Cartier Tank Normale "New York" from 1923.

     In the vintage watch world the word rare gets thrown around quite a bit. It's half hazard use has led to the term losing its meaning quite frankly. Reading or watching a video about someone mention a current production model Rolex Daytona in the same sentence using the adjective rare. Rare: Seldom occurring or found: uncommon. Seeing a box of 30 2026 Rolex Daytona's available for sale on the grey market certainly does not constitute uncommon and finding one for sale at any given time is not seldom. 
     So when does the situation warrant the use of a term that is held in such high regard in the vintage watch world? I offer up a Cartier Tank Normale retailed in the New York Boutique from 1923. 

I did a brief write up of the importance of Cartier New York here: https://steelcitywatches.com/products/cartier-tank-normale-new-york-w-deployment-buckle?_pos=1&_psq=Cartier+new+york&_ss=e&_v=1.0

     Let's put rarity into context. In 1923, it is documented that Cartier Paris produced 33 tanks total. Not tank Normale's. Total tanks. By contrast, documented estimations of Rolex's production at the time were a couple of thousand. Meaning Rolex produced almost as many watches in 1923 than Cartier produced tanks in 6 decades. When compared to the likes of Omega the comparison becomes even more drastic. Estimations vary between 142,000 and 500,000 for total production for Omega in the year 1923. Going off of the lowest estimate of production that equates to roughly 6x more watches in a single year than Cartier did in 50. 

ABOUT THIS WATCH: 

MANUFACTURER: Cartier

MODEL: Tank Normale

REFERENCE: n/a

SERIAL: 13xxx

YEAR: 1923

DIAL: An absolutely stunning Cartier dial. The condition of the dial is quite remarkable given its age. As you can see by the attached photos the dial is free from any cracking. Typically, if you are afforded the opportunity to see an old Cartier dial removed from the case you will observe cracking around the edge of the dial near the case screws. Most often the outside of the dial that is not visible when encased will be chipped. Remarkably, this dial exhibits no chipping. Additionally, it presents with the classic pitting in the painted black numerals and chemin de fer. This is common from Cartier dials of this era and is to be expected. The dial may have been born with blued steel apple hands instead of sword, though I have seen both from this era. 

CASE: A solid 18kt yellow gold case. The case measures 23x30mm and was manufactured in France before being shipped to the New York boutique for sale. The inside of the caseback is marked "European Watch and Clock Co INC France". The case has been polished in the past. The French hallmark on the midcase is partially conserved. The crown has been replaced sometime in the past with a Cartier crown from early 1970's. 

MOVEMENT:  A Cartier marked European Watch & Clock (EWC) movement. The caliber is a Lecoultre based 168. The watch does run but timekeeping has not been checked. The watch can be serviced for $400 plus any parts that might be necessary. If serviced the watch will come with a one year mechanical warranty dated from the completion of the service. 

BRACELET/STRAP: Will come with watch and deployment buckle; no strap. The deployment buckle does not allow for any adjustment; therefore the strap needs to be custom made for the client. The deployment buckle is an 18kt yellow gold original Cartier buckle and may not be original to the watch though it does feature a NY style signature, common American market 18k stamping and absent of any French hallmarks. 

ACCESSORIES: None. 

BOX/PAPERS: No. 

WARRANTY: None unless the watch is serviced first. If serviced the watch will come with a one year warranty. 

BANK WIRE/ZELLE PRICE: $35,000 shipped.