What is the Cartier Tank Louis Ref. 17002?

The automatic Tank Louis Cartier of the 1970s, known as the Jumbo and cataloged by Antiquorum and Bonhams as the Jumbo XL. It has a 28 × 35 mm case in 18k yellow or white gold, a white dial with black Roman numerals, blued steel sword hands, a sapphire cabochon crown and the self-winding Cartier Cal. 170.

Why is the 17002 so much bigger than other Tank Louis watches?

To fit a self-winding movement. Bonhams notes that the Jumbo size was a necessity to accommodate the automatic caliber, and the case back bulges at the center to make room for the rotor. The result is a Tank Louis about 5 mm wider and longer than the 23 × 30 mm Ref. 78086.

How is the 17002 different from the 17011?

Both are 1970s automatic Tanks called Jumbo, but the 17002 is the larger one. Craft + Tailored describes two sizes: the Jumbo Ref. 17011 at about 25.5 × 33 mm and the Jumbo XL Ref. 17002 at about 28 × 35 mm. The reference is engraved on the case back with the serial run straight after it, so a case back reading 17002 followed by digits is a 17002.

How do I tell a 17002 from a 78086 or a 96019?

Turn it over. The 17002 is automatic and has a screwed back with a raised round center; the 78086 (Cal. 78-1) and the Extra Plate 96019 (Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21) are hand-wound with flat backs and 23 to 24 × 30 mm cases. On the wrist the 17002 is visibly larger and, at about 8.5 mm, thicker than either.

What does PARIS or SWISS under 6 o'clock mean on a 17002?

Wind Vintage describes PARIS below 6 on earlier 17002 dials and SWISS on the slightly later run. Amsterdam Vintage Watches treats a PARIS signature at 6 as a sign the original dial is still in place. Either can be original to the watch; a dial that matches neither pattern, or printing that looks heavy or uneven, deserves a closer look.

What movement is in the 17002?

The automatic Cartier Cal. 170, named by Antiquorum, Bonhams and Monaco Legend. Monaco Legend gives 17 jewels and Antiquorum 25, and dealers disagree on the base (ETA according to Craft + Tailored, Jaeger-LeCoultre according to Analog/Shift), so those details remain unsettled.

Cartier · Tank Louis Cartier

Tank Louis Cartier Jumbo, Automatic

Ref. 17002c. 1970s

The Tank Louis Cartier Ref. 17002 is the 1970s Jumbo: a 28 × 35 mm 18k yellow or white gold Tank on the automatic Cartier Cal. 170, the only self-winding Tank Louis, with a domed case back that clears the rotor.

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Specifications

Reference: 17002; Jumbo (Jumbo XL), 18k gold, automatic
Year: c. 1970s; Auction houses date examples to circa 1970 and the 1970s, and a dealer dates one to about 1975; Bonhams says Cartier Paris offered it for a brief period in the 1970s
Movement: Automatic; Cartier Cal. 170, self-winding; catalogs give 17 or 25 jewels
Case: 28 × 35 mm, 18k Yellow Gold or 18k White Gold
Dial: White; Black Roman numerals and a railroad minute track; earlier dials are signed PARIS below 6, later ones SWISS
Hands: Blued steel; Sword-shaped
Crystal: Glass; Type not stated in the auction catalogs consulted
Strap: Leather; 18k gold Cartier tang buckle or 18k gold Cartier folding clasp

Visual Description

The Ref. 17002 looks like a Tank Louis Cartier that has been scaled up by a size. The rectangular case keeps the rounded brancards of the Louis, but at 28 × 35 mm it sits wider and longer on the wrist than any other Tank Louis in the archive, and at about 8.5 mm it is thicker too. Most examples are 18k yellow gold; a smaller number are 18k white gold.

The dial is white, with black Roman numerals, a railroad minute track and blued steel sword hands. Earlier dials carry PARIS below 6 o'clock, while the slightly later run is signed SWISS. The beaded crown is set with a sapphire cabochon. The defining detail is underneath: a screwed case back with a domed round center that makes room for the winding rotor, engraved with the reference number and serial run together (Antiquorum's example reads 170021786). Watches come on leather straps with an 18k gold Cartier tang buckle or folding clasp.

Reference Significance

The 17002 is the self-winding Tank Louis. Monaco Legend describes it as the only automatic Louis-style Tank produced in this shape, and Bonhams explains its proportions plainly: the Jumbo case was a necessity to house the automatic caliber. Everything distinctive about the watch, from the larger footprint to the bubble back, follows from that choice.

That makes it a useful counterpoint to the hand-wound 78086 and the ultra-thin Extra Plate 96019 of the same decade. Where those two chased thinness, the 17002 traded it for convenience, and the result is a Tank that reads as a modern size on today's wrist. Auction houses catalog it under two names, Jumbo and Jumbo XL; Craft + Tailored uses Jumbo XL for the 17002 and Jumbo for the smaller automatic Ref. 17011.

Historical Context

Bonhams writes that Cartier Paris offered the 17002 for only a brief period in the 1970s. Monaco Legend and Bonhams catalog their examples as circa 1970, Amsterdam Vintage Watches dates one to about 1975, and Wind Vintage's account of PARIS dials giving way to SWISS dials points to a run that lasted long enough for the dial printing to change. No source we opened gives a firm start or end year, so the page dates it to the 1970s.

The watch belongs to the period when Cartier's Paris, London and New York houses were being brought back together and the Tank Louis was settling into its role as the house's signature. The 17002 shows Cartier testing what the Louis could carry: a self-winding movement, at the cost of thinness. Monaco Legend sold a white gold example with Cartier service papers from 1997 and 2007 for €25,000 in 2025.

What to Look For

Start with the case back. It should be a screwed back with the raised round center, engraved with 17002 and a serial; the reference and serial are run together, as on Bonhams' case number 170021591. A flat back or a different number means a different watch. The movement should be the automatic Cal. 170 signed Cartier, and a quartz or hand-wound movement in this case is not original.

On the dial, check that the signature below 6 matches one of the two documented patterns, PARIS on earlier examples and SWISS on later ones, and that the printing is crisp. The rounded brancards are easily softened by polishing, so look for sharp edges and even surfaces, which matter more on a case this large. Examples seen at auction have come on leather straps with an 18k gold Cartier buckle or folding clasp; a gold-plated or unsigned buckle is a later replacement.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 17002.

18k Yellow Gold, PARIS Dial

White dial signed PARIS below 6, the earlier configuration.

1970sThe most common combination at auction and with dealers

18k Yellow Gold, SWISS Dial

White dial signed SWISS below 6, found on the slightly later run (Wind Vintage).

Later 1970sLess common than the PARIS dial

18k White Gold

Same case and Cal. 170 in white gold, with a white dial. Documented by Monaco Legend and established dealers.

1970sRare; far fewer examples than yellow gold

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 17002 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is the Cartier Tank Louis Ref. 17002?: The automatic Tank Louis Cartier of the 1970s, known as the Jumbo and cataloged by Antiquorum and Bonhams as the Jumbo XL. It has a 28 × 35 mm case in 18k yellow or white gold, a white dial with black Roman numerals, blued steel sword hands, a sapphire cabochon crown and the self-winding Cartier Cal. 170.
Why is the 17002 so much bigger than other Tank Louis watches?: To fit a self-winding movement. Bonhams notes that the Jumbo size was a necessity to accommodate the automatic caliber, and the case back bulges at the center to make room for the rotor. The result is a Tank Louis about 5 mm wider and longer than the 23 × 30 mm Ref. 78086.
How is the 17002 different from the 17011?: Both are 1970s automatic Tanks called Jumbo, but the 17002 is the larger one. Craft + Tailored describes two sizes: the Jumbo Ref. 17011 at about 25.5 × 33 mm and the Jumbo XL Ref. 17002 at about 28 × 35 mm. The reference is engraved on the case back with the serial run straight after it, so a case back reading 17002 followed by digits is a 17002.
How do I tell a 17002 from a 78086 or a 96019?: Turn it over. The 17002 is automatic and has a screwed back with a raised round center; the 78086 (Cal. 78-1) and the Extra Plate 96019 (Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21) are hand-wound with flat backs and 23 to 24 × 30 mm cases. On the wrist the 17002 is visibly larger and, at about 8.5 mm, thicker than either.
What does PARIS or SWISS under 6 o'clock mean on a 17002?: Wind Vintage describes PARIS below 6 on earlier 17002 dials and SWISS on the slightly later run. Amsterdam Vintage Watches treats a PARIS signature at 6 as a sign the original dial is still in place. Either can be original to the watch; a dial that matches neither pattern, or printing that looks heavy or uneven, deserves a closer look.
What movement is in the 17002?: The automatic Cartier Cal. 170, named by Antiquorum, Bonhams and Monaco Legend. Monaco Legend gives 17 jewels and Antiquorum 25, and dealers disagree on the base (ETA according to Craft + Tailored, Jaeger-LeCoultre according to Analog/Shift), so those details remain unsettled.