Cartier · Tank à Guichets

Tank à Guichets, 150th Anniversary, Platinum

Tank à Guichets 150th Anniversary (1997) · 1997

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Specifications

Reference
Tank à Guichets 150th Anniversary (1997)
Platinum, jump hour, limited edition of 150, manual wind
Year
1997
Made for Cartier's 150th anniversary; a Phillips lot carries a limited-edition certificate stamped 16 July 1997
Movement
Manual
Cartier cal. 9752 MC (Piaget-based), 19 jewels, manual wind, jumping hour
Case
25.5 × 37–37.5 mm — Platinum
Dial
Silvered
Jumping hour in a window at 12 o'clock, minutes in a curved aperture at 6 o'clock; ruby cabochon crown
Hands
None
Time shown by apertures; no hour or minute hands
Crystal
Not stated in the catalogs consulted
No auction or dealer description opened for this page names the crystal material
Strap
Crocodile leather
Signed 18k white gold deployant clasp; case back engraved LC logo and 1847-1997

Visual Description

The 1997 Tank à Guichets is a platinum Tank, catalogued at 25.5 × 37 mm by Phillips in three sales and 25.5 × 37.5 mm by Phillips in a fourth, Sotheby's and Monaco Legend, with The Hour Markers giving 26 × 37 mm. It has no hands. The hour appears in a window at 12 o'clock, and the minutes are shown in a curved aperture at 6 o'clock. The dial is silvered. The crown is a ruby cabochon, which Phillips says is exclusive to the platinum version; one Phillips lot describes it as red. The case back carries the LC logo with the engraving "1847-1997" and the edition number. A signed 18k white gold deployant clasp closes a crocodile or leather strap.

Reference Significance

This is the only vintage-era Tank à Guichets documented at auction in the sources opened for this page, and it is an anniversary piece: Phillips catalogs it as a re-edition of the 1928 model, made to mark Cartier's 150th year. The edition is small and numbered, so individual watches can be followed from sale to sale.

Catalogs agree on the core specification: platinum, manual wind, cal. 9752 MC, 19 jewels. They differ slightly on case length, and Monaco Legend lists a different caliber designation, so the page records those differences openly.

Historical Context

Phillips dates the Tank à Guichets to 1928. The Hour Markers reports a six-piece run in 1996, with three watches in yellow gold and three in platinum, and then the 150-piece platinum edition in 1997. A Phillips Hong Kong lot carries a limited-edition certificate stamped by a retailer in Osaka on 16 July 1997, and another Phillips lot came with a Collection Privée Cartier Paris presentation box.

The Hour Markers describes the movement as based on a Piaget ébauche. In 2005 Cartier made a pink gold version in 100 pieces (Ref. 2817, per The Hour Markers), and a dealer lists a newer platinum re-edition, WGTA0236. Neither is part of this page.

What to Look For

Begin with the case back: the LC logo, "1847-1997" and a number out of 150. Check the crown, which should be a ruby cabochon, and the clasp, which Phillips and Sotheby's catalog as 18k white gold. The jump-hour display should advance crisply, and the minutes aperture should read steadily.

Do not rely on an A-prefixed number as a reference. Monaco Legend and one Phillips lot print numbers of that form, but they appear alongside the edition numbers and look like case numbers. Documentation varies widely among documented examples, from a stamped certificate and box to a box alone, so judge each watch on its own papers.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. Tank à Guichets 150th Anniversary (1997).

Platinum, 150th Anniversary

The documented 1997 watch: platinum case, ruby cabochon crown, numbered case back out of 150, engraved 1847-1997 below the LC logo.

1997150 pieces; four numbered examples have reached auction since 2024.

1996 Six-Piece Run

Reported by The Hour Markers only: six watches, three in 18k yellow gold and three in platinum, with the crown at 12 o'clock.

1996 (single source)Six pieces reported; not seen at auction in the sources opened for this page.

How to tell it apart

What separates the Tank à Guichets 150th Anniversary (1997) from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is the Cartier Tank à Guichets of 1997?

A platinum jump-hour Tank made in a limited edition of 150 for Cartier's 150th anniversary. The hour shows in a window at 12 o'clock and the minutes in a curved aperture at 6. It measures about 25.5 × 37–37.5 mm and has a ruby cabochon crown.

Does the 1997 Tank à Guichets have a reference number?

None of the Phillips, Sotheby's or The Hour Markers entries consulted gives one for the 1997 watch. Monaco Legend and one Phillips lot print an A-prefixed number, A114445 and A114439, which sits alongside the edition numbers and is more likely a case number. Archiva therefore identifies the watch by its edition and year.

What movement does it use?

The manual-wind cal. 9752 MC with 19 jewels, as catalogued by Phillips and Sotheby's. The Hour Markers says it is based on a Piaget ébauche. A Monaco Legend lot lists 'Calibre 7' with a movement number, which disagrees with the other catalogs and is recorded as an outlier.

How many were made?

150, numbered on the case back. Phillips lots are numbered 055, 071 and 101 of 150; Sotheby's catalogs 010/150; Monaco Legend 068/150.

How do I tell it from the 2005 Collection Privée version?

The Hour Markers reports the 2005 CPCP version as Ref. 2817, in pink gold, limited to 100, with a blue cabochon crown. The 1997 watch is platinum with a ruby crown and is numbered out of 150.

What should I check before buying one?

The LC logo and 1847-1997 on the case back, an edition number out of 150, the ruby crown, a signed white gold clasp, and clean jump-hour operation. Papers vary: Phillips lots have included a limited-edition certificate, a blank guarantee and service invoices, while others had only a box.
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