Tank Américaine

Questions collectors ask

Direct answers about the Cartier Tank Américaine, drawn from the reference records below.

What is a Cartier Tank Américaine worth?

Public auction and dealer results from November 2023 to November 2026 put the small 18k gold quartz (19 x 35 mm) (Ref. 1713, 1710) at $4,000 to $8,200, median $6,500 across 7 sales; the medium 18k gold quartz (23 x 41 mm) (Ref. 8012905, 1720) at $4,550 to $5,150, median $5,050 across 4 sales; the medium 18k gold automatic date (Ref. 1725, 2490) at $6,800 to $7,550, median $7,300 across 4 sales; the large 18k gold automatic date (26 x 45 mm) (Ref. 1741, 1740) at $5,300 to $5,600, median $5,450 across 5 sales; the large 18k gold manual wind (26 x 45 mm) (Ref. 1735B) at $11,450 to $12,950, median $12,200 across 3 sales; and the chronoreflex chronograph 18k gold quartz (Ref. 1730, 2312) at $5,150 to $8,250, median $5,900 across 3 sales. Condition, a recent Cartier service, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within or beyond these ranges, and the calculator on this page adjusts for each.

How much will a dealer pay for a Tank Américaine?

Dealers buying to resell usually bid about 75 to 85% of public market value, because they carry the cost and risk of the resale. For a small 18k gold quartz (19 x 35 mm) Tank Américaine at the recent median of $6,500, that suggests bids of roughly $4,900 to $5,550. Archiva is opening a panel of specialist dealers who bid blind, with the seller keeping the whole winning bid.

How do I tell which Tank Américaine reference I have?

The reference is part of the number engraved on the case back. Size and metal then separate the vintage references: the 1710 (yellow gold) and 1713 (white gold) are 19 × 35 mm quartz watches; the 1720 is the mid-size yellow gold quartz at 22–23 × 41 mm; the 8012905 is the 23–24 × 40 mm yellow gold quartz with small seconds at 6 and a date at 3; the 1725 is the 22.5 × 41.5 mm yellow gold automatic with a date at 6, also cataloged as 2483; the 2490 is the 22.5 × 41.5 mm white gold automatic with a date at 6, made c. 2000–2005; the 1735 is the 26 × 45 mm yellow gold manual wind; the 1740 is the 26–27 × 45 mm yellow gold automatic with a date at 6; the 1741 is the 26–27 × 45 mm white gold automatic with a date at 6; and the 1730 (yellow gold) and 2312 (white gold) are the 26–27 × 44–45 mm Chronoreflex quartz chronographs. Some catalogs measure the length without the curved ends, so a 1710 can appear as 19 × 27.5 mm; Bonhams gives the same watch as 34.5 mm long including the lugs.

How is the Tank Américaine related to the Tank Cintrée?

Sotheby's describes the Américaine, released in 1989, as an update to the Tank Cintrée. It kept the Cintrée's curved front brancards, elongated dial and stretched numerals, which follow the wrist, but simplified the construction with a flat case back that sits directly against it.

Is the Tank Américaine quartz or automatic?

Both. The first Américaines of 1989 were quartz watches in smaller cases, and the larger mechanical models followed in the early 1990s. Among the vintage references, the 1710 and 1713 use the quartz Cartier Cal. 157 and the 1720 the quartz Cal. 90, and the 8012905 is a quartz with small seconds and a date; the large 1730 and 2312 are Chronoreflex quartz chronographs on the Cal. 212; the 1725 is automatic on the Cal. 077 and the large 1741 on the Cal. 120, both with a date; the large yellow gold 1740 and the white gold 2490 are also automatic with a date, the 1740 cataloged as Cal. 120 or Cal. 2000 and the 2490 as Cal. 077 or Cal. 200; the 1735 is hand-wound with no date.

Which Tank Américaine watches are vintage?

Archiva covers watches made at least 25 years ago, so Américaines from the 1989 launch through about 2001. Dated examples of several references here run into the 2000s, so the date of a specific watch decides. The references on these pages are all 18k yellow or white gold; Sotheby's notes that Cartier first made the Américaine in stainless steel in 2017.

What should I look for when buying a vintage Tank Américaine?

The reference in the number on the case back, a screwed case back, the secret Cartier signature in the VII (in the X on the 8012905 and on the Chronoreflex 1730 and 2312), an octagonal crown set with a sapphire (or a diamond on diamond-set examples), and crisp brushed and polished surfaces along the curve of the case. A buckle, deployant or bracelet should be signed Cartier and in the metal of the case. Catalogs sometimes measure the length without the curved ends, so a shorter figure in a listing is not by itself a different reference.