Cartier Tank Basculante

This Cartier is in excellent condition, with light marks throughout the case from light wear. The strap is worn but is in good condition.

You'd be forgiven for assuming that Cartier's reversible Tank Basculante is a derivative of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. However, there's much more to Cartier's design than meets the eye. Initially released in the 1930s (within a year of the Reverso), the Basculante never saw the same massive success as Jaeger-LeCoultre's watch. The original Basculante is rare, and was never serialised in the same way as the Reverso did. Instead of forming a product line in and of itself, the Basculante was a standalone model amongst other distinctive Cartier watches, and was intermittently produced in the 1990s and 2000s.

Mechanically, the Basculante is also different from the Reverso. The Basculante uses a more complex hinge system which has multiple pivots. Instead of flipping along the horizontal axis, it flips vertically. This is also reflected in the positioning of the crown, which is at 12 o'clock for a more symmetrical appearance.

CARTIER

Cartier comfortably sits at the intersection between fine watchmaking and art, combining years of heritage with eye-catching and unique case designs. From its inception in the turn of the 20th Century, Cartier has earned a well-deserved reputation for being a manufacture that has successfully transformed the humble wristwatch from a soldier's tool into a true object of desire.