How much will a dealer pay for a Tank Must?

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 vermeil lacquer trinity or tri-tone dial Tank Must at the recent median of $1,700, that suggests bids of roughly $1,300 to $1,450. Archiva is opening a panel of specialist dealers who bid blind, with the seller keeping the whole winning bid.

How do I tell if my Cartier Tank is a Must de Cartier?

Read the case back. Must Tanks are vermeil, gold-plated sterling silver, and carry their own reference numbers, such as 366001, 590005 and 81006, which case backs often write as 6 81006. A solid gold Tank Louis Cartier is 18k gold and has a different reference, such as 78086. Where the plating has worn at the edges, the silver underneath shows.

What is vermeil, and does it mean the watch is not real Cartier?

Vermeil is sterling silver plated with gold; Bulang & Sons gives the standard as gold of at least 10k, 2.5 microns thick. Sotheby's calls Les Must de Cartier a diffusion line meant to widen Cartier's clientele, and answers plainly that Must Tanks are Cartier watches. They are a separate line from the solid gold Tank Louis Cartier.

Which dials are documented on vintage Must Tanks?

On the small 366001, auction catalogs record cream, champagne, burgundy and red dials. On the 590005, dealer listings document a silvered dial with Breguet-style numerals and the Trinity dial striped in three golds. On the 81006, auction and dealer records show a gray and black dial, a burgundy dial and the Trinity dial, alongside light Roman dials in retail listings. Manual-wind Must Tanks without a reference number appear with burgundy, black lacquer and tri-color dials.

What should I check before buying a Tank Must?

The reference and serial on the case back, so you know which Must you are looking at. Then the plating at the brancard edges, the crown and the case back rim, and the dial for cracks, spots or a refinish. Crystals differ by reference: Bukowskis gives mineral glass on the 366001 and Antiquorum a sapphire crystal on an 81006.

Cartier

Tank Must

Cartier's Tank in vermeil, gold-plated sterling silver, from the Les Must de Cartier line of the mid-1970s.

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

History

Les Must de Cartier

Les Must de Cartier dates from the mid-1970s. Bulang & Sons gives 1976 for the launch of the watch line and credits Robert Hocq and Alain-Dominique Perrin with the idea, and Piasa has sold a vermeil Must Tank it dates to 1976. Sotheby's describes the line as a diffusion brand, meant to preserve Cartier's luxury name while widening its clientele. Must Tanks take the Tank's case in vermeil, sterling silver plated with gold, rather than solid gold.

The Vermeil Case

Vermeil is sterling silver plated with gold; Bulang & Sons gives the standard as gold of at least 10k, 2.5 microns thick. Auction catalogs describe Must Tank cases as gold-plated or gilt silver. Where the plating wears through at the edges, the silver shows.

Movements

Early Must Tanks were hand-wound. Piasa has sold a vermeil Must Tank of 1976 with a manual-wind movement, and Fellows has cataloged a Must Tank on the hand-wound Cal. 78-1. Manual-wind Musts of the 1980s also appear at auction, usually cataloged by case number alone.

The three Must references on Archiva are quartz: the small 366001, c. 1980–1990; the 590005, c. 1984–1990; and the 81006, c. 1980–1990s.

The Dials

Piasa notes that the first Must dials were not white, to set them apart from Cartier's other collections. On the quartz references, catalogs record light dials, cream and champagne on the 366001 and silvered with Breguet-style numerals on the 590005, alongside colored ones: burgundy and red on the 366001, and gray and black, burgundy and the Trinity on the 81006. Manual-wind Musts appear with burgundy, black lacquer and tri-color dials.

Bulang & Sons also describes the Column dial, with the Roman numerals set in two vertical columns.

The Trinity Dial

Bulang & Sons describes the Trinity dial as five stripes in a center section, in yellow, white and rose gold. Dealer listings document it on the 590005, and Toovey's has cataloged it on an 81006. A similar striped dial appears on manual-wind Musts sold without a reference number.

The Must Today

Cartier brought back the Tank Must in steel in 2021. Bulang & Sons describes the new watches as an amalgam of the old Must de Cartier Tank and the Tank Solo, and Phillips has sold a steel Tank Must with a red dial from about 2021. The vintage Must Tanks on Archiva are vermeil.

Quintessential Reference

Ref. 366001 · c. 1980–1990

Photos by @treasuretimewatches

Reference: 366001; Vermeil (gold-plated sterling silver), quartz, small model
Year: c. 1980–1990; Lyon & Turnbull dates one circa 1980 and Antiquorum one to the 1980s; two others were sold new in 1984 and 1985
Movement: Quartz; Cartier quartz; Cal. 66, Cal. 057 and Cal. 157 are cited
Case: 21 × 28 mm, Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating)
Dial: Cream, champagne, burgundy or red; Black Roman numerals and a railroad minute track on the cream dial, baton markers with Roman numerals at the quarters on the champagne dial, gold Roman numerals on the red dial, and only the double C logo on the burgundy dial
Hands: Blued steel; Blued on the cream and red dials; gilt on the plain burgundy dial
Crystal: Mineral; Mineral glass per Bukowskis
Strap: Leather; Leather strap with a gilt or gold-plated Cartier buckle; Lyon & Turnbull's example came on a burgundy Les Must de Cartier strap

The Ref. 366001 is the small quartz Tank Must: a 21 × 28 mm vermeil case of gold-plated sterling silver, made c. 1980–1990 on a Cartier quartz movement cited as Cal. 66, 057 or 157. Auction catalogs record it with cream, champagne, burgundy and red dials.

Other Known References

3 documented references across 1 era

Reunion & Democratization1964–1992

3 refs

Reference	Case Material	Movement	Case Size	Dial	Crystal
Ref. 366001Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating) · Quartz	Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating)	Quartz	21 × 28 mm	Cream, champagne, burgundy or red	Mineral
Ref. 590005Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating) · Quartz	Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating)	Quartz	23 × 30 mm	Silvered or Trinity
Ref. 81006Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating) · Quartz	Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating)	Quartz	23 × 31 mm	Champagne, cream or lemon, Roman numerals	Sapphire

What is a Cartier Tank Must 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 December 2025, 3 counted sales of Ref. 590005 ran from $1,300 to $2,300, with a middle price of $1,600. The most recent was $2,300 at Aguttes in December 2025.

See the 3 sales of Ref. 590005 behind this estimate

Date	Ref.	Where	Details	Counts as	Price
Dec 2025	590005	AguttesAuction	Lot 113, 8 Dec 2025. 30 x 23 mm (poids brut 27,4 g), 925 silver-gilt (vermeil), quartz. Result includes premium.	This reference	EUR 1,950≈ $2,300
Mar 2024	590005	AguttesAuction	Lot 125, 26 Mar 2024. 23.5 x 30.5 mm (25.63 g gross), vermeil lady's wristwatch, quartz. With the booklet and guarantee card dated 22 Dec 1990. Result includes premium.	This reference	EUR 1,197≈ $1,300
Dec 2023	590005	TajanAuction	Lot 76, 6 Dec 2023. 30 x 23 mm, cream dial. Numbered 590005; the lot's REF. line prints 85499, which reads as the serial. Premium not stated.	This reference	€1,483≈ $1,600

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 and euro figures are converted near the sale date. Lyon & Turnbull and Heritage figures include the buyer's premium. Public results for these watches are sparse; dealer rows are the asking price at sale. Auction prices for vermeil Tanks run well below dealer retail, so expect bids near the auction figures. 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 Must, drawn from the reference records below.

What is a Cartier Tank Must worth?: Public auction and dealer results from November 2023 to November 2026 put the vermeil plain dial quartz (Ref. 590005, 2413) at $1,100 to $2,050, median $1,450 across 6 sales; the vermeil plain dial manual wind at $850 to $1,300, median $1,050 across 2 sales; the vermeil lacquer trinity or tri-tone dial (Ref. 366001) at $1,500 to $2,100, median $1,700 across 8 sales; and the small vermeil quartz (21 x 28 mm) (Ref. 366001) at $900 to $1,200, median $1,050 across 2 sales. 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 Must?: 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 vermeil lacquer trinity or tri-tone dial Tank Must at the recent median of $1,700, that suggests bids of roughly $1,300 to $1,450. Archiva is opening a panel of specialist dealers who bid blind, with the seller keeping the whole winning bid.
How do I tell if my Cartier Tank is a Must de Cartier?: Read the case back. Must Tanks are vermeil, gold-plated sterling silver, and carry their own reference numbers, such as 366001, 590005 and 81006, which case backs often write as 6 81006. A solid gold Tank Louis Cartier is 18k gold and has a different reference, such as 78086. Where the plating has worn at the edges, the silver underneath shows.
What is vermeil, and does it mean the watch is not real Cartier?: Vermeil is sterling silver plated with gold; Bulang & Sons gives the standard as gold of at least 10k, 2.5 microns thick. Sotheby's calls Les Must de Cartier a diffusion line meant to widen Cartier's clientele, and answers plainly that Must Tanks are Cartier watches. They are a separate line from the solid gold Tank Louis Cartier.
Is a vintage Tank Must quartz or manual-wind?: Both. Piasa has sold a manual-wind Must Tank it dates to 1976, and Fellows has cataloged one on the hand-wound Cal. 78-1; manual-wind Must Tanks are usually cataloged by case number alone. The three Must references on Archiva are quartz: the small 366001, on which catalogs cite Cal. 66, 057 and 157; the 590005, which Fellows reads as Cal. 90; and the 81006, cited as Cal. 81.
Which dials are documented on vintage Must Tanks?: On the small 366001, auction catalogs record cream, champagne, burgundy and red dials. On the 590005, dealer listings document a silvered dial with Breguet-style numerals and the Trinity dial striped in three golds. On the 81006, auction and dealer records show a gray and black dial, a burgundy dial and the Trinity dial, alongside light Roman dials in retail listings. Manual-wind Must Tanks without a reference number appear with burgundy, black lacquer and tri-color dials.
What should I check before buying a Tank Must?: The reference and serial on the case back, so you know which Must you are looking at. Then the plating at the brancard edges, the crown and the case back rim, and the dial for cracks, spots or a refinish. Crystals differ by reference: Bukowskis gives mineral glass on the 366001 and Antiquorum a sapphire crystal on an 81006.

Next Steps

INHERITOR