What is the Tank Basculante Ref. 2405?

The mid-size steel quartz Basculante: a stainless steel case of about 23 × 35 mm that pivots inside its frame so the dial can be turned to face the wrist, with a quartz movement and a white, silvered or gray dial. Catalogs date examples from circa 2000 to 2002.

How is the 2405 different from the 2386 and the 2390?

By size and movement. The Ref. 2386 is the small steel quartz model at 22 × 32 mm. The Ref. 2390 is the larger steel model, about 25 × 38.5 mm, hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 060 MC. The 2405 sits between them at about 23 × 35 mm and runs on quartz.

Was there a Millennium 2405?

Wright has sold a steel quartz Basculante cataloged as Ref. 2405 with "MM" at 12, numbered 146 of an edition of 365 made for the millennium and dated c. 2000. It is the only such example found, and Wright gives its width as 22 mm. The steel hand-wound Millennium Basculante is a 2390, and the 18k gold edition of 365 is the 2391.

What should the case back of a 2405 read?

The reference 2405 and a case number. Most cataloged examples have numbers ending CD, such as 39663CD, 46641CD and 75367CD; Christie's printed 80833PB and Antiquorum 865793CC on two others.

When was the 2405 made?

Catalogs date examples circa 2000 and 2001, and European Watch Co. sold one with papers dated 2002, the latest dated example found. Others are placed more broadly in the 2000s.

Cartier · Tank Basculante

Tank Basculante, Mid-Size, Steel, Quartz

Ref. 2405c. 2000–2002

The Cartier Tank Basculante Ref. 2405 is the mid-size steel quartz Basculante: a 23 × 35 mm stainless steel case that pivots in its frame to turn face down, made c. 2000–2002, between the small 2386 and the hand-wound 2390 in size.

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Specifications

Reference: 2405; Mid-size model, stainless steel, reversible case, quartz
Year: c. 2000–2002; Antiquorum and Amsterdam Watch Company date examples circa 2000 and Wright a numbered Millennium example c. 2000; Antiquorum dates another circa 2001, and European Watch Co. sold one with papers dated 2002
Movement: Quartz; Cartier quartz; caliber not confirmed by two sources
Case: 23 × 35 mm, Stainless Steel
Dial: White, silvered or gray; Black Roman numerals, inner minute track and the secret Cartier signature in the VII on white dials; a gray patterned or metallic gray dial with Arabic numerals is also cataloged
Hands: Blued steel
Strap: Leather; Leather or satin strap with a Cartier steel buckle or deployant clasp

Visual Description

The 2405 is the mid-size steel Basculante: a stainless steel case of about 23 × 35 mm, held in a frame on two pivots, with the crown at 12 set with a blue cabochon. Lyon & Turnbull describes the case as secured by screws, with a central hinged section that lifts and turns so the plain reverse shows. European Watch Co. gives it as 6 mm thick.

Most cataloged examples have a white dial with black Roman numerals, an inner minute track and the secret Cartier signature in the VII, under blued steel hands. Gray dials with Arabic numerals are also cataloged. The watch comes on a leather or satin strap with a Cartier steel buckle or deployant clasp.

Reference Significance

The 2405 is the middle size of the steel Basculante. The small quartz model is the Ref. 2386, at 22 × 32 mm, and the larger steel model the hand-wound Ref. 2390, about 25 × 38.5 mm on the Cartier Cal. 060 MC. Wright has sold a 2405 with "MM" at 12, numbered 146 of 365 for the millennium; it is the only quartz Millennium Basculante found under this number.

Historical Context

The dated 2405s found all fall between about 2000 and 2002: catalogs date examples circa 2000 and 2001, and European Watch Co. sold one with papers dated 2002. Christie's offered a 2405 together with a 2386 as a pair of steel Basculantes in one lot.

What to Look For

Read the case back for 2405 and measure the case: about 23 × 35 mm is the 2405, 22 × 32 mm the 2386, and a hand-wound case of about 25 × 38.5 mm the 2390. Work the mechanism: the case should swing smoothly through its frame and seat firmly at each position, without wobble at the pivots. Check that the cabochon at 12 is present, and that the Roman numerals and the secret signature in the VII are crisp. A buckle or deployant clasp should be steel and signed Cartier.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 2405.

White Dial, Roman Numerals

A white dial with black Roman numerals, an inner minute track and the secret signature in the VII, under blued steel hands, as Lyon & Turnbull, Antiquorum and European Watch Co. catalog it. Christie's describes a silvered dial.

c. 2000–2002 (dated examples)Documented at four auction houses and three dealers

Gray Dial, Arabic Numerals

A gray patterned dial with white Arabic numerals, cataloged by Phillips, and a metallic gray dial with Arabic numerals sold by European Watch Co.

2000s (one dated example)Documented at one auction house and one dealer

Millennium Dial

A white dial with "MM" at 12, numbered 146 of an edition of 365 made for the turn of the millennium, sold by Wright as Ref. 2405. Wright gives the case as 22 mm wide, so measure an example offered this way. The hand-wound Millennium Basculante is a 2390, and the gold one the 2391.

c. 2000Single source

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 2405 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is the Tank Basculante Ref. 2405?: The mid-size steel quartz Basculante: a stainless steel case of about 23 × 35 mm that pivots inside its frame so the dial can be turned to face the wrist, with a quartz movement and a white, silvered or gray dial. Catalogs date examples from circa 2000 to 2002.
How is the 2405 different from the 2386 and the 2390?: By size and movement. The Ref. 2386 is the small steel quartz model at 22 × 32 mm. The Ref. 2390 is the larger steel model, about 25 × 38.5 mm, hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 060 MC. The 2405 sits between them at about 23 × 35 mm and runs on quartz.
Was there a Millennium 2405?: Wright has sold a steel quartz Basculante cataloged as Ref. 2405 with "MM" at 12, numbered 146 of an edition of 365 made for the millennium and dated c. 2000. It is the only such example found, and Wright gives its width as 22 mm. The steel hand-wound Millennium Basculante is a 2390, and the 18k gold edition of 365 is the 2391.
What should the case back of a 2405 read?: The reference 2405 and a case number. Most cataloged examples have numbers ending CD, such as 39663CD, 46641CD and 75367CD; Christie's printed 80833PB and Antiquorum 865793CC on two others.
When was the 2405 made?: Catalogs date examples circa 2000 and 2001, and European Watch Co. sold one with papers dated 2002, the latest dated example found. Others are placed more broadly in the 2000s.