What is the Tank Américaine Ref. 2490?

The medium automatic Américaine in 18k white gold: a curved case of about 22.5 × 41.5 mm and 9.5 mm thick, a silvered guilloché dial with painted black Roman numerals, the secret Cartier signature in the VII and a date at 6, and blued steel sword hands with a center seconds hand. It is found plain and with factory-set diamonds.

How does the 2490 differ from the Ref. 1725?

By metal. Both are medium automatic Américaines of about the same size: the 1725 in 18k yellow gold, the 2490 in 18k white gold. Monaco Legend has also cataloged a white gold automatic Américaine of about this size as Ref. 1726, dated 2005, so the number on the case back decides between the 1726 and the 2490. The large white gold automatic is the Ref. 1741.

Was the Ref. 2490 made with diamonds?

Both ways. Lyon & Turnbull and Antiquorum have cataloged plain examples with a silvered guilloché dial. Others carry factory-set diamonds along the two sides of the case and a diamond cabochon in the crown, and one has a dial of diamonds alternating with double C logos.

What should the case back of a Ref. 2490 read?

Catalogs pair the reference 2490 with a case number of five or six digits followed by two letters, such as 566715CE on a watch Lyon & Turnbull dates circa 2000 and 606003MG on one Antiquorum records as sold in November 2001. The back is secured by screws.

Cartier · Tank Américaine

Tank Américaine, White Gold, Medium, Automatic

Ref. 2490c. 2000–2005

The Cartier Tank Américaine Ref. 2490 is a medium 22.5 × 41.5 mm 18k white gold automatic Tank Américaine with center seconds and a date at 6, made c. 2000–2005 and found plain or with factory-set diamonds.

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One recent sale of Ref. 2490

May 2025Lyon & TurnbullLondon Watches, lot 60, 22 May 2025. Tank Americaine, Ref.2490, Serial No.566715CE, made circa 2000: 23 x 42 mm, 18k white gold, self-winding with date, guilloché silvered dial with black Roman numerals, black strap with 18k white gold Cartier buckle; no diamonds described. The lot page shows £5,292 with no label and no estimate; premium not stated. The same watch was lot 11 of Cartier Curated on 29 Apr 2025, whose page shows only its £2,500-3,500 estimate.$7,050

For comparison

Medium, 18k gold, automatic, date (Ref. 2490 and 1725): $6,800 to $7,550, median $7,300 across 4 sales, one of them Ref. 2490.

One sale is a rough guide. One more sale was left out (Diamond-set case (142 diamonds, about 1.9 ct), priced apart from plain cases; the lot does not say the setting is Cartier's). See it in the calculator.

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Specifications

Reference: 2490; Medium model, 18k white gold, automatic with date
Year: c. 2000–2005; Estimated from dated examples: Lyon & Turnbull dates one circa 2000, Antiquorum records one as sold in November 2001, Bachmann & Scher sold one with papers dated December 2003, and Sotheby's dates another circa 2005
Movement: Automatic; Center seconds and date at 6, cataloged by Sotheby's as Cal. 077 with 25 jewels and by Antiquorum as Cal. 200 with 20 jewels; catalogs disagree on the label
Case: 22.5 × 41.5 mm, 18k White Gold
Dial: Silvered guilloché; Painted black Roman numerals, inner minute track, secret Cartier signature in the VII, date aperture at 6 o'clock
Hands: Blued steel; Sword-shaped (épée), center seconds
Crystal: Sapphire
Strap: Leather or 18k white gold bracelet; Leather strap with an 18k white gold Cartier deployant clasp or buckle, or an 18k white gold bracelet with a concealed clasp

Visual Description

The Ref. 2490 is the medium Tank Américaine in 18k white gold, about 22.5 × 41.5 mm and 9.5 mm thick. Catalogs measure it at 22.5 to 23 mm wide and 41 to 42 mm long. The case curves along its length and the back is secured by screws. The octagonal crown carries a sapphire on plain examples and a diamond cabochon on diamond-set ones.

The dial is silvered guilloché, with painted black Roman numerals, an inner minute track, the secret Cartier signature in the VII and a date aperture at 6, under blued steel sword hands and a center seconds hand. The watch comes on a leather strap with an 18k white gold Cartier deployant clasp or buckle, or on an 18k white gold bracelet with a concealed clasp.

Reference Significance

The 2490 is a white gold automatic of the medium Américaine, the same size as the yellow gold Ref. 1725 and smaller than the large white gold automatic Ref. 1741. None of the catalogs and dealer records found for this page describes it as a limited edition or as part of the Collection Privée.

It is found both plain and set with diamonds. Bachmann & Scher describes original Cartier diamond setting on the two sides of the case and a diamond cabochon on the crown, and Bulang & Sons has sold one with a pavé dial of diamonds alternating with double C logos.

Historical Context

Dated examples run from circa 2000 to circa 2005. Lyon & Turnbull dates one circa 2000 and Antiquorum records another as sold in November 2001, so the reference was in production by 2001. Others carry papers dated December 2003 or are cataloged circa 2005, and one came to auction with a Cartier sales receipt dated July 2008.

Catalogs disagree on the movement's label. Sotheby's names the Cal. 077 with 25 jewels, while Antiquorum catalogs a Cal. 200 with 20 jewels; both describe an automatic with a date.

What to Look For

Read the case number and any papers. Catalogs pair the 2490 with case numbers of five or six digits and two letters, and a dated certificate or receipt shows whether a watch falls within Archiva's scope, which runs through about 2001.

On the dial, look for the secret signature in the VII and a date disc sitting square in the aperture at 6. On diamond-set examples, check that every stone is present and that the setting matches on both sides of the case. A yellow gold case of this size means the Ref. 1725, and a case 26 mm or more wide means the large Ref. 1741. A buckle, deployant clasp or bracelet should be signed Cartier and in white gold.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 2490.

Plain Case

No diamonds: a silvered guilloché dial and a sapphire-set octagonal crown. Lyon & Turnbull and Antiquorum have cataloged examples of this kind.

c. 2000 (one dated example)Documented at two auction houses

Diamond-Set Case

Factory-set diamonds along the two sides of the case and a diamond cabochon in the crown, as Bachmann & Scher describes; Antiquorum and Sotheby's have also offered diamond-set examples.

c. 2000–2005 (four dated examples)Documented at two auction houses and two dealers

Pavé Dial

A dial set with diamonds in sections alternating with double C logos, with white gold hands and a diamond cabochon crown, sold by Bulang & Sons.

Early 2000s (one dated example)Single source

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 2490 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Tank Américaine Ref. 2490 worth?: Archiva has found one public sale of Ref. 2490 in the last three years: $7,050 at Lyon & Turnbull in May 2025. One sale is a rough guide, not a market price. One more sale was left out (Diamond-set case (142 diamonds, about 1.9 ct), priced apart from plain cases; the lot does not say the setting is Cartier's). For comparison, from November 2023 to November 2026: Medium, 18k gold, automatic, date (Ref. 2490 and 1725): $6,800 to $7,550, median $7,300 across 4 sales, one of them Ref. 2490.
What is the Tank Américaine Ref. 2490?: The medium automatic Américaine in 18k white gold: a curved case of about 22.5 × 41.5 mm and 9.5 mm thick, a silvered guilloché dial with painted black Roman numerals, the secret Cartier signature in the VII and a date at 6, and blued steel sword hands with a center seconds hand. It is found plain and with factory-set diamonds.
How does the 2490 differ from the Ref. 1725?: By metal. Both are medium automatic Américaines of about the same size: the 1725 in 18k yellow gold, the 2490 in 18k white gold. Monaco Legend has also cataloged a white gold automatic Américaine of about this size as Ref. 1726, dated 2005, so the number on the case back decides between the 1726 and the 2490. The large white gold automatic is the Ref. 1741.
Was the Ref. 2490 made with diamonds?: Both ways. Lyon & Turnbull and Antiquorum have cataloged plain examples with a silvered guilloché dial. Others carry factory-set diamonds along the two sides of the case and a diamond cabochon in the crown, and one has a dial of diamonds alternating with double C logos.
What should the case back of a Ref. 2490 read?: Catalogs pair the reference 2490 with a case number of five or six digits followed by two letters, such as 566715CE on a watch Lyon & Turnbull dates circa 2000 and 606003MG on one Antiquorum records as sold in November 2001. The back is secured by screws.
When was the Ref. 2490 made?: Dated examples run from circa 2000 to circa 2005. Lyon & Turnbull dates one circa 2000 and Antiquorum records another as sold in November 2001; others carry papers dated December 2003 or are cataloged circa 2005. Archiva covers watches made through about 2001, so a dated certificate or receipt shows whether a given watch falls inside that window.