What is a Cartier Tank Américaine Ref. 8012905 worth?

Public auction and dealer results for Ref. 8012905 from November 2023 to November 2026 come to $5,050 to $7,700, with a median of $5,100 across 3 sales of this exact reference. The most recent was $5,100 at Piguet Hôtel des Ventes in September 2026. Condition, service history, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within that range.

What is the Tank Américaine Ref. 8012905?

A mid-size quartz Américaine in 18k yellow gold: a curved case of about 23–24 × 40 mm including the lugs, with a back secured by eight screws, a silvered, white or cream dial with black Roman numerals, small seconds at 6 and a date at 3, blued steel hands and a sapphire crystal. Dated examples run from circa 1990 to 1995.

What should the case back of a Ref. 8012905 read?

Hindman describes one stamped Cartier Paris, 750, Quartz, 18K and Swiss Made, with Swiss hallmarks and the number 8012905 followed by a six-digit serial, 003101. Other catalogs give 8012905 as the reference with serials from 000122 to 002554, though one printed the two numbers the other way round. The back is secured by eight screws.

How does the 8012905 differ from the Ref. 1720?

By the dial. Both are mid-size 18k yellow gold quartz Américaines of about the same size, but the 8012905 has small seconds at 6 and a date at 3, with the secret signature in the X. A mid-size yellow gold quartz Américaine with hours and minutes only is the 1720.

What movement is in the Ref. 8012905?

A quartz movement driving small seconds and a date. Sotheby's catalogs it as Cal. 012; other catalogs say only quartz.

Did the Ref. 8012905 come on a bracelet?

Yes. Koller has sold one on a gold Cartier link bracelet with a double folding clasp. Other examples are on leather straps with an 18k yellow gold Cartier folding clasp, deployant or buckle.

Cartier · Tank Américaine

Tank Américaine, Yellow Gold, Mid-Size, Small Seconds and Date

Ref. 8012905c. 1990–1995

The Cartier Tank Américaine Ref. 8012905 is a mid-size 23–24 × 40 mm 18k yellow gold quartz Tank Américaine made c. 1990–1995, with small seconds at 6 and a date at 3, which set it apart from the similar-size Ref. 1720.

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Recent sales of Ref. 8012905: $5,050 to $7,700, median $5,100 across 3 sales of this exact reference, Nov 2023 to Nov 2026. What's yours worth?

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Specifications

Reference: 8012905; Mid-size, 18k yellow gold, quartz, small seconds and date
Year: c. 1990–1995; Estimated from dated examples: Sotheby's dates one circa 1990 and another circa 1995, and Bachmann & Scher sold one with Cartier papers dated 1995
Movement: Quartz; Quartz, small seconds at 6 and date at 3
Case: 23–24 × 40 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Dial: Silvered, white or cream; Black Roman numerals, railway minute track, small seconds at 6, date aperture at 3 o'clock, secret Cartier signature in the X
Hands: Blued steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Strap: Leather or gold Cartier bracelet; Leather strap with an 18k yellow gold Cartier folding clasp, deployant or buckle, or a gold Cartier link bracelet with a double folding clasp

Visual Description

The Ref. 8012905 is a mid-size Tank Américaine in 18k yellow gold, about 23–24 × 40 mm including the lugs: Sotheby's measures one at 23 × 40 mm and Hindman another at 24 × 40 mm. The curved case has a back secured by eight screws, a sapphire-set crown and a sapphire crystal.

The dial is silvered, white or cream, with black Roman numerals, a railway minute track, a small seconds dial at 6 and a date aperture at 3, under blued steel hands. The secret Cartier signature sits in the X. Examples come on leather straps with an 18k yellow gold Cartier folding clasp, deployant or buckle, and on a gold Cartier link bracelet with a double folding clasp.

Reference Significance

The 8012905 is the mid-size quartz Américaine with small seconds and a date. It is about the size of the yellow gold Ref. 1720, and the small seconds at 6 and the date at 3 are what set it apart.

Its seven-digit number is a reference in its own right, not part of a case number. Catalogs print it as the reference with a separate six-digit serial, from 000122 to 003101 on the examples found, and Hindman records the case back stamped 8012905 followed by the serial.

Historical Context

The Américaine was introduced in 1989, and dated examples of the 8012905 come from its first years. Sotheby's dates one circa 1990 and another circa 1995, and Bachmann & Scher sold one with Cartier papers dated 1995.

Sotheby's catalogs the movement as Cal. 012; the other catalogs found say only quartz.

What to Look For

Read the case back: Cartier Paris, 750, Quartz, 18K and Swiss Made, with 8012905 and a six-digit serial. Check that the small seconds hand runs and the date changes cleanly, and that the secret signature is in the X. A yellow gold quartz Américaine of this size with hours and minutes only is the Ref. 1720, and a yellow gold automatic of this size is the Ref. 1725.

Antiquorum has also cataloged 18k yellow gold quartz Américaines of this size with small seconds under the number 811905, dated from the 1990s to circa 2000. No catalog found prints both numbers on one watch, so how the two relate is open.

A clasp, buckle or bracelet should be signed Cartier and in yellow gold.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 8012905.

Variant documentation for this reference is in progress. Known variants will appear here as they are cataloged, including dial variations, case material options, and bracelet configurations.

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 8012905 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Tank Américaine Ref. 8012905 worth?: Public auction and dealer results for Ref. 8012905 from November 2023 to November 2026 come to $5,050 to $7,700, with a median of $5,100 across 3 sales of this exact reference. The most recent was $5,100 at Piguet Hôtel des Ventes in September 2026. Condition, service history, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within that range.
What is the Tank Américaine Ref. 8012905?: A mid-size quartz Américaine in 18k yellow gold: a curved case of about 23–24 × 40 mm including the lugs, with a back secured by eight screws, a silvered, white or cream dial with black Roman numerals, small seconds at 6 and a date at 3, blued steel hands and a sapphire crystal. Dated examples run from circa 1990 to 1995.
What should the case back of a Ref. 8012905 read?: Hindman describes one stamped Cartier Paris, 750, Quartz, 18K and Swiss Made, with Swiss hallmarks and the number 8012905 followed by a six-digit serial, 003101. Other catalogs give 8012905 as the reference with serials from 000122 to 002554, though one printed the two numbers the other way round. The back is secured by eight screws.
How does the 8012905 differ from the Ref. 1720?: By the dial. Both are mid-size 18k yellow gold quartz Américaines of about the same size, but the 8012905 has small seconds at 6 and a date at 3, with the secret signature in the X. A mid-size yellow gold quartz Américaine with hours and minutes only is the 1720.
What movement is in the Ref. 8012905?: A quartz movement driving small seconds and a date. Sotheby's catalogs it as Cal. 012; other catalogs say only quartz.
Did the Ref. 8012905 come on a bracelet?: Yes. Koller has sold one on a gold Cartier link bracelet with a double folding clasp. Other examples are on leather straps with an 18k yellow gold Cartier folding clasp, deployant or buckle.