The name Cartier needs no introduction. As one of the most influential and celebrated jewellery and watch brands of the last 100 years, it has always stood as a mark of luxury and desirability. Without taking away from its historical significance, I would say that when it comes to watches, Cartier has always been predominantly known as a ‘design’ brand rather than a pure watchmaking one, with stunningly iconic models such as the Tank, the Crash, and the Santos all seen as important due to how they look. Even today, it is Cartier’s distinctive and unconventional designs that draw collectors and secure its singular place in the watch world.
The 1990s were a murky, unconventional period for watch brands, coming straight out of the quartz crisis that had nearly wiped out the entire industry. Having survived what felt like a nuclear event, brands swung to extremes—either experimenting aggressively or retreating into conservatism. As interest in mechanical watches slowly returned, Cartier recognised a shift in sentiment and seized the moment to reposition itself as a serious watchmaking house, not merely a jeweller that made watches.
The result was the Collection Privé Cartier Paris, more commonly known as CPCP. Conceived as Cartier’s premier mechanical watchmaking division, it stands today as one of the brand’s most consequential decisions. The philosophy was straightforward: take Cartier’s most iconic designs and reissue them with high-grade mechanical movements, developed in collaboration with respected manufactures such as Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Frédéric Piguet, and Girard-Perregaux.
That said, there are only a few watches that are as instantly recognisable as the Cartier Tank. Defined by its rectangular case, slim profile, and restrained dial, it remains as relevant today as it was at its introduction in 1917. Directly inspired by the Renault FT-17 tank, it is, paradoxically, a dress watch. Over the past century, the Tank has been reinterpreted in countless forms, yet each variant retains the essential design DNA that defines the model.
First introduced in 1933, the Tank Basculante drew inspiration from the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, an icon in its own right as a swivelling sports watch designed to protect its dial during a game of polo. The Basculante followed the same functional premise but executed the concept differently. Instead of rotating along a horizontal axis like the Reverso, it pivots on a vertical axis, allowing the case to stand upright mid-rotation and function as a small table clock. The entire mechanism is actuated elegantly via the central jewel, which the wearer flicks open with a fingernail.
While the Tank Basculante has seen numerous iterations since its debut, this example stands among the rarest and most desirable. Limited to only 365 pieces, the 2391 was issued as part of the Collection Privé Cartier Paris, featuring the signature CPCP guilloché dial and the ultra-slim, manual-winding Frédéric Piguet Cal. 610. This particular watch is further distinguished by a beautiful commemorative caseback engraving marking the turn of the millennium.
Amid renewed interest in early, rare, and historically significant Cartier watches, this CPCP Tank Basculante stands out as a particularly compelling example. It brings together design heritage, mechanical credibility, and true scarcity—qualities only a few modern Cartier pieces can claim in equal measure.
