What is the Cartier Tank Allongée Ref. 1380?

A small, elongated Tank in 18k yellow gold, about 14 mm wide and 28 mm long, on a Cartier quartz movement. It has a sapphire cabochon crown, an ivory or silvered dial with radial Roman numerals and the secret signature in the VII, and blued hands. Antiquorum calls it a lady's Tank Allongée and Amsterdam Watch Company a Tank Mini Allongée. Dated examples run from about 1985 to 2005.

Is the 1380 quartz or mechanical?

Quartz. Antiquorum catalogs both of its 1380s as quartz, and Sotheby's gives the Cartier Cal. 028 quartz with 5 jewels on a 13801. Sotheby's has also sold a mechanical Mini Tank Allongée with a Paris dial of about 1975, but that watch carries no reference number and is not a 1380.

What does 13801 mean?

Sotheby's Geneva cataloged a gem-set Tank Allongée of about 1985 as Reference 13801: 14.5 × 28 mm, 18k yellow gold and quartz, the size, metal and movement of the 1380. The final digit appears to be a suffix of the kind Cartier adds to other references. No source we consulted explains it, so read the full number on the case back.

How long is the case: 20 mm or 28 mm?

Antiquorum and Sotheby's measure 28 mm long, and Antiquorum 6 mm thick. Amsterdam Watch Company lists 14 × 20 mm for the example it sold, and no source we consulted explains the difference. Examples with diamonds set at each end measure 36 mm, as Antiquorum records.

How is the 1380 different from other Tank Allongée numbers?

The 1380 is the small yellow gold quartz model. Amsterdam Watch Company has sold a yellow gold Allongée of similar size as Ref. 2443, dated circa 1995, and Analog/Shift has sold white gold Allongées as Ref. 2680 and Ref. 2544. Measure the case and read the number on the back.

Cartier · Tank Allongée

Tank Allongée, Small Model, 18k Yellow Gold, Quartz

Ref. 1380c. 1985–2005Also cataloged as 13801

The Cartier Tank Allongée Ref. 1380 is a small, stretched 14 × 28 mm Tank in 18k yellow gold on a Cartier quartz movement (Cal. 028 per Sotheby's), made c. 1985–2005, with a sapphire cabochon crown and radial Roman numerals.

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Specifications

Reference: 1380; Small model, 18k yellow gold, quartz
Year: c. 1985–2005; Sotheby's dates a gem-set 13801 circa 1985 and Antiquorum a diamond-set 1380 to the 1980s; Antiquorum records a plain example made in 1997, and Amsterdam Watch Company and Sotheby's date examples circa 2005
Movement: Quartz; Cartier Cal. 028 quartz, 5 jewels, per Sotheby's on a 13801; Antiquorum catalogs the movement only as quartz
Case: 14 × 28 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Dial: Ivory or silvered; Painted radial Roman numerals and the secret Cartier signature in the VII; gem-set examples have a mother-of-pearl dial
Hands: Blued steel; Épée (sword-shaped)
Crystal: Sapphire; Sapphire crystal and a sapphire cabochon in the crown, per Antiquorum; Amsterdam Watch Company lists a mineral crystal on one example
Strap: Leather strap; 18k yellow gold Cartier buckle or deployant clasp; gem-set examples on an 18k gold and pearl-set Cartier bracelet

Visual Description

The 1380 is a narrow Tank stretched along its length: an 18k yellow gold case of 14 × 28 mm and about 6 mm thick, with the Tank's brancards running into short lugs and a sapphire cabochon in the beaded crown. Antiquorum describes the dial as ivory with painted radial Roman numerals and the secret Cartier signature in the VII, under blued steel épée hands, with a sapphire crystal and a case back held by four screws.

It comes on a leather strap with an 18k yellow gold Cartier buckle. Jeweled versions exist: Antiquorum has sold one with diamonds and black enamel at each end and a guilloché dial with Roman numerals at XII and VI only, and Sotheby's one set with rubies, sapphires and diamonds on a pearl-set bracelet with a mother-of-pearl dial.

Reference Significance

The 1380 is the small quartz Tank Allongée in yellow gold, and one of the few Allongée numbers with dated examples from before 2001. Where most Tanks of the period are 20 mm wide or more, the 1380 is 14 mm across, which makes it one of the slimmest Tanks Cartier made. Antiquorum catalogs it as a lady's Tank Allongée; dealers call it the Tank Mini Allongée.

The same reference covers plain and jeweled cases. Sotheby's catalogs a gem-set example as 13801, at 14.5 × 28 mm on the Cartier Cal. 028 quartz with 5 jewels, so the number on the case back can carry an extra digit.

Historical Context

Analog/Shift writes that Cartier introduced the Tank Allongée in 1922 as an elongated version of the Tank. A small Allongée existed as a mechanical watch before the 1380: Sotheby's has sold a 28.5 × 14 mm Mini Tank Allongée in white gold with a Paris dial and 17 jewels, circa 1975, with no reference number.

The quartz 1380 follows. Sotheby's dates a gem-set 13801 circa 1985, and Antiquorum dates a diamond-set 1380 to the 1980s. Antiquorum's plain example was made in 1997 and first sold in May 1998, and Sotheby's and Amsterdam Watch Company date examples circa 2005, the latest found.

What to Look For

Read the case back first: it should carry 1380 (or 13801) with a CC case number, such as Antiquorum's CC 550481, and the case should measure about 14 mm wide. Check the dial for crisp radial numerals and the secret signature in the VII, and the crown for its cabochon, sapphire on plain examples and diamond on Antiquorum's jeweled one.

On a case this small, polishing quickly softens the brancards and the edges of the lugs, so compare the lines with documented examples. On jeweled versions, check that the stones and the enamel are complete. Service papers or a Cartier buckle add to the record, and a quartz movement signed Cartier is what every source describes.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 1380.

Plain 18k Yellow Gold

Plain 18k yellow gold case of 14 × 28 mm with an ivory or silvered dial, painted radial Roman numerals and blued épée hands, on a leather strap with an 18k gold Cartier buckle. Antiquorum sold one made in 1997, and Amsterdam Watch Company sold one with service papers.

c. 1997–2005 (dated examples)Documented at auction and by a dealer

Diamond and Enamel Ends

Bezel set with diamonds at each end and lugs decorated with diamonds and black enamel, a diamond cabochon crown and a guilloché silver dial with Roman numerals at XII and VI only; the jeweled ends make the case 14.5 × 36 mm. Antiquorum dates its example to the 1980s.

c. 1980s (one dated example)Documented at one auction house

Gem-Set with Mother-of-Pearl Dial (13801)

Case set with rubies, sapphires and diamonds between the lugs, a mother-of-pearl dial and an 18k gold and pearl-set Cartier bracelet. Sotheby's Geneva cataloged one as Reference 13801, 14.5 × 28 mm on the Cal. 028, circa 1985; Sotheby's Hong Kong offered another whose case is stamped 1380, circa 2005.

c. 1985–2005 (two dated examples)Documented at one auction house

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 1380 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is the Cartier Tank Allongée Ref. 1380?: A small, elongated Tank in 18k yellow gold, about 14 mm wide and 28 mm long, on a Cartier quartz movement. It has a sapphire cabochon crown, an ivory or silvered dial with radial Roman numerals and the secret signature in the VII, and blued hands. Antiquorum calls it a lady's Tank Allongée and Amsterdam Watch Company a Tank Mini Allongée. Dated examples run from about 1985 to 2005.
Is the 1380 quartz or mechanical?: Quartz. Antiquorum catalogs both of its 1380s as quartz, and Sotheby's gives the Cartier Cal. 028 quartz with 5 jewels on a 13801. Sotheby's has also sold a mechanical Mini Tank Allongée with a Paris dial of about 1975, but that watch carries no reference number and is not a 1380.
What does 13801 mean?: Sotheby's Geneva cataloged a gem-set Tank Allongée of about 1985 as Reference 13801: 14.5 × 28 mm, 18k yellow gold and quartz, the size, metal and movement of the 1380. The final digit appears to be a suffix of the kind Cartier adds to other references. No source we consulted explains it, so read the full number on the case back.
How long is the case: 20 mm or 28 mm?: Antiquorum and Sotheby's measure 28 mm long, and Antiquorum 6 mm thick. Amsterdam Watch Company lists 14 × 20 mm for the example it sold, and no source we consulted explains the difference. Examples with diamonds set at each end measure 36 mm, as Antiquorum records.
How is the 1380 different from other Tank Allongée numbers?: The 1380 is the small yellow gold quartz model. Amsterdam Watch Company has sold a yellow gold Allongée of similar size as Ref. 2443, dated circa 1995, and Analog/Shift has sold white gold Allongées as Ref. 2680 and Ref. 2544. Measure the case and read the number on the back.

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