Cartier Tank Vermeil Petit Modèle with Box and Papers from 1988

Brand history
Cartier was founded in 1847 in Paris, by Louis-François Cartier when he continued with his master’s (Adolphe Picard) workshop by himself. 27 years later, in 1874, the son of Louis-François Cartier (Alfred Cartier) took over the company. The iconic worldwide iconic status of the Cartier brand however weren’t established by the Cartier company directors Louis-François- or later, Alfred Cartier. It were the three sons of Alfred Cartier (Louis-, Pierre- and Jacques Cartier), who made Cartier a world renowned jewellery and watch brand.

Alberto Santos Dumont, a pioneer aviator from Brazil complained to his friend Louis Cartier in 1904, he had trouble reading the time from a pocket watch while flying and testing airplanes. Therefor, Louis Cartier designed a thin wristwatch with a distinctive rectangular design featuring a manual wind movement. Alberto Santos Dumont preferred this watch above many other watches in that era, together with a clientele who followed in his opinion. The watch therefor was named after the ‘first-wearer’, ‘Santos Dumont’. This was Cartier first wristwatch, which still is in production today in many different sizes and variaties. This series of events could be seen as the start of the iconic Cartier identity, as the spirit of this first ‘Santos Dumont’ wristwatch can be seen in many other watches of the brand that followed, such as the Cartier Tank, Cartier Panthère and the Cartier Crash.

Information
This exquisite and elegant Cartier Tank Vermeil (Must de Cartier) Tank features the distinctive Cartier design elements, such as the rectangular case, a Roman numeral dial with a ‘railroad’ minute track, and the cabochon sapphire in the crown of the watch. The details of this crown refer – and pay tribute to the legacy of the Cartier jewellery, which are world renowned for their designs, quality and iconic status. The case is 20 micron gold plated and has been preserved in astonishing condition. This watch being from 1988, it emphasizes the originality of this Cartier (Must de Cartier) Tank watch. Attached to this watch is a brand new and unworn Cartier strap in black, which are made from the finest leather and is finished to the highest standarts. The icing on the cake are the presence of the original box, papers and sales receipts, together with the iconic Cartier buckle.

The elegantly shaped case of the watch measures 20 x 28 mm excluding the winding crown. This is the ‘Petit Modèle’ Cartier (Must de Cartier) Tank size.