Cartier · Tank Basculante

Tank Basculante, Millennium Edition, Yellow Gold

Ref. 2391c. 1999–2002

The Cartier Tank Basculante Ref. 2391 is the Millennium edition of 365 from the Collection Privée Cartier Paris: a 25 × 38.5 mm 18k yellow gold reversible case on the hand-wound Cal. 060 MC, its back engraved 1999, 2000 and 2001, made c. 1999–2002.

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Sales of Ref. 2391 since Nov 2021: $14,750 to $22,300, median $18,600 across 4 sales of this exact reference. What's yours worth?

Only sales that name Ref. 2391 count here. The last three years alone have too few, so this goes back five.

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Specifications

Reference
2391
18k yellow gold, Millennium edition of 365, Collection Privée Cartier Paris, manual-wind
Year
c. 1999–2002
European Watch Co. says the edition was released in 1999 and Phillips dates an example circa 1999; the case backs are engraved 1999, 2000 and 2001, and Sotheby's dates one example circa 2002
Movement
Manual-wind
Cartier Cal. 060 MC (Frédéric Piguet 610 base), 21 jewels; two catalogs give cal. 40P
Case
25 × 38.5 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Dial
Silvered guilloché
Central rosette, painted black Roman numerals, chemin de fer minute track, hidden Cartier signature at VII, signed Cartier Paris
Hands
Blued steel
Sword-shaped
Crystal
Sapphire
Sapphire front crystal (European Watch Co.); the back is solid gold and engraved
Strap
Leather
Alligator or crocodile strap with an 18k yellow gold Cartier folding clasp

Visual Description

The 2391 is the Basculante in 18k yellow gold, made as a numbered edition for the millennium. Its 25 × 38.5 mm case is reversible: it turns in its frame so the dial can face the wrist. The silvered dial is engine-turned around a central rosette, a pattern Sotheby's ties to the Collection Privée, and carries painted black Roman numerals, a chemin de fer minute track, Cartier's hidden signature in the VII and the Cartier Paris signature. The hands are blued steel swords.

Monaco Legend catalogs the back as solid gold. It is engraved with the years 1999, 2000 and 2001 and the watch's number out of 365. Examples come on an alligator or crocodile strap with an 18k yellow gold Cartier folding clasp.

Reference Significance

The 2391 is Cartier's millennium Basculante. Phillips catalogs it as part of the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, the line that reissued Cartier designs with mechanical movements, and Sotheby's, Antiquorum and European Watch Co. also catalog it under the Collection Privée. Its edition sets it apart from the yellow gold Ref. 2499C: Monaco Legend offered one of each in the same sale, both hand-wound on the Cal. 060 MC with silvered dials, and the 2499C had a sapphire display back and a case number ending MG where the 2391 had a solid back numbered 313 of 365. The steel, hand-wound Basculante is the Ref. 2390.

Historical Context

The Basculante dates to 1932. European Watch Co. says the 2391 was released in 1999, and Phillips, which dates its example circa 1999, writes that it was made in 365 pieces to commemorate the coming millennium. The case backs carry 1999, 2000 and 2001, which Monaco Legend reads as the production period of the edition. Catalogs date individual watches from circa 1999 (Phillips, Sotheby's) to circa 2002 (Sotheby's), so the page gives c. 1999–2002.

What to Look For

Start with the case back. It should be solid gold, engraved 1999, 2000 and 2001, with the watch's number out of 365. Phillips and Monaco Legend print that number as the case number (270/365, 039/365); Sotheby's read 2391 alongside 009/365 on one example and printed another as 1725, 210322CD, 015/365. A sapphire display back, or a case number ending MG with no edition number, points to the 2499C.

The movement sits behind a solid back, so ask to see it. Phillips, Sotheby's, Monaco Legend and European Watch Co. describe the hand-wound Cal. 060 MC; Sotheby's in 2019 and Monaco Legend in 2022 cataloged two examples as cal. 40P, a split no source we opened explains. Work the case through its frame: it should turn smoothly and seat firmly. Phillips and Sotheby's list the Cartier limited edition certificate with their examples.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 2391.

Silvered Rosette Guilloché Dial

The only configuration in the auction and dealer records we opened: 18k yellow gold with a silvered guilloché dial centered on a rosette, painted black Roman numerals and blued sword hands, numbered out of 365. Amsterdam Vintage Watches calls the dial white. No other metal or dial appears.

c. 1999–2002Limited edition of 365

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 2391 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Tank Basculante Ref. 2391 worth?

Public auction and dealer results for Ref. 2391 from November 2021 to November 2026 (five years, as the last three alone have too few) come to $14,750 to $22,300, with a median of $18,600 across 4 sales of this exact reference. The most recent was $24,400 at Phillips Hong Kong in September 2026. Condition, service history, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within that range.

What is the Tank Basculante Ref. 2391?

Cartier's Millennium edition of the Basculante: 365 numbered watches in 18k yellow gold, which Phillips catalogs as part of the Collection Privée Cartier Paris. The 25 × 38.5 mm reversible case turns in its frame so the dial can face the wrist, and the silvered guilloché dial, with a central rosette, black Roman numerals and blued sword hands, runs on the hand-wound Cal. 060 MC.

How is the 2391 different from the 2499C?

Both are yellow gold Basculantes on the hand-wound Cal. 060 MC with silvered dials. The 2391 is the numbered edition of 365, with a solid back engraved 1999, 2000 and 2001. The 2499C that Monaco Legend offered in the same sale as a 2391 had a sapphire display back and a case number ending MG, with no edition number.

What should the case back of a 2391 read?

The years 1999, 2000 and 2001 and the watch's number out of 365, on a solid gold back. Sotheby's read the reference 2391 with 009/365 on one example and printed another case number as 1725, 210322CD, 015/365.

What movement is in the 2391?

The hand-wound Cartier Cal. 060 MC with 21 jewels, which Phillips describes as a Frédéric Piguet cal. 610 redesignated by Cartier. Sotheby's, Monaco Legend and European Watch Co. also give the 060 MC. Two catalogs differ: Sotheby's in 2019 and Monaco Legend in 2022 described the examples numbered 009/365 and 345/365 as cal. 40P.

When was the 2391 made?

European Watch Co. says it was released in 1999, and Phillips that it was released to mark the coming millennium, dating its example circa 1999. The case backs are engraved 1999, 2000 and 2001, which Monaco Legend reads as the production period of the edition, and catalogs date examples from circa 1999 to circa 2002.

Other Tank Basculante References

Tank Basculante, Steel, Manual-Wind, Ref. 2390, front
Ref. 2390

Tank Basculante, Steel, Manual-Wind

Stainless Steel · c. 1990s–2005

Ref. 2499CPhotograph wanted
Ref. 2499C

Tank Basculante, Collection Privée, Yellow Gold

18k Yellow Gold · c. 2001–2006

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