Vintage 1980s Must de Cartier Tank SM Vermeil Unisex Manual Watch 20mm 17J

Name: Vintage 1980s Must de Cartier Tank SM Vermeil Unisex Manual Watch 20mm 17J
Price: 2599 USD
Availability: InStock

⌚️ Watches · 1960s–90s

The edit · Watches

A pre-owned Cartier Tank watch, from the 1980s. A mechanical watch from these decades was built to be repaired, not replaced. Patina on the dial and a bracelet softened to the wrist are earned, not defects.

The jeweller of kings, and the king of jewellers.

Founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-Francois Cartier. The maison defined the wristwatch with the Santos in 1904 and the Tank in 1917, and its gold vermeil Must de Cartier line of the 1970s and 1980s made the brand a fashion statement.

Cartier watches are collected as much for the case as the movement. The Tank, Santos and Pasha hold value exceptionally well, and the Must de Cartier era is enjoying a full revival with a new generation of collectors.

Why it's called that

Cartier Tank

Louis Cartier designed the Tank in 1917 after the Renault FT-17 tanks of the First World War. The case is a bird's-eye view of a tank: the brancards are the treads, the case the body.

What to look for

Look for the signature, the hand-stamped dial and the serial. Vermeil, gold over sterling silver, should show its .925 marks, and the burgundy dials of the Must era are the most sought after.

Check the case back and movement markings, and whether the crown winds cleanly. A service history doubles the value of any mechanical watch.