Cartier · Tank Must

Tank Must, Vermeil, Quartz

Ref. 590005c. 1984–1990

The Cartier Tank Must Ref. 590005 is a 23 × 30 mm vermeil (gold-plated sterling silver) quartz Tank made c. 1984–1990 on a Cartier quartz caliber cited as Cal. 90, with a silvered Breguet-numeral dial or the striped Trinity dial.

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Recent sales of Ref. 590005: $1,450 to $1,950, median $1,600 across 3 sales of this exact reference, Nov 2023 to Nov 2026. What's yours worth?

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Specifications

Reference
590005
Vermeil, quartz
Year
c. 1984–1990
Estimated; Craft + Tailored dates its examples to the 1980s
Movement
Quartz
Cartier quartz caliber; Cal. 90 is cited
Case
23 × 30 mm, Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating)
Dial
Silvered or Trinity
Silvered dials carry black Breguet-style Arabic numerals; the Trinity dial has a center striped in yellow, white and rose gold, framed by Roman numerals and a railroad minute track
Hands
Blued or gilt steel
Sword-shaped
Strap
Leather
Leather strap with a Cartier buckle

Visual Description

The 590005 is a 23 × 30 mm Tank Must in vermeil, sterling silver with a gold plating, with a crown set with a blue sapphire cabochon. Craft + Tailored documents it with a silvered dial with Breguet-style numerals and with the Trinity dial, whose center is striped in yellow, white and rose gold. Where the plating has worn at the edges, the silver underneath shows.

Reference Significance

The 590005 is one of the larger quartz Must Tanks, between the small Ref. 366001 (21 × 28 mm) and the Ref. 81006 (23 × 31 mm). It is the Must Tank on which a dealer, Craft + Tailored, documents the Trinity dial; on the 366001 it has turned up only in a retail listing.

Fellows has also offered a 24 mm Must Tank numbered 590002, with a black dial: a neighboring number, not this reference.

Historical Context

Les Must de Cartier launched in the late 1970s and brought the Tank to vermeil cases. Craft + Tailored dates its 590005s to the 1980s; the c. 1984–1990 range is an estimate.

What to Look For

Look at the plating first: wear at the edges and lugs shows the silver beneath. Check the dial for stains or cracks, open the case back to see that the quartz movement is clean and free of battery corrosion, and read the reference and serial on the case back.

Fellows reads the movement as Cartier caliber 90, and other listings give Cal. 690, so a photograph of the movement is worth asking for.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 590005.

Silvered Dial, Breguet Numerals

A silvered dial with black Breguet-style Arabic numerals and a center step, as Craft + Tailored describes it; Fellows catalogs a silvered dial with black Arabic numerals.

1980sDocumented at auction and by a dealer

Trinity Dial

A center of five stripes in yellow, white and rose gold, framed by Roman numerals and a railroad minute track, as Craft + Tailored describes it.

1980sDocumented by one dealer

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 590005 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Tank Must Ref. 590005 worth?

Public auction and dealer results for Ref. 590005 from November 2023 to November 2026 come to $1,450 to $1,950, with a median of $1,600 across 3 sales of this exact reference. The most recent was $2,300 at Aguttes in December 2025. Condition, service history, and the original box and papers move an individual watch within that range.

What is the Ref. 590005?

A Must de Cartier Tank in vermeil, gold-plated sterling silver, with a quartz movement: a 23 × 30 mm case, a silvered dial with Breguet-style numerals or a striped Trinity dial, and a leather strap. Fellows reads the movement as Cartier caliber 90.

Is the 590005 hand-wound?

No. Dealer and auction descriptions all give a quartz movement, and Fellows reads it as Cartier caliber 90. Manual-wind Must Tanks exist, among them a striped tri-tone of the 1980s, but the examples found carry no reference number.

What dials does the 590005 come with?

Two are documented: a silvered dial with black Breguet-style Arabic numerals, and the Trinity dial, a center striped in yellow, white and rose gold framed by Roman numerals. Fellows has also offered one with a two-tone dial that it did not describe further.

What should I check on a 590005?

The vermeil plating at the case edges and lugs, where wear shows the silver beneath; a dial without staining or cracking; a quartz movement that runs and a battery compartment free of corrosion; and a case back with the reference number and a serial.

Other Tank Must References

Tank Must Vermeil, Quartz, Small Model, Ref. 366001, front
Ref. 366001

Tank Must Vermeil, Quartz, Small Model

Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating) · c. 1980–1990

Tank Must Vermeil, Quartz, Ref. 81006, front
Ref. 81006

Tank Must Vermeil, Quartz

Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating) · c. 1980–1990s

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