Cartier Tank Basculante Mecanique 2390

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Description

The Cartier Tank is solidly established in the annals of watchmaking history as one of the most iconic and historically important watches. The Tank design was inspired by an actual military tank (specifically, the Renault FT-17), but it is a dress watch through and through. The Tank Basculante is one of the most curious offshoots of the standard Cartier Tank, coming with the classic dial design of the Tank but in a more complex, yet streamlined, case. 

There’s no denying the Tank Basculante was inspired by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, and the two are often pitted against each other as competitors. While the Reverso flips around over its horizontal axis, the Tank Basculante turns over its vertical axis which not only allows the dial side of the watch to be placed on the inside for protection, but also allows the watch to double as desk clock when not on the wrist. In this sense, it may be considered as a far more versatile watch than the Reverso.

The reference 2390 version of the Cartier Basculante was released in the early 90’s and represented a comeback of sorts for the brand because of its mechanical movement. During the ‘Quartz Crisis’ in the 70’s and 80’s the brand stopped producing mechanical movements for the most part.  A genuine unisex piece, the Tank Basculante has developed a cult following amongst serious collectors in recent years for its extremely unique design, unmatched elegance and scarcity. 

The watch has a Cartier calibre 050 MC movement, based on a movement originally developed by Frederique Piguet, one of the most highly-regarded movement manufacturers in the watchmaking industry. The manually-wound mechanical movement is a marvel of engineering, coming in with a thickness of 2mm. This allows the case and all of its folding contraptions to have a thickness of only 6mm.

The ultra-thin profile makes the watch a pleasure to wear on the wrist as it glides under a shirt cuff with ease. The watch, strap and clasp combined weigh in at an incredibly light 41 grams – you’ll barely notice it’s on the wrist.

The watch is in very good condition commensurate with its age showing light superficial wear. The watch comes with its original Cartier box. The watch is fitted with a brand-new, unworn Cartier alligator navy strap in well-worn condition acquired at a cost of $465.

The watch has been tested and inspected for performance and is in very good working condition. Hailwood Peters guarantees the watch for authenticity.

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