Visual Description
The Ref. 2390 is the Tank's rectangle made to move. A 25 × 38.5 mm stainless steel case sits inside a cradle, held at each end on pivots, with handle-shaped lugs carrying the strap. Turned face up, it reads as a classic Tank: a white, ivory or silvered guilloché dial with sun-ray engine turning, painted black Roman numerals, a minute track and blued steel sword hands, with Cartier's hidden signature in the VII on catalogued examples. Antiquorum describes an oval sapphire cabochon at 12. Flipped over, the case shows its back and the dial is protected against the wrist.
Reference Significance
The 2390 is the Basculante that ordinary owners actually hold. It is steel rather than gold, mechanical rather than quartz, and it changes hands constantly at auction and through dealers. It is also one of the clearest examples of how the market has moved on late-1990s Cartier: Antiquorum sold examples for about $2,375 in 2013 and HKD 27,500 in 2012, while two sold in May 2026 for about $8,275 and $11,261.
Its movement is part of the appeal. The Cal. 060 MC is a Cartier caliber derived from the Frédéric Piguet 610, about 2 mm thick, which gives a steel watch a thin hand-wound movement of the kind usually found in gold. The 2390 also carried several special editions: a Millennium edition with "MM" at XII, a Paris Boutique edition and, in 2001, an edition of 26 for the centenary of Australian Federation with a blue Southern Cross dial.
Historical Context
The Basculante dates to 1932 (some catalogs say 1933), when Cartier answered the problem of protecting a wristwatch crystal during sport, polo above all, with a case that could be swung face down inside its frame. Cartier revived it in the 1990s: Monaco Legend dates the 2390 to the early 1990s, alongside the smaller quartz Ref. 2386 and, in 1997, a gold edition of 150 for the maison's 150th anniversary. Dated 2390 examples run from a 1999 Millennium edition through pieces of about 2000 and 2001; Bukowskis titles one "ca 2005", the latest date we found.
Catalogs disagree on some details. Case sizes are given as 25 × 38.5, 25 × 38 and 26 × 38 mm, most likely depending on whether the handles are measured; the jewel count is 21 at Sotheby's, Phillips and Monaco Legend and 19 at Antiquorum. Later papers carry the article number W1011358 for the same watch.
What to Look For
Work the mechanism first. The case should swing smoothly through its cradle and seat firmly at each position without wobble; worn pivots, a loose cradle or a case that drops under its own weight point to wear that needs a watchmaker. Check the pivot points and handle lugs for cracks or old repairs.
The steel case should show crisp edges where the flat surfaces meet. The guilloché should be even and clean, with crisp Roman numerals and a hidden signature where expected; a dial that looks flat or has soft printing may have been refinished. Confirm the movement is hand-wound and Cartier-signed, and that the case back reference reads 2390. Box, papers and a Cartier certificate add meaningfully to value at this level.