Cartier · Tank Must

Tank Must Vermeil, Quartz

Ref. 81006c. 1980–1990s

The Cartier Tank Must Ref. 81006 is a 23 × 31 mm vermeil (gold-plated sterling silver) quartz Tank made c. 1980–1990s on a movement cited as Cartier Cal. 81, found with light Roman numeral, gray and black, burgundy and Trinity dials.

Have this watch?

Three sales of Ref. 81006 in the last five years

  • May 2025Toovey'sLot 1010, 22 May 2025. 24 mm wide, vermeil, quartz; case back reads 6 81006. Hammer price, premium not included.$500
  • Jul 2023TajanLot 105, 11 Jul 2023. 31 x 23 mm, vermeil, quartz, on leather; numbered 81006-00256; pin buckle not original. Premium not stated.$1,250
  • Jul 2023TajanLot 104, 11 Jul 2023. 31 x 23 mm, vermeil, quartz; case back numbered 681006 (6 81006). Premium not stated.$2,500
For comparison

Vermeil, plain dial, quartz (Ref. 81006, 590005, 2413 and 5057001): $1,100 to $2,050, median $1,450 across 6 sales, one of them Ref. 81006.

These sales are too far apart to estimate from. See them in the calculator.

We’re opening a small panel of specialist dealers soon. Leave your email and we’ll write once, when they’re ready to bid on your watch. Nothing else.

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4
Photo 5
Photo 6
Photo 7
Photo 8
Photo 9
Photo 10

Photos by @gd_watches_

Specifications

Reference
81006
Vermeil, quartz
Year
c. 1980–1990s
Bulang & Sons dates one to the 1980s, with an invoice from 1989; Antiquorum dates one to the 1990s
Movement
Quartz
Cartier Cal. 81, Swiss quartz
Case
23 × 31 mm, Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating)
Dial
Champagne, cream or lemon, Roman numerals
Painted black Roman numerals and a railroad minute track; gray and black, burgundy and Trinity dials are also documented
Hands
Blued steel
Sword-shaped on the light dials; yellow gold épée hands on Antiquorum's gray and black example
Crystal
Sapphire
Sapphire per Antiquorum
Strap
Leather
Leather strap with a gilt tang buckle

Visual Description

The Ref. 81006 is a vermeil Must de Cartier Tank, sterling silver under gold, of about 23 × 31 mm. The watch photographed here has a cream dial signed must de Cartier, with painted black Roman numerals, a railroad minute track and blued sword hands, and a blue cabochon in the crown; its case back reads 6 81006, Quartz, Argent and 925. Auction and dealer records show the reference with a gray and black dial, a burgundy dial and the striped Trinity dial as well.

Reference Significance

The 81006 is one of the two larger quartz Must Tanks on Archiva, with the 590005 at 23 × 30 mm; the small quartz Must Tank is the 366001, about 21 × 28 mm. Catalogs give the 81006 as 23 × 31 mm and as 23 × 30 mm, so the number on the case back is what separates it from the 590005.

Its documented dials go beyond the light Roman dial. Auction and dealer records show a gray and black dial, a burgundy dial with the double C logo and the striped Trinity dial in three gold tones, each on a watch numbered 81006 or 6 81006; Bulang & Sons sold the burgundy example and Toovey's cataloged the Trinity.

Historical Context

Bulang & Sons dates its burgundy example to the 1980s by its serial, with an invoice from a sale in 1989, and Antiquorum dates its gray and black example to the 1990s. The Must de Cartier line itself dates from the mid-1970s; the Tank Must page covers its history.

Catalogs and case backs write the number as 81006 or 6 81006, and some listings run it together as 681006.

What to Look For

Start with the vermeil. Check the brancard edges, the area around the crown and the case back rim for gold worn through to the silver beneath. The case back should carry 6 81006 and a serial.

Then the dial. The printing of the numerals and minute track should be crisp and even, with no sign of a refinish. Light dials go by several color names in listings, so judge the color in daylight. The gray and black, burgundy and Trinity dials are each documented on a single auction or dealer record so far, so compare a watch closely with those examples.

Every catalog Archiva found describes a quartz movement, and none names the caliber; a photograph of the movement shows which one a watch carries.

Known Variants

Documented dial, case, and bracelet variations of Ref. 81006.

Light Roman Dial

A champagne, cream or pale lemon dial with painted black Roman numerals, a railroad minute track and blued sword hands. The watch photographed here has a cream dial; no auction or dealer record Archiva found describes this dial on an 81006 yet.

UndatedRetail listings and the watch photographed here

Gray and Black Dial

A two-tone gray and black dial with painted radial Roman numerals, an outer minute track and yellow gold épée hands, as Antiquorum cataloged an example made in the 1990s.

1990sDocumented at auction

Burgundy Dial

A burgundy dial with the double C logo at 6 o'clock, on a 6 81006 that Bulang & Sons sold with its box, papers and an invoice from 1989.

1980sDocumented by a dealer

Trinity Dial

A dial striped in three gold tones inside a white chapter ring with black Roman numerals, as Toovey's cataloged a 6 81006 in 2025.

UndatedDocumented at auction

Collector's Corner

Reading the case back

What the numbers on the back of Ref. 81006 mean. Must de Cartier vermeil, 1980s.

The case back of Ref. 81006

Photo by @gd_watches_

Reference
6 81006
A 6, a space, then 81006, on one line near the bottom. Toovey's and Vermot et Associés both print it that way.
Serial
Five digits, on the line below
Houses print it as 58··· and 15···. It is blurred in the photo here.
Metal
925, ARGENT, PLAQUE OR G 20M
Sterling silver plated with 20 microns of gold, written out in French. Vermot et Associés catalogs the same.
Hallmarks
A flower, a C in a lozenge, an octagon and a triangle
Struck around the 925 and beside SWISS. What each mark means is still being researched for the hallmarks guide.
Dating
Papers or an engraving, not the digits
Vermot et Associés sold one engraved with a 1983 dedication. No source reads a year from the number.
Clasp
Pin buckle on leather
Vermot et Associés catalogs a metal pin buckle. Straps are often later, as on the Toovey's lot.

Serials quoted from catalogs are shortened with dots: they belong to their owners. How Cartier numbered its cases in each era is on the case back guide, and the stamped marks are in the hallmarks guide.

How to tell it apart

What separates a Ref. 81006 from its neighbors, and what to check before you buy or sell one.

What is a Cartier Tank Must Ref. 81006 worth?

Archiva has found three public sales of Ref. 81006 in the last five years: $500 at Toovey's in May 2025, $1,250 at Tajan in July 2023 and $2,500 at Tajan in July 2023. They are too far apart to give a market price. For comparison, from November 2023 to November 2026: Vermeil, plain dial, quartz (Ref. 81006, 590005, 2413 and 5057001): $1,100 to $2,050, median $1,450 across 6 sales, one of them Ref. 81006.

What is the Tank Must Ref. 81006?

A larger quartz Must de Cartier Tank: a vermeil case of gold-plated sterling silver, about 23 × 31 mm, on a quartz movement cited as Cartier Cal. 81. Catalogs and case backs write the number as 81006 or 6 81006, and some listings run it together as 681006. Bulang & Sons dates one to the 1980s and Antiquorum one to the 1990s.

What dials did the Ref. 81006 come with?

The watch photographed here has a cream dial with black Roman numerals, and retail listings show the same layout in champagne and lemon tones. Auction and dealer records add three more: a gray and black dial with gold hands, a burgundy dial with the double C logo, which Bulang & Sons sold, and the striped Trinity dial, which Toovey's cataloged in 2025.

Can a burgundy Must Tank be an 81006?

Yes. Bulang & Sons sold a 6 81006 with a burgundy dial and the double C logo at 6 o'clock, with an invoice from 1989. Burgundy dials are also documented on the small Ref. 366001, about 21 × 28 mm, so measure the case and read the number on the case back. A steel case means the modern Tank Must: Phillips has sold a steel Tank Must with a red dial from about 2021.

How is the 81006 different from the 366001 and the 590005?

By the number on the case back first. The 81006 is about 23 × 31 mm. The 366001 is the small Must Tank, about 21 × 28 mm, on a movement cited as Cal. 66, 057 or 157. The 590005 is about 23 × 30 mm, on a movement Fellows reads as Cal. 90. The 81006 and the 590005 are within a millimeter of each other, and both are documented with the Trinity dial.

What should I check on a Ref. 81006?

The vermeil first: look at the brancard edges, the crown and the case back rim for gold worn through to the silver. Then the case back, which should carry 6 81006 and a serial; Toovey's records one reading 6 81006 above 58844. Then the dial, for crisp printing and no sign of a refinish. Every catalog Archiva found describes a quartz movement and none names the caliber, so a photograph of the movement is worth asking for.

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

Ref. 590005Photograph wanted
Ref. 590005

Tank Must, Vermeil, Quartz

Vermeil (925 sterling silver with gold plating) · c. 1984–1990

Back to Tank Must