Early 1970s Cartier Tortue Extra Plate Beads Of Rice

History and Significance

The Tortue is one of the foundational shapes in Cartier’s watchmaking history. Created well before the Tank became the house’s defining wristwatch, its curved, almost stretched silhouette showed how early Cartier understood that a wristwatch did not have to begin with a round case. Even among shaped Cartier watches, the Tortue has always occupied its own corner of the catalog. It is recognizable without relying on the visual language that made the Tank famous.

The Extra Plate takes that idea in an even more interesting direction. Rather than adding complication or ornament, Cartier pursued thinness, pairing the Tortue case with an ultra-thin Frédéric Piguet movement. That relationship is important because it represents a very Cartier approach to watchmaking: the mechanics serve the shape rather than becoming the visual centerpiece. There is serious traditional watchmaking underneath, but none of it interrupts the elegance of the object.

This example appears to come from a particularly early chapter of that story. Most collectors encountering vintage Tortue Extra Plate watches will become familiar with the reference 96069 and 96081 and their more recognizable lacquer dial executions. This watch predates that familiar formula. The serial engraving does not begin with a reference number, and two other known examples with the same engraving format have surfaced only a few serial numbers apart. The dial is another clue, differing from the classic lacquer dials associated with the majority of the later examples. Taken together, those details make this a fascinating look at the Tortue Extra Plate before the model seems to have settled into the configuration collectors now recognize.

The factory beads-of-rice bracelet adds another layer to the watch. Cartier has always existed somewhere between watchmaking and jewelry, and putting the Tortue on a finely articulated gold bracelet makes that relationship especially obvious. The case no longer feels like a watch head simply attached to a strap; the entire piece becomes one continuous design. It is a configuration that feels unmistakably vintage Cartier and gives the Extra Plate an entirely different personality from the examples most often encountered on leather.

Writer's Thoughts

The best vintage Cartier watches tend to have some mystery left in them, and this Tortue has exactly that. The early serial format and unusual dial invite comparison with other examples rather than providing an immediate, neatly packaged answer. Finding two watches only a few serials away with the same characteristics makes the whole thing even more compelling. It feels like discovering a small transitional group within a model that already does not appear very often.

Then there is the bracelet. The Tortue is naturally elegant, but the beads of rice makes it feel slightly eccentric in the best possible way. It turns an already unusual Cartier into something that feels much closer to a piece of period jewelry, while the Frédéric Piguet movement quietly provides the watchmaking credibility underneath. This is the kind of Cartier that becomes more interesting the longer it is studied.

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Brand: Cartier

Model: Tortue Extra Plate

Reference: Early pre-reference serial configuration

Year: Early 1970s

Case Material: 18k yellow gold

Case Size: 26.5mm x 34.5mm

Dial: Early Cartier Roman numeral dial

Movement: Manual-wind Frédéric Piguet movement

Strap/Buckle: Factory beads-of-rice bracelet

Buckle/Clasp: Factory Cartier clasp

Contents: Watch Only