[Benzsiam]

Originally Posted by LJubel328

Thank you, I had been searching for this watch for quite some time. It is called a tank a guichets, no reference number that I am aware of. A few examples had popped up with dealers of the more common variation (slightly larger case with crown at three o'clock) but none of the dealers could agree on the price I was willing to pay. Then a more rare variation popped up at an auction, wasn't initially planning to bid but threw one in and ended up winning.

I've copied and pasted the description from the auction as they describe it much more eloquently than I ever could.

"A variant of the original Tank wristwatch, the Tank à Guichets was first introduced in 1928. Featuring jumping hours at the upper portion of the dial, the watch also displays a minutes indicator at 6 o'clock. Its name derives from the apertures, which "jump" as the time advances. "Jump Hour" wristwatches were particularly popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Today, these wristwatches are incredibly evocative of the Art Deco period.

The present watch is an absolutely stunning re-interpretation of the original model. In 1996, Cartier celebrated their 150th anniversary by producing a series of limited edition Tank à Guichets. While 150 examples were produced in platinum with a ruby cabochon crown, 100 examples were produced in pink gold with a sapphire cabochon crown. In addition, for their most exclusive clients, Cartier created three series of Tank à Guichets each in yellow gold, platinum and rose gold, with each series having 3 examples. These models were slightly smaller and had a crown at 12 o'clock - a true ode to the original example from the 1920s.

The present watch thus presents a new discovery to the Cartier horological community - with a serial number of A110020, it is only four digits away from the last known yellow gold special edition Tank à Guichets which is numbered 3/3 and A110016. Thus, one can conclude that Cartier had made this timepiece upon special request for a VIP client who did not have the opportunity to purchase one of the original 3 series produced."

I've pivoted my focus to Cartier as the customer service with many other watchmakers has been subpar as of late, in my opinion. I also love the fact that nearly no one knows what it is.

Thank you so much for your detail information.

I love many of your Cartiers, they look so gorgeous and very classy. I would love to add some Cartier timepieces in my collection.