Cartier · Tank Asymétrique

Tank Asymétrique, 1996 Limited Edition

Ref. 2488 · c. 1996–1997

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Specifications

Reference
2488
Limited edition, 300 in 18k yellow gold and 100 in platinum, manual wind
Year
c. 1996–1997
Launched 1996; one Sotheby's example carries a guarantee dated 8 January 1997. A 1999 Macau edition is documented by a single source.
Movement
Manual
Cartier cal. 9P2 (Piaget-based), 18 jewels, manual wind
Case
23–24 × 33–34 mm — 18k Yellow Gold or Platinum
Dial
Silvered guilloché
Engine-turned silvered dial, printed Arabic numerals and stripe indices, signed Cartier Paris
Hands
Blued steel
Blued steel hands, as described on a platinum example at Phillips
Crystal
Not stated in the catalogs consulted
No auction or dealer description opened for this page names the crystal material
Strap
Crocodile leather
Folding deployant clasp, 18k yellow gold on the gold watches; catalogs describe the platinum watches' clasp as white gold or platinum

Visual Description

The Ref. 2488 is a rectangular Tank case set at a slant, so that the dial and the movement inside sit at an angle to the lugs. Sotheby's gives the yellow gold case as 34 × 24 mm; platinum examples are catalogued at 23 × 33 mm to 23 × 34 mm. The dial is silvered and engine-turned with a guilloché finish, with printed Arabic numerals and stripe markers in place of the Roman numerals of the standard Tank, and it is signed Cartier Paris. Phillips describes blued steel hands on a platinum example. On platinum watches, two dealers describe a sapphire cabochon crown with a beaded exterior. The case back is secured by four screws on the gold example Sotheby's catalogs, and carries the edition number. The strap is crocodile leather with a folding clasp.

Reference Significance

The 2488 is the watch that brought the asymmetrical case back into Cartier's catalog after six decades. Sotheby's traces the form to the 1936 Parallélogramme, and Phillips describes the design as a driver's watch that could be read with the arm at about 60 degrees, without lifting the hands from the wheel. The 1996 revival keeps that idea and puts a Piaget-based hand-wound movement inside.

It is also a clean, well-documented limited edition. The split between 300 gold and 100 platinum watches is stated by Sotheby's and Wind Vintage, and each watch is numbered on the case back, so an example can be checked against a known edition size. Catalogs differ on case dimensions, so treat the 23–24 × 33–34 mm range as the measured spread, not an error in any one listing.

Historical Context

Sotheby's dates the Tank to 1917 and the Asymétrique to 1936, when it appeared as the Parallélogramme. Cartier relaunched it in 1996 as the Tank Asymétrique. Wind Vintage and Menta Watches place the release alongside the "Magical Art of Cartier" theme of that year, and a Sotheby's lot in the 2025 "Take a Minute" sale carries a Cartier International Guarantee dated 8 January 1997.

The movement is the cal. 9P2, which Phillips describes as a Piaget caliber of very slim profile. A single source, Loupe This, documents a separate 99-piece yellow gold Macau edition dated 1999, with a "99" on the dial and the reference given as W1525451 alongside 2488. Cartier issued a new Asymétrique limited edition in 2020 (WGTA0044, per Phillips); it is a different watch and is not covered here.

What to Look For

Start with the case back. The edition number should be out of 300 on a gold watch and out of 100 on a platinum one; a number outside those ranges, or a metal that does not match the edition size, warrants questions. Check that case, dial and movement are signed, and that the movement is the cal. 9P2 with 18 jewels.

The dial should show clean, even guilloché and the Cartier Paris signature. Wind Vintage and Menta Watches each describe their platinum examples as unpolished, which is worth looking for: soft, rounded edges on the slanted case suggest polishing. Confirm the clasp matches the metal of the case. Box, booklets and a dated guarantee, as on the 2025 Sotheby's lot with its January 1997 certificate, help establish a watch's history, though several documented examples sold without them.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 2488.

18k Yellow Gold

34 × 24 mm per Sotheby's, with an 18k yellow gold folding clasp and a four-screw case back. Numbered out of 300 on the case back.

c. 1996–1997300 pieces; the more commonly seen of the two metals.

Platinum

Catalogs and dealers give 23 × 33 mm to 23 × 34 mm, a sapphire cabochon crown with beaded exterior per two dealers, and a numbered case back out of 100.

c. 1996–1997100 pieces; examples are documented at Phillips, Loupe This and several dealers.

Macau 1999 Edition

Documented by one source only (Loupe This): 18k yellow gold with black Roman numerals and a '99' at 9 o'clock, said to mark the 1999 handover of Macau. Described as 99 pieces, 77 right-handed and 22 left-handed, and carrying the reference as W1525451 alongside 2488.

1999 (single source)Described as 99 pieces; treat the details as unconfirmed until a second source appears.

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 2488 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is the Cartier Tank Asymétrique Ref. 2488?

The 1996 revival of Cartier's 1936 Parallélogramme: a tilted, asymmetrical Tank case of about 23–24 × 33–34 mm, hand-wound on the Piaget-based cal. 9P2, with a silvered guilloché dial and a numbered case back. It was made in 18k yellow gold and platinum as a limited edition.

How many Ref. 2488 were made?

Sotheby's catalogs the edition as 400 pieces, 300 in yellow gold and 100 in platinum, and Wind Vintage gives the same 300 and 100 split. Case-back numbering runs out of 300 on gold watches and out of 100 on platinum ones.

What movement is in the Ref. 2488?

The manual-wind cal. 9P2 with 18 jewels. Phillips calls it a Piaget caliber and notes it is about 2 mm thick; Sotheby's and several dealers give the same caliber number.

What is the difference between the yellow gold and platinum Ref. 2488?

Metal, edition size and numbering. The gold watch is numbered out of 300, the platinum out of 100. Dimensions are reported slightly smaller for platinum (23 × 33 mm or 23 × 34 mm) than for gold (34 × 24 mm), though measurement conventions vary between catalogs.

How do I tell a 1996 Ref. 2488 from the later Tank Asymétrique editions?

By size, movement and case-back markings. The 1996 watch is about 23–24 × 33–34 mm on the cal. 9P2. Phillips catalogs the 2020–2021 limited edition WGTA0044 at 47 × 26 mm on the Cartier 1917 MC, in editions of 100 per metal. Always check the case back number against the edition size for the metal.

What should I check before buying a Ref. 2488?

That the case-back edition number fits the metal (out of 300 for gold, out of 100 for platinum), that the movement is the cal. 9P2, that case, dial and movement are signed, and that the dial reads Cartier Paris with intact guilloché. A 1997-dated International Guarantee Certificate, box and booklets, as on a 2025 Sotheby's lot, add confidence.
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