111 Cartier A very well preserved and rare, Tank Basculante, manual wristwatch in yellow gold, with french case, and Paris dial.

Estimate: Fr. 50'000 –⁠ 100'000

• Model Tank Basculante
• Year Circa 1960s
• Case Material 18K yellow gold
• Case Number 035'148, 65'357
• Bracelet Material Leather strap
• Movement Manual, 22 jewels
• Movement Number 2'279'998
• Dimension 23mm width x 37mm length
• Signed Case, dial and movement

Introduced by Cartier in 1932, the Basculante represents one of the maison’s most inventive interpretations of the wristwatch during the interwar period. Conceived around a pivoting case mechanism, the model takes its name from the French verb basculer, to tilt or pivot, and was designed so that the dial could rotate face-down within its fixed outer frame, protecting the crystal and hands during travel or sporting activity. Unlike the sliding mechanism of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, the Basculante pivots elegantly on fixed lateral pins, demonstrating Cartier’s own distinctive approach to protective watchmaking. The present example is particularly notable for its highly desirable Paris-signed dial, an indication of production for Cartier Paris and a detail closely associated with the maison’s most refined early creations from 13 rue de la Paix. The restrained elegance of the dial, with its Roman numerals, chemin de fer minute track and blued steel hands, perfectly encapsulates the sophisticated geometry that defined Cartier design during the Art Deco period. Further elevating the importance of this watch is its French made case bearing the “EJ” poinçon of Edmond Jaeger, the legendary horologist and supplier whose collaboration with Louis Cartier helped define early twentieth-century Cartier watchmaking. Jaeger was not merely a supplier, but one of Cartier’s closest technical partners, responsible for some of the maison’s most sophisticated wristwatch constructions and movements during the period. Rarely encountered in such historically coherent configuration, the present Tank Basculante embodies the spirit of Cartier’s golden age: mechanically ingenious, architecturally pure, and unmistakably Parisian. More than a functional sports watch, it stands as a refined object of design, a compelling testament to Cartier’s ability to merge utility, elegance and innovation into a singular horological form.