THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: CARTIER
MODEL: TANK OBUS
YEAR: c1938-42
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 21X32mm
CASE MATERIAL: 18K YELLOW GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND

In 1904, Louis Cartier designed a watch for his friend, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, who needed a hands-free way to tell the time while flying. The result, the Cartier Santos, became the first purpose-built men’s wristwatch and was made commercially available a few years later, in 1911. Over 100 years later, in 2025, Cartier ranked as the second-largest watch brand by revenue, sitting just behind Rolex.

However, despite its historical importance and current market dominance, Cartier is rarely the first brand mentioned within the “collector community”. While this may seem strange at first glance, a closer look at Cartier’s history quickly explains why.

Let’s address the elephant in the room first: most modern Cartier watches are not much to write home about. Ultra-rare limited editions and made-to-order pieces aside, the vast majority of modern Cartier watches use outsourced components and are relatively cheaply produced. One could argue they are closer to “jewellery watches” than true horological objects. This has not affected their popularity, nonetheless, it is Cartier after all.

Looking slightly further back, the CPCP (Collection Privée Cartier Paris) stands out as the highlight of the neo-vintage era. These watches were produced very differently from Cartier’s usual output, featuring exceptional movements and craftsmanship and have rightly earned strong collector appreciation. In parallel, however, Cartier also produced large volumes of inexpensive fashion watches, such as the Must de Cartier line from the 1980s through the 2000s, a category we deliberately avoid at Falco.

The year 1972 was pivotal for Cartier, marking the beginning of the brand’s consolidation. The Louis Cartier Collection and several other designs introduced during the 1970s laid the foundation for the brand as we know it today. Hodinkee published an excellent article on 1970s Cartier, which we highly recommend.

For serious Cartier collectors, however, desirability increases exponentially the further back one traces into the brand’s history. In the early 20th century, Cartier split into three largely autonomous branches in London, Paris, and New York. Over the following six decades, each branch produced watches in extremely limited numbers, design-led, often made to order, and consequently highly collectible today.

We are therefore incredibly proud to present this Cartier Tank Obus, made by Cartier New York in the late 1930s to very early 1940s. It is remarkable how beautiful the watch remains and how well preserved it is, more than 80 years later. The original printed white dial is near perfect: the Cartier signature, chemin-de-fer minute track, and Roman numerals are all exceptionally crisp. The case is in fantastic condition, with the rectangular body and distinctive “bullet” lugs (from which the Obus takes its name) showing only minor signs of wear. Blued Breguet hands complete the unmistakably elegant Cartier aesthetic.

The watch is powered by a European Watch & Clock Co. (EWCC) movement (which supplied most Cartier New York watches 20s-50s), freshly serviced by our watchmaker. We have paired it with brand-new alligator straps and an 18K yellow gold Cartier buckle.

From 1909 to 1972, Cartier New York produced no more than a few hundred watches per year, with significantly lower numbers in earlier decades  and certain examples now achieve well into six-figure territory at auction. This is a truly special watch, and one that would elevate any serious collection.