Visual Description
The Ref. 366001 is the small quartz Tank Must: a vermeil case of gold-plated sterling silver, about 21 mm wide and 28 mm long, with a cabochon-set crown. The watch photographed here has a cream dial signed must de Cartier, with black Roman numerals, a railroad minute track and blued hands. Auction catalogs also record champagne, burgundy and red dials.
Reference Significance
The 366001 is the small quartz Must Tank. The larger quartz Must Tanks on Archiva are the Ref. 590005, 23 × 30 mm, and the Ref. 81006, 23 × 31 mm.
Its dials run from cream and champagne to a plain burgundy and a red dial with gold numerals. The striped Trinity dial is documented by dealers on the 590005 and appears on this reference only in one retail listing.
Historical Context
Les Must de Cartier launched in the late 1970s with pens, wallets and fragrances, and with a Tank wristwatch in gold-plated silver. Bulang & Sons dates the launch to 1976 and European Watch Co. to 1977.
Dated examples of the 366001 come from the 1980s: Lyon & Turnbull catalogs one circa 1980 and Antiquorum one to the 1980s, and of two others, one was bought new in December 1984 and one came with papers dated March 1985.
What to Look For
Start with the vermeil: check the brancard edges, the crown surround and the case back rim for gold worn through to the silver beneath. Then read the case back for the reference number and serial.
On the dial, the numerals and minute track should be crisp, with no smudging that suggests a refinish. A Trinity dial on a 366001 is worth checking against the case back, since dealers document it on the larger 590005. Catalogs name three calibers for this reference, so a photograph of the movement shows which one a watch carries.
