How much will a dealer pay for a Cartier Tortue?

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 ref. 2356 yellow gold single-button chronograph Cartier Tortue at the recent median of $36,000, that suggests bids of roughly $27,000 to $30,600. Archiva is opening a panel of specialist dealers who bid blind, with the seller keeping the whole winning bid.

What is the Cartier Tortue?

A tonneau-shaped Cartier that Antiquorum dates to 1912 and describes as a variation of the Tonneau Louis Cartier created in 1906; tortue is French for turtle. The references documented here are each taller than wide, from about 26.5 × 34.5 mm on the 96069 to 34 × 43 mm on the Collection Privée chronographs.

How do I tell which Tortue reference I have?

The reference is on the case back. The Ref. 96069 is the thin 1970s Tortue that Craft & Tailored says collectors call the Extra Plate: 18k yellow gold, about 26.5 × 34.5 mm and 5 mm thick, hand-wound, with a white Paris dial and black Roman numerals. The Ref. 2356 in 18k yellow gold and the Ref. 2396 in 18k white gold are the Collection Privée Tortue Monopoussoirs of about 1998 to 2008: 34 × 43 mm single-button chronographs on the hand-wound Cartier Cal. 045MC, the 2356 with black Roman numerals and the 2396 with an enlarged XII. The Ref. 2496, also cataloged as 2496C and 2496E, is a Collection Privée Tortue in 18k yellow gold without the chronograph: 34 × 43 mm, hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 430 MC, with dated examples from about 1999 to 2005.

What is a monopoussoir chronograph?

A chronograph worked by a single button, which starts, stops and resets it. Antiquorum dates Cartier's monopoussoir to 1928, and the Collection Privée 2356 and 2396 revived it on the hand-wound Cal. 045MC, with a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock and running seconds at 9.

What should I check before buying a Tortue?

The case shape and edges, for polishing and dents; a dial that matches documented examples, with crisp printing and, on the 96069, the secret signature in the VII and PARIS at 6; on a Collection Privée chronograph, a clean start, stop and reset from the single button, a movement signed Cartier 045MC with 22 jewels and an 18k gold Cartier clasp that matches the case; and a Cartier certificate whose date fits the watch.

Cartier

Cartier Tortue

Cartier's tonneau-shaped Tortue of 1912: a thin gold Extra Plate in the 1970s and a single-button chronograph in the Collection Privée from 1998.

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

History

The 1912 Tortue

Antiquorum writes that the Tortue, released in 1912, is a variation of the Tonneau that Louis Cartier created in 1906, and that it changed in several ways during the 1920s, among them the single-button chronograph of 1928.

Phillips writes that Louis Cartier designed the Tortue in 1912 and that it was named tortue à pattes, turtle on legs, for its likeness to the animal's shape.

The Extra Plate

The Ref. 96069 is a thin, hand-wound Tortue in 18k yellow gold, about 26.5 × 34.5 mm and 5 mm thick, with a white Paris dial of twelve black Roman numerals, a railroad minute track and the secret signature in the VII. Craft & Tailored dates its example to the 1970s, says collectors know the reference as the Extra Plate or Extra Thin, and identifies the movement as the ultra-thin Frédéric Piguet Cal. 21.

A 23 × 31 mm lady's Tortue with a case number beginning 96069, dated to the 1980s, has also been sold, so measure the case: it may be a smaller model.

The Collection Privée Monopoussoir

Phillips writes that Cartier introduced the Tortue Monopoussoir in 1998 in the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, which was available until 2008. It is a 34 × 43 mm single-button chronograph, hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 045MC with 22 jewels, developed by THA, the workshop of Denis Flageollet, Vianney Halter and François-Paul Journe.

The Ref. 2356 is the yellow gold version, with black Roman numerals on a silvered guilloché dial, and the Ref. 2396 the white gold one, with the rosette guilloché dial and enlarged XII that Phillips describes. Both have running seconds at 9, a 30-minute counter at 3, blued steel hands and a sapphire display back.

Dated examples run from a 2396 with a Cartier certificate of November 1998 to examples of about 2005 and, for a 2396B, about 2008.

The Collection Privée also had a Tortue without the chronograph. The Ref. 2496, also cataloged as 2496C and 2496E, is 34 × 43 mm in 18k yellow gold, hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 430 MC (some catalogs give the Cal. 437 MC), with a silvered guilloché dial and black Roman numerals; dated examples run from about 1999 to 2005.

Reference Numbers

A pink gold version is also recorded beside the yellow and white gold ones, each with its own dial. Auction houses catalog the yellow gold watch as 2356, 2356B and 2356E, with case numbers in CC and CE series, and the white gold one as 2396 and 2396B; no source consulted explains the letters.

What to Watch For

Check the tonneau case for over-polishing and dents, and compare the dial with documented examples of the reference: crisp printing and, on the 96069, the secret signature in the VII and PARIS at 6. On a Collection Privée chronograph, the single button should start, stop and reset the chronograph cleanly, the movement should be signed Cartier 045MC with 22 jewels, and the 18k gold Cartier clasp should match the case; Antiquorum has offered two yellow gold 2356s on pink gold clasps.

Quintessential Reference

Ref. 2396 · c. 1998–2008

Photos by @antoine.de.macedo

Reference: 2396; Collection Privée Cartier Paris Monopoussoir Chronograph
Year: c. 1998–2008; Phillips records Cartier certificates dated 17 November 1998 and 10 October 1999; Sotheby's dates examples c. 2005 and c. 2008, and Phillips one c. 2010
Movement: Cartier Caliber 045MC (developed by THA: Journe, Flageollet, Halter)
Case: 18k white gold
Dial: Silver-white
Hands: Blued steel Breguet-style (hour, minute), blued steel chronograph hand
Crystal: Sapphire, anti-reflective coating
Strap: Brown crocodile leather with 18k white gold deployant clasp

The Ref. 2396, the white gold Tortue Monopoussoir of the Collection Privée Cartier Paris: a 34 × 43 mm 18k white gold single-button chronograph, hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 045MC with 22 jewels, developed by THA, with running seconds at 9 and a 30-minute counter at 3. Phillips describes a rosette guilloché dial with an enlarged XII and has offered examples with Cartier certificates dated 1998 and 1999. It is the white gold sibling of the yellow gold Ref. 2356.

Other Known References

5 documented references across 2 eras

Reunion & Democratization1964–1992

2 refs

	Reference	Case Material	Movement	Case Size	Dial	Crystal
	Ref. 1071218k Yellow Gold · Manual-wind	18k Yellow Gold	Manual-wind	28 × 33 mm	White	Sapphire
	Ref. 9606918k Yellow Gold · Manual	18k Yellow Gold	Manual	About 26.5 × 34.5 mm	White, black Roman numerals	Not stated in the catalogs consulted

Modern Manufacture1993–2001

3 refs

Reference	Case Material	Movement	Case Size	Dial	Crystal
Ref. 235618k Yellow Gold · Manual-wind	18k Yellow Gold	Manual-wind	34 × 43 mm	Silvered guilloché	Sapphire
Ref. 239618k white gold · Cartier Caliber 045MC (developed by THA: Journe, Flageollet, Halter)	18k white gold	Cartier Caliber 045MC (developed by THA: Journe, Flageollet, Halter)	34 × 43 mm (width × height)	Silver-white	Sapphire, anti-reflective coating
Ref. 249618k Yellow Gold · Manual-wind	18k Yellow Gold	Manual-wind	34 × 43 mm	Silvered guilloché	Sapphire

What is a Cartier Tortue 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.

Which reference is yours?Ref. 2356CPCP monopoussoir chronograph, 18k yellow gold, manual-wind5 salesRef. 2396Collection Privée Cartier Paris Monopoussoir Chronograph4 salesRef. 2496Collection Privée Cartier Paris, 18k yellow gold, manual-wind2 salesRef. 1071218k yellow gold, manual-wind, white Roman numeral dial1 saleRef. 96069Thin 18k yellow gold tonneau, manual wind, Paris dialNo sales

Versions without a reference page yetCollection Privée, time onlyRef. 2518D1 sale

ConditionVery good

Needs workFairVery goodExcellentExceptional

The typical public example: light wear, original-looking dial, runs well. This is the baseline.

Box, guarantee and booklet+12% on the estimateEarly example, about 1999+5% on the estimateRecent Cartier service+5% on the estimate

Estimated market value

$36,000

Likely range $32,400 to $39,600

Median of 5 sales of Ref. 2356, Nov 2023 to Nov 2026.

Median $36,000

Condition: Very good ×1.00

What a dealer would likely pay$27,000 to $30,600Dealers buying to resell usually pay 75 to 85% of market value.

Market value is what watches like this sell for publicly, fees included. A dealer buying to resell pays less, because they carry the cost and risk of the resale.

From November 2023 to November 2026, 5 counted sales of Ref. 2356 ran from $29,000 to $54,250, with a middle price of $36,000. The most recent was $54,250 at Phillips Geneva in November 2026.

See all 9 sales of Ref. 2356: 5 counted, 4 not

Date	Ref.	Where	Details	Counts as	Price
Nov 2026	2356E	Phillips GenevaAuction	The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV, Session I, 7 Nov 2026 (lots 1-107). Lot 83. Tortue Monopoussoir CPCP, 34 x 43 mm, 18k yellow gold, cal. 045 MC manual wind, case 0016 CE, c. 2000. Cartier wallet with certificate and service booklet, manual, pouch, two fitted boxes, outer packaging. Est. CHF 20-40k. Phillips 'Sold For' includes the buyer's premium; page links only to the Conditions of Sale.	This reference	CHF 44,450≈ $54,250
Apr 2026	2356	Monaco Legend AuctionsAuction	c.1999, case 0084CC, guarantee and booklet	This reference	EUR 32,500≈ $38,000
Sep 2024	2356	Phillips Hong KongAuction	Online sale. c.1999, case 0198CC, excellent, no box/papers listed	This reference	HK$228,600≈ $29,000
Nov 2023	2356	Phillips GenevaAuction	c.1999, case 0084CC (same watch resold at Monaco Legend Apr 2026)	This reference	CHF 27,940≈ $31,000
Nov 2023	2356B	Phillips Hong KongAuction	Dated c.2011 by certificate (late production), CPCP box	This reference	HK$279,400≈ $36,000
Jun 2023	2356	Phillips New YorkAuction	The New York Watch Auction: EIGHT, lot 61, 10-11 Jun 2023. Tortue Monopoussoir CPCP Ref. 2356, case no. 0227CC, 34 x 43 mm, 18k yellow gold, manual cal. 045 MC, 22 jewels, circa 1999; Cartier certificate, red leather presentation box, wallet, literature and outer packaging. Printed 'Sold for' $38,100; the lot page does not say whether the figure includes the buyer's premium. Est. $15-30k.	Not countedolder than the three-year window	USD 38,100
Dec 2021	2356B	Phillips New YorkAuction	c.1999	Not countedolder than the three-year window	USD 47,880
Sep 2021	2356	Sotheby's Geneva (via Collector Square)Auction	case 0249CC	Not countedolder than the five-year window	CHF 35,280≈ $40,350
Dec 2020	2356	Phillips New YorkAuction	c.2003, full set, serviced 2020	Not countedolder than the five-year window	USD 50,400

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. Currency figures are converted near the sale date. Some figures are as reported by the auction house's own articles or the press and are rounded. Rows via Collector Square come from its public results index and should be confirmed at the auction house. Results that some houses show only to signed-in visitors are read from the house's own page with an Archiva account. 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 Tortue, drawn from the reference records below.

What is a Cartier Tortue worth?: Public auction and dealer results from November 2023 to November 2026 put the ref. 2356 yellow gold single-button chronograph (Ref. 2356, 2356B) at $31,000 to $38,000, median $36,000 across 5 sales; the ref. 2396 white gold single-button chronograph (Ref. 2396) at $43,850 to $54,400, median $45,000 across 4 sales; the collection privée time only (Ref. 2518D) at one public sale at $19,700; the 1970s–80s gold manual wind (Ref. 10712) at one public sale at $12,700; and the collection privée tortue 34 x 43 mm 18k yellow gold manual wind (Ref. 2496C, 2496E) at $13,300 to $15,600, median $14,450 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 Cartier Tortue?: 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 ref. 2356 yellow gold single-button chronograph Cartier Tortue at the recent median of $36,000, that suggests bids of roughly $27,000 to $30,600. Archiva is opening a panel of specialist dealers who bid blind, with the seller keeping the whole winning bid.
What is the Cartier Tortue?: A tonneau-shaped Cartier that Antiquorum dates to 1912 and describes as a variation of the Tonneau Louis Cartier created in 1906; tortue is French for turtle. The references documented here are each taller than wide, from about 26.5 × 34.5 mm on the 96069 to 34 × 43 mm on the Collection Privée chronographs.
How do I tell which Tortue reference I have?: The reference is on the case back. The Ref. 96069 is the thin 1970s Tortue that Craft & Tailored says collectors call the Extra Plate: 18k yellow gold, about 26.5 × 34.5 mm and 5 mm thick, hand-wound, with a white Paris dial and black Roman numerals. The Ref. 2356 in 18k yellow gold and the Ref. 2396 in 18k white gold are the Collection Privée Tortue Monopoussoirs of about 1998 to 2008: 34 × 43 mm single-button chronographs on the hand-wound Cartier Cal. 045MC, the 2356 with black Roman numerals and the 2396 with an enlarged XII. The Ref. 2496, also cataloged as 2496C and 2496E, is a Collection Privée Tortue in 18k yellow gold without the chronograph: 34 × 43 mm, hand-wound on the Cartier Cal. 430 MC, with dated examples from about 1999 to 2005.
What is a monopoussoir chronograph?: A chronograph worked by a single button, which starts, stops and resets it. Antiquorum dates Cartier's monopoussoir to 1928, and the Collection Privée 2356 and 2396 revived it on the hand-wound Cal. 045MC, with a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock and running seconds at 9.
What should I check before buying a Tortue?: The case shape and edges, for polishing and dents; a dial that matches documented examples, with crisp printing and, on the 96069, the secret signature in the VII and PARIS at 6; on a Collection Privée chronograph, a clean start, stop and reset from the single button, a movement signed Cartier 045MC with 22 jewels and an 18k gold Cartier clasp that matches the case; and a Cartier certificate whose date fits the watch.

Next Steps

INHERITOR