Details

Brand

Cartier

Model

Tank Francaise

Reference

2302

Movement

Automatic cal. 120

Case

32mm x 28mm

Metal

Steel and Rose Gold

Circa

2010's

Dial

Silver (Guilloché)

Bezel

Steel

Condition

Very Good

Box/Papers

Watch Only

About this watch

Band: Steel & Gold Clasp: Steel (Butterfly) Glass: Sapphire crystal Water Resistant: 3 Bar Cartier's Tank dates back to 1917, when Louis Cartier took his cue from the Renault tanks of the First World War. The case's side rails, or brancards, stand in for the tank's tracks. The Tank Française arrived in 1996. It was the first Tank designed from the outset with an integrated bracelet, and it quickly became one of the defining watches of the late 1990s and 2000s. This is the large automatic ref. 2302 in steel and 18k yellow gold, and it is in good condition. The case measures 28mm across and 32mm from end to end, and it is about 8mm deep. Its brancards finish in sharp, angular points, which gives it a crisper look than the classic Tank. The octagonal crown is set with a blue synthetic spinel cabochon. It is pressure-resistant to 3 bar (30 metres). That makes it fine in the rain or when washing your hands, but it isn't one for swimming. The silvered dial has printed black Roman numerals inside a railway minute track. There is a date aperture at six o'clock. Look closely at the VII and you'll find Cartier's hidden signature, worked into the V. Heat-blued steel hands in Cartier's classic sword shape show the time. It all sits beneath a sapphire crystal. The integrated steel and 18k yellow gold bracelet flows straight out of the case. It secures to the wrist with a hidden double folding clasp. Inside is Cartier's calibre 120, an automatic movement based on the ETA 2000 ébauche. It is 19.4mm across and 3.6mm thick, which makes it one of ETA's more compact automatic calibres, and that suits the slim rectangular case. It runs at 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) with a power reserve of around 40 hours. It also has hacking seconds, so the…