How much will a dealer pay for a Tank Française?

Dealers buying to resell usually bid about 75 to 85% of public market value, because they carry the cost and risk of the resale. For a large 28 x 32 mm steel automatic Tank Française at the recent median of $2,800, that suggests bids of roughly $2,100 to $2,400. Archiva is opening a panel of specialist dealers who bid blind, with the seller keeping the whole winning bid.

How do I tell which Tank Française reference I have?

Start with the case back. The number engraved there is the case reference: Freeman's lists 2302 on the case of a large steel automatic. W-prefixed numbers such as W51002Q3 are catalog numbers that dealers list; WannaBuyAWatch has recorded one small steel watch under both its case reference, 2384, and its W-number, W51008Q3. Then measure: the small model is about 20 × 25 mm, the midsize 25 × 30 mm, the large 28 × 32 mm with a date at 6 o'clock, and the chronograph 28 × 36 mm.

Is the Tank Française quartz or automatic?

Both. The small and midsize models Archiva documents are quartz, among them the midsize steel 2301 and the midsize gold 1821 on the Cartier Cal. 157. The large 28 × 32 mm model is automatic, on the Cartier Cal. 120 with a date at 6 o'clock, in stainless steel (W51002Q3 and 2302), steel and gold (2302), 18k yellow gold (1840) and 18k white gold (2366). The 28 × 36 mm chronograph is quartz, on the Cartier Cal. 212P, in stainless steel (2303) and 18k yellow gold (1830).

What defines the Tank Française?

Its integrated bracelet: Freeman's describes the steel bracelet of the large model as mimicking the treads of a military tank. Catalogs describe a polished and brushed case with an octagonal winding crown set with a cabochon and a case back held by four screws.

Are early Tank Française watches considered vintage?

Archiva documents watches 25 years old or older. Freeman's dates the introduction of the large automatic to 1996 and dealers date examples from 1997, so the earliest Tank Française watches have passed that mark and later ones have not.

What should I check before buying a vintage Tank Française?

That the case reference matches the size and movement: the large model is automatic with a date at 6 o'clock, while the small Ref. 2384 is quartz with no date. Then check the bracelet for stretch and replaced links, the clasp for a Cartier signature, the dial for its secret signature, and gold models for 18k marks (750).

Cartier

Tank Française

Cartier's Tank on an integrated bracelet, introduced in 1996 in steel, steel and gold, and 18k yellow gold.

What's it worth?View references Collector's Corner

History

Origins

Freeman's dates the introduction of the large automatic Tank Française to 1996, and dealers and auction houses date examples from 1997. It is a Tank built on an integrated bracelet. Archiva documents it in three sizes: small, about 20 × 25 mm and quartz; midsize, 25 × 30 mm and quartz; and large, 28 × 32 mm and automatic, with a date at 6 o'clock. It also documents a 28 × 36 mm quartz chronograph with a date.

Design Language

Catalogs describe a two-body case, polished and brushed, with an octagonal winding crown set with a cabochon, a sapphire crystal and a case back held by four screws. The integrated bracelet comes in steel, in steel and 18k yellow gold, in 18k yellow gold and in 18k white gold.

On the large model the dial is silvered guilloché, with painted black Roman numerals and a date aperture at 6 o'clock. Antiquorum and Noonans record the secret Cartier signature in the VII on the large model; on the small gold 1820, Antiquorum records it at 10 o'clock.

The Vintage Française

Archiva's scope covers watches 25 years old or older, so the earliest Tank Française production qualifies. The references documented here:

Small: the 2384 in steel or in steel and 18k yellow gold, its steel version cataloged as W51008Q3, and the 1820 in 18k yellow gold, all quartz.
Midsize: the 2301 in stainless steel, quartz on the Cal. 157; the 1821 in 18k yellow gold, quartz on the Cal. 157 with no date; and the 2466 in 18k yellow gold, quartz with a date at 3 o'clock.
Large automatic: the W51002Q3 in steel, the 2302 in steel or in steel and gold, the 1840 in 18k yellow gold, and the 2366 in 18k white gold.
Chronograph: the 2303 in stainless steel and the 1830 in 18k yellow gold, both 28 × 36 mm and quartz on the Cal. 212P, with a date.

The steel 2302 and the W51002Q3 match in size, metal and movement. Auction houses catalog the large steel automatic by its case reference and dealers by its W-number, and Archiva has not yet found an auction or dealer source that prints both numbers on one watch. For the small steel model it has: a WannaBuyAWatch listing records the same watch as 2384 and W51008Q3. Since 2384 is also the case reference of the small model in steel and 18k gold, Archiva documents both versions on one page under 2384.

Quintessential Reference

Ref. W51002Q3 · c. 1997–2012

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Reference: W51002Q3; Large model, stainless steel, automatic
Year: c. 1997–2012; Dated examples run from 1997 (Bachmann & Scher) to papers dated July 2012
Movement: Automatic; Cartier Cal. 120, 40-hour power reserve
Case: 28 × 32 mm, Stainless steel
Dial: Silver guilloché; Black Roman numeral indices, date aperture at 6 o'clock
Hands: Blued steel; Sword-shaped
Crystal: Sapphire; Scratch-resistant
Strap: Integrated steel bracelet; Polished and brushed links, hidden butterfly deployant clasp

The Ref. W51002Q3 is the large stainless steel automatic: a 28 × 32 mm case on the integrated steel bracelet, with the Cartier Cal. 120 and a date at 6 o'clock. Dealers date examples from 1997 to 2012.

Other Known References

11 documented references across 1 era

Modern Manufacture1993–2001

11 refs

Reference	Case Material	Movement	Case Size	Dial	Crystal
Ref. 182018k Yellow Gold · Quartz	18k Yellow Gold	Quartz	20 × 25 mm	Silvered or white
Ref. 182118k Yellow Gold · Quartz	18k Yellow Gold	Quartz	25 × 30 mm	Silvered or off-white	Sapphire
Ref. 183018k Yellow Gold · Quartz	18k Yellow Gold	Quartz	28 × 36 mm	Silvered or ivory	Sapphire
Ref. 184018k Yellow Gold · Automatic	18k Yellow Gold	Automatic	28 × 32 mm	Silvered guilloché
Ref. 2301Stainless steel · Quartz	Stainless steel	Quartz	25 × 30 mm	Silvered	Sapphire
Ref. 2302Stainless steel, or steel with 18k yellow gold · Automatic	Stainless steel, or steel with 18k yellow gold	Automatic	28 × 32 mm	Silver guilloché	Sapphire
Ref. 2303Stainless steel · Quartz	Stainless steel	Quartz	28 × 36 mm	Silvered	Sapphire
Ref. 236618k White Gold · Automatic	18k White Gold	Automatic	28 × 32 mm	Silvered guilloché	Sapphire
Ref. 2384Stainless steel, or stainless steel and 18k yellow gold · Quartz	Stainless steel, or stainless steel and 18k yellow gold	Quartz	20 × 25 mm	Silver	Sapphire
Ref. 246618k Yellow Gold · Quartz	18k Yellow Gold	Quartz	25 × 30 mm	White or off-white	Sapphire
Ref. W51002Q3Stainless steel · Automatic	Stainless steel	Automatic	28 × 32 mm	Silver guilloché	Sapphire

What is a Cartier Tank Française worth?

Choose your reference, set its condition, and see what it's likely to bring. Each estimate uses sales of that exact reference where there are enough of them.

From December 2023 to October 2026, 9 counted sales of Ref. 2302 ran from $1,750 to $4,500, with a middle price of $2,850. The most recent was $1,750 at Mroczek Brothers in October 2026.

See all 12 sales of Ref. 2302: 9 counted, 3 not

Date	Ref.	Where	Details	Counts as	Price
Oct 2026	2302	Grailzee (via EveryWatch)Auction	White dial, 28 mm, steel, automatic, very good condition, box, no papers. Sold 16-21 Oct 2026. EveryWatch does not state whether the price includes the premium.	This reference	$3,255
Oct 2026	2302	Bonhams (via EveryWatch)Auction	Silver dial, 28 mm, steel, automatic (cal. 120), no box or papers. Online sale ended 8 Oct 2026. EveryWatch does not state whether the price includes the premium.	This reference	$3,328
Oct 2026	2302	Mroczek Brothers (via EveryWatch)Auction	White dial, 28 mm, steel, automatic, working order, on leather strap, no box or papers. Sold 1 Oct 2026. EveryWatch does not state whether the price includes the premium.	This reference	$1,750
Apr 2026	2302	Freeman's HindmanAuction	Watches, sale 6483, lot 40, April 2026. Steel, approx. 28 x 32 mm, automatic, date, serial 84211OCD, 2000s, bracelet, pouch. Result inclusive of buyer's premium. Result read by Kyle from the house's signed-in result page, 5 Nov 2026.	This reference	$4,480
Jun 2025	2302	Sotheby'sAuction	Fine Watches, lot 414, closed 17 Jun 2025, no reserve. Steel, 32 x 28 mm, cal. 120 automatic 20 jewels, date, case 85'001'7CD, c.2000, bracelet, no box or papers. Result includes premium. Result read by Kyle from the house's signed-in result page, 5 Nov 2026.	This reference	USD 2,540
Aug 2024	2302	Bonhams Hong Kong (via Collector Square)Auction	c. 2010, bracelet, date.	This reference	HK$17,920≈ $2,300
May 2024	2302	Bonhams (via Collector Square)Auction	Online sale. Steel automatic with date, bracelet.	This reference	$3,136
Feb 2024	2302	Bonhams Paris (via Collector Square)Auction	Steel automatic with date, bracelet.	This reference	€2,560≈ $2,750
Dec 2023	2302	Tajan (via Collector Square)Auction	Sold new in 2000.	This reference	€2,660≈ $2,850
Aug 2026	2302	Hampton Estate Auction (via EveryWatch)	28 x 32 mm, automatic, silver dial. Sold 31 Aug 2026 for $2,768. Worn, service needed, chipped crystal edge.	Not countedlisting conflicts on metal: spec says steel, description says steel and gold	$2,768
Jul 2026	2302	Aponem (via EveryWatch)	29 x 33 mm, automatic, serviced at Cartier Dusseldorf, box. Sold 29 Jul 2026 for $2,891.	Not countedlisting conflicts on metal: spec says steel, description says steel and yellow gold	$2,891
Jul 2023	2302	FellowsAuction	The Luxury Watch Sale, 13 Jul 2023, lot 34. Steel, 28 mm, Reference 2302, serial 473354CE, automatic cal. 120, silvered dial, date, bi-metal bracelet with double folding clasp, inner box. Price Realised is hammer plus buyer's premium including VAT. Result read by Kyle from the house's signed-in result page, 6 Nov 2026.	Not countedolder than the three-year window	£1,950≈ $2,450

Sales from November 2023 to November 2026, or from the last five years for a reference with fewer than three in that time. Only sales that name a reference count toward its estimate; sales of the rest of its version are shown for comparison and never folded in. Auction prices include the buyer's premium unless a row says hammer; dealer prices are the price at sale. Pound, euro and Hong Kong dollar figures are converted near the sale date. Most results come from the Collector Square and EveryWatch indexes and should be confirmed at the auction house; EveryWatch does not say whether its figures include the premium. The condition and option adjustments, the expected bid (75 to 85% of market value) and the auction range (62 to 72%) are working assumptions, to be replaced by Archiva's own bids as they come in. A sale far above or below the other sales of its reference is listed but not counted, so one unusual result can't pull the estimate. An estimate from public results, not an appraisal.

Collector's Corner

What every buyer, inheritor, and first-time collector should know.

Buying Guide

01DIAL

The Secret Signature

Introduced 1977

A microscopic 'CARTIER' hidden within the Roman numerals, present on every genuine post-1977 dial.

02CASE

Case Back Hallmarks

Varies by origin and era

A Cartier case carries the Cartier signature, a reference and serial number on later pieces, and small struck marks for the metal and the case maker. Which marks appear depends on where the case was made: an eagle's head on Paris gold, JC and a date letter on London cases, the Helvetia head on Swiss 18k before 1995. The hallmarks guide shows what each one means.

03MOVEMENT

Movement Sourcing

Varies by era and model

Cartier sourced movements from various Swiss manufacturers throughout history, including Jaeger-LeCoultre, Frédéric Piguet, ETA, and in-house production. Knowing the correct caliber for a specific reference is essential for identifying the watch and establishing provenance.

04CROWN

Crown Sapphire Cabochon

A Cartier hallmark since the early 20th century

The blue sapphire (or spinel on less precious models) cabochon crown is a Cartier signature. Original crowns show consistent color saturation and are set flush with the crown body. Replacements often show misalignment or incorrect stone dimensions that reveal themselves under magnification.

05BRACELET

Bracelet and Clasp Markings

Check the clasp first

Cartier bracelets carry their own reference markings and the deployment clasp should bear the Cartier name and logo. Aftermarket bracelets are extremely common on vintage pieces, so checking that the clasp is original and that reference numbers match is crucial to the overall picture.

06DIAL

Dial Aging and Patina

Patina tells the story

Vintage Cartier dials develop characteristic aging: cream dials warm to ivory, lacquer dials may develop fine crazing, and applied indices can show legible wear patterns. Understanding acceptable versus concerning dial aging is key to valuing a vintage piece accurately.

Questions collectors ask

Direct answers about the Cartier Tank Française, drawn from the reference records below.

What is a Cartier Tank Française worth?: Public auction and dealer results from November 2023 to November 2026 put the large 28 x 32 mm steel automatic (Ref. 2302, W51002Q3) at $2,350 to $3,250, median $2,800 across 10 sales; the small 20 x 25 mm steel quartz (Ref. 2384, W51008Q3) at $2,400 to $3,200, median $3,050 across 9 sales; the midsize 25 x 30 mm steel (Ref. 2465, 2301) at $1,800 to $2,800, median $2,200 across 3 sales; the steel and gold small or midsize (Ref. 2384, 2465) at $2,950 to $3,950, median $3,250 across 3 sales; the large solid 18k gold automatic (Ref. 1840) at $4,600 to $5,450, median $5,100 across 3 sales; the small solid 18k gold on gold bracelet (Ref. 1820, 2385) at $8,550 to $10,500, median $10,500 across 5 sales; the midsize solid 18k gold quartz (Ref. 1821) at $4,950 to $5,150, median $5,050 across 2 sales; the chronograph 28 x 36 mm steel quartz (Ref. 2303) at $2,600 to $4,600, median $3,450 across 4 sales; and the chronograph 28 x 36 mm solid 18k gold quartz (Ref. 1830) at one public sale at $15,350. Condition, a recent Cartier service, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within or beyond these ranges, and the calculator on this page adjusts for each.
How much will a dealer pay for a Tank Française?: Dealers buying to resell usually bid about 75 to 85% of public market value, because they carry the cost and risk of the resale. For a large 28 x 32 mm steel automatic Tank Française at the recent median of $2,800, that suggests bids of roughly $2,100 to $2,400. Archiva is opening a panel of specialist dealers who bid blind, with the seller keeping the whole winning bid.
How do I tell which Tank Française reference I have?: Start with the case back. The number engraved there is the case reference: Freeman's lists 2302 on the case of a large steel automatic. W-prefixed numbers such as W51002Q3 are catalog numbers that dealers list; WannaBuyAWatch has recorded one small steel watch under both its case reference, 2384, and its W-number, W51008Q3. Then measure: the small model is about 20 × 25 mm, the midsize 25 × 30 mm, the large 28 × 32 mm with a date at 6 o'clock, and the chronograph 28 × 36 mm.
Is the Tank Française quartz or automatic?: Both. The small and midsize models Archiva documents are quartz, among them the midsize steel 2301 and the midsize gold 1821 on the Cartier Cal. 157. The large 28 × 32 mm model is automatic, on the Cartier Cal. 120 with a date at 6 o'clock, in stainless steel (W51002Q3 and 2302), steel and gold (2302), 18k yellow gold (1840) and 18k white gold (2366). The 28 × 36 mm chronograph is quartz, on the Cartier Cal. 212P, in stainless steel (2303) and 18k yellow gold (1830).
What defines the Tank Française?: Its integrated bracelet: Freeman's describes the steel bracelet of the large model as mimicking the treads of a military tank. Catalogs describe a polished and brushed case with an octagonal winding crown set with a cabochon and a case back held by four screws.
Are early Tank Française watches considered vintage?: Archiva documents watches 25 years old or older. Freeman's dates the introduction of the large automatic to 1996 and dealers date examples from 1997, so the earliest Tank Française watches have passed that mark and later ones have not.
What should I check before buying a vintage Tank Française?: That the case reference matches the size and movement: the large model is automatic with a date at 6 o'clock, while the small Ref. 2384 is quartz with no date. Then check the bracelet for stretch and replaced links, the clasp for a Cartier signature, the dial for its secret signature, and gold models for 18k marks (750).

Next Steps

INHERITOR