The name Cartier needs no introduction. As one of the most influential and celebrated jewelry 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 it looks. In fact, to this day, it is the beautiful and unconventional designs that attract collectors and a unique position in the watch brand hierarchy that no other possesses.
As I have mentioned many times, the ’90s was an unconventional and murky time for watch brands, having just come out of the quartz crisis that decimated most of the industry. Brands were either experimenting like crazy or strictly conservative, wary of the fact they just survived the equivalent of a nuclear bomb. The industry was slowly coming back, with consumers beginning to take an interest in mechanical watches, and with this in mind, Cartier decided that it was time to improve its image as a true watchmaking brand.
The result was the Collection Privé Cartier Paris division, referred to simply as the CPCP. The intention of the CPCP was to be the premier mechanical watchmaking division of Cartier and looking back on it today, it was one of the best decisions they ever made. The philosophy was simple, the CPCP took iconic models that were already loved by many, and reproduced them with high-grade movements, working with bonafide watch manufactures such as Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Frédéric Piguet, Girard-Perregaux, and more.
The Tank Cintree was first introduced in 1921 and has always been the flagship of Cartier. On top of this, since its inception, the Cintree has never been a large production model and has always been reserved by the brand for small quantity releases and special editions.
While there were many models produced under the Collection Privé, most ardent Cartier collectors will agree that the holy grail, end game piece from the series is undoubtedly the platinum Tank Cintree. Any Cintree would be special in its own right, but the CPCP version stands its ground as one of the most desirable Cartier pieces ever produced. Limited to only 50 pieces, it came with a special Collection Prive certificate and was individually numbered.
Faithful to the original full-sized, 9 ligne Tank Cintree, the 46mm by 23mm sized case fits elegantly, with the curved profile and sapphire glass hugging the profile of your wrist perfectly. I have never seen a watch sit so flush to my wrist before and that is a testament to the masterful design of the Cintree. What makes this particular Cintree so special as well, as it is the only non-one-off model that features exploding Arabic numerals on the dial. This CPCP version was modeled after one of the most famous unique examples, the luminous 1929 ‘Fred Astaire’, worn by the man himself.
Powered by a Jaeger-LeCoultre derived manually wound caliber 9770MC, this Cartier Tank Cintree is the complete package. The specialness of the Cintree combined with the historically important CPCP period makes for not only one of the most collectible pieces in Cartier’s lineup but in all of watch collecting.
I am hugely honored to be able to offer such a special piece in mint and complete condition. With the Cintree turning 100 this year in 2021, it is fitting for such a special piece to be offered to the public.
