into such a heralded object of beauty shows the true genius of Louis Cartier. If only we could turn all of the hard realities of life into beauty as Louis was able to do! The good news is that when you place this watch on your wrist you will be so mesmerized by its beauty that you will surely forget any troubles that may be on your mind.
The Tank Obus is a very rare variant of the Tank design that first came into production in 1923 and was made in phenomenally small numbers over the entirety of its production. It is one of the rarest and hardest-to-find Tank variations. Carrying over the military-inspired design, Obus which means bullet-shell refers to the bullet shaped lugs of the watch.
The present example is in shockingly good condition. It is as if it walked out of the production floor of Cartier’s Paris headquarters just moments ago. The 18K yellow gold case, in untouched factory original condition displays deep and crisp French hallmarks along the caseback. The Paris-signed dial and iconic Cartier blued sword hands are as clean as we have ever seen on any vintage Cartier watch. Included on the watch is its original large-sized octagonal sapphire cabochon crown. The watch comes on its correct Cartier 18K yellow gold deployant clasp. Typically the watch strap is not a big deal, but this watch comes presented on a beautiful hand-stitched double-sided vintage brown alligator strap. We make beautiful straps of our own and so we can say quite honestly that they just don’t make them like they used to…
Collectors have come to greatly prize vintage Cartier watches of this era. This magnificently preserved time capsule represents everything that is adored about these watches. We can say quite confidently that we will likely never see another Tank Obus in this condition. It is a truly one-of-a-kind opportunity for any great collector to place this remarkable watch into their collection.
Model: Tank Obus
Movement: Manual
Year: Circa late 1960s
Contents: Watch only
Case: Unpolished sharp case with famous 'Obus' bullet shaped lugs. A very mint example of a very rare watch.
Case Dimensions: 32mm x 19mm
Crown: Large-sized octagonal sapphire cabochon crown
Dial: The original Paris dial is perfect. The early examples feature beautiful dials which have larger typography.
Strap & Buckle: Comes on a beautiful hand-stitched double-sided vintage alligator strap with original Cartier deployant.
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Cartier, the great maker of shapes and jeweler to celebrities, is known for its many variations of the Tank watch. The Tank watch, since its production in 1919, has been front-and-center as one of the most iconic watch designs of all time. It all began with Louis Cartier’s Tank Normale, inspired by the treads of the French Renault FT-17 tank used in World War I. One wouldn’t think that one of the most famous dress watches of the 20th Century would be born from a military-inspired design, and yet this is what makes Louis Cartier the most masterful designer of his era. His ability to transform the bleak realities of World War I into such a heralded object of beauty shows the true genius of Louis Cartier. If only we could turn all of the hard realities of life into beauty as Louis was able to do! The good news is that when you place this watch on your wrist you will be so mesmerized by its beauty that you will surely forget any troubles that may be on your mind.
The Tank Obus is a very rare variant of the Tank design that first came into production in 1923 and was made in phenomenally small numbers over the entirety of its production. It is one of the rarest and hardest-to-find Tank variations. Carrying over the military-inspired design, Obus which means bullet-shell refers to the bullet shaped lugs of the watch.
The present example is in shockingly good condition. It is as if it walked out of the production floor of Cartier’s Paris headquarters just moments ago. The 18K yellow gold case, in untouched factory original condition displays deep and crisp French hallmarks along the caseback. The Paris-signed dial and iconic Cartier blued sword hands are as clean as we have ever seen on any vintage Cartier watch. Included on the watch is its original large-sized octagonal sapphire cabochon crown. The watch comes on its correct Cartier 18K yellow gold deployant clasp. Typically the watch strap is not a big deal, but this watch comes presented on a beautiful hand-stitched double-sided vintage brown alligator strap. We make beautiful straps of our own and so we can say quite honestly that they just don’t make them like they used to…
Collectors have come to greatly prize vintage Cartier watches of this era. This magnificently preserved time capsule represents everything that is adored about these watches. We can say quite confidently that we will likely never see another Tank Obus in this condition. It is a truly one-of-a-kind opportunity for any great collector to place this remarkable watch into their collection.
Model: Tank Obus
Movement: Manual
Year: Circa late 1960s
Contents: Watch only
Case: Unpolished sharp case with famous 'Obus' bullet shaped lugs. A very mint example of a very rare watch.
Case Dimensions: 32mm x 19mm
Crown: Large-sized octagonal sapphire cabochon crown
Dial: The original Paris dial is perfect. The early examples feature beautiful dials which have larger typography.
Strap & Buckle: Comes on a beautiful hand-stitched double-sided vintage alligator strap with original Cartier deployant.
