What is a Tank Louis Cartier Ref. 16121 worth?

Archiva has found no public sales of Ref. 16121 in the last five years. The closest comparable, from November 2023 to November 2026: Extra Plate, 18k gold, manual wind (Ref. 96019 and 96065): $7,850 to $10,450, median $9,000 across 5 sales. A guide to the neighborhood, not a price for Ref. 16121.

What is the Tank Louis Cartier Ref. 16121?

An Extra Plate (ultra-thin) Tank Louis Cartier in 18k yellow gold: a 23.5 × 30 mm case about 5 mm thick on the hand-wound Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21, with a white or silvered dial, black Roman numerals and blued hands. The examples documented so far are on 18k gold bracelets.

How is the 16121 different from the 96065 and 96019?

All three are 18k gold Extra Plates on the Piguet Cal. 21 family. The 96019 and 96065 are dated c. 1970–1990 and c. 1980–1990s and Archiva's pages for them show mostly leather straps; the 16121 is dated by dealers to the 1990s and by Antiquorum to the 2000s, and every example found is on a gold bracelet. No source prints 16121 alongside either number, so read the case back.

What should the case back of a 16121 read?

The reference 16121 and a separate case number beginning with C: Antiquorum printed C 33066 and Craft + Tailored a serial in the same C3 range. No source opened describes how the reference is laid out on the case back.

When was the 16121 made?

Craft + Tailored and WannaBuyAWatch date their examples to the 1990s, and Antiquorum dated one to the 2000s. No source gives a start or end year, so the page gives c. 1990s–2000s.

Cartier · Tank Louis Cartier

Tank Louis Cartier, Extra Plate, Gold Bracelet

Ref. 16121c. 1990s–2000s

The Tank Louis Cartier Ref. 16121 is a 23.5 × 30 mm 18k yellow gold Extra Plate on the hand-wound Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21, dated c. 1990s–2000s, and documented on an 18k gold teardrop-link bracelet.

Have this watch?

We found no public sales of Ref. 16121 in the last five years.

Closest comparable

Extra Plate, 18k gold, manual wind (Ref. 96019 and 96065): $7,850 to $10,450, median $9,000 across 5 sales. A guide to the neighborhood, not a price for Ref. 16121.

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Specifications

Reference: 16121; Extra Plate (ultra-thin), 18k yellow gold, manual-wind, gold bracelet
Year: c. 1990s–2000s; Craft + Tailored and WannaBuyAWatch date examples to the 1990s; Antiquorum dates one to the 2000s
Movement: Manual-wind; Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21, ultra-thin
Case: 23.5 × 30 mm, 18k Yellow Gold
Dial: White or silvered; Black Roman numerals; Craft + Tailored describes a guilloché flinqué dial and WannaBuyAWatch a white enamel dial
Hands: Blued steel
Crystal: Mineral; Per Craft + Tailored and WannaBuyAWatch
Strap: 18k yellow gold bracelet; Teardrop-link bracelet with a hidden butterfly clasp on the dealer examples; Antiquorum describes a Cartier bracelet with a concealed clasp

Visual Description

The 16121 is an Extra Plate Tank Louis Cartier in 18k yellow gold, about 23.5 mm wide, 30 mm long and 5 mm thick including the crystal, according to Craft + Tailored. The dial is white or silvered with black Roman numerals: Craft + Tailored describes a guilloché flinqué dial and WannaBuyAWatch a white enamel one. The hands are blued and the crown is set with a blue sapphire cabochon. The documented examples are on 18k yellow gold bracelets of teardrop-shaped links with a hidden butterfly clasp.

Reference Significance

The 16121 is an 18k yellow gold Extra Plate dated from the 1990s, the same years as the platinum Ref. 1601, which shares its movement. Like the earlier gold Extra Plates, the Ref. 96019 and Ref. 96065, it runs on the ultra-thin Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21. No source opened ties the 16121 to either of those numbers.

Historical Context

Craft + Tailored and WannaBuyAWatch date their 16121s to the 1990s, and Antiquorum sold one in 2017 that it dated to the 2000s. No source gives a production count.

What to Look For

Confirm 16121 on the case back and a hand-wound Cal. 21 inside; a quartz movement means a different reference. The case is thin, so check the brancards and hallmarks for polishing; Craft + Tailored highlighted an unpolished case with crisp factory finishing. On the bracelet, count the links and check the clasp, since both dealers describe the bracelet as original and give the wrist size it fits.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 16121.

Flinqué Dial, Teardrop Bracelet

A silvered white guilloché flinqué dial with black Roman numerals, on an 18k yellow gold teardrop-link bracelet with a hidden butterfly clasp, as Craft + Tailored describes its 1990s example.

1990sDocumented by one dealer

White Enamel Dial, Raindrop Bracelet

A white enamel dial with black Roman numerals on an 18k yellow gold bracelet of tear-drop links with a butterfly deployant, as WannaBuyAWatch describes its example of about the 1990s.

c. 1990sDocumented by one dealer

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 16121 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Tank Louis Cartier Ref. 16121 worth?: Archiva has found no public sales of Ref. 16121 in the last five years. The closest comparable, from November 2023 to November 2026: Extra Plate, 18k gold, manual wind (Ref. 96019 and 96065): $7,850 to $10,450, median $9,000 across 5 sales. A guide to the neighborhood, not a price for Ref. 16121.
What is the Tank Louis Cartier Ref. 16121?: An Extra Plate (ultra-thin) Tank Louis Cartier in 18k yellow gold: a 23.5 × 30 mm case about 5 mm thick on the hand-wound Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21, with a white or silvered dial, black Roman numerals and blued hands. The examples documented so far are on 18k gold bracelets.
How is the 16121 different from the 96065 and 96019?: All three are 18k gold Extra Plates on the Piguet Cal. 21 family. The 96019 and 96065 are dated c. 1970–1990 and c. 1980–1990s and Archiva's pages for them show mostly leather straps; the 16121 is dated by dealers to the 1990s and by Antiquorum to the 2000s, and every example found is on a gold bracelet. No source prints 16121 alongside either number, so read the case back.
What should the case back of a 16121 read?: The reference 16121 and a separate case number beginning with C: Antiquorum printed C 33066 and Craft + Tailored a serial in the same C3 range. No source opened describes how the reference is laid out on the case back.
When was the 16121 made?: Craft + Tailored and WannaBuyAWatch date their examples to the 1990s, and Antiquorum dated one to the 2000s. No source gives a start or end year, so the page gives c. 1990s–2000s.

Specialist Dealer

A dealer who handles Ref. 16121

Alex Stevens Vintage

Founding dealer

Curated vintage watches with a focus on Cartier and military timepieces

Location: London, United Kingdom
Established: Est. 2015
Services: In-house inspection

Tank Louis CartierTank AméricaineTank FrançaiseSantosSantos GalbéeSantos DumontPanthère de Cartier

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