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Pre-Owned Cartier by Analog Shift Tank Basculante Mecanique 40950058/AS05627

$10,900.00

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Description

Why We Love It

The famed Cartier Tank comes in all shapes and sizes, perhaps none of them as unique and compelling as the Basculante.

With its elegant guilloché dial and unique reversible case, the Tank Basculante is unique among Cartier's Tank models. Released in 1932, a year after the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, it certainly shares design similarities with that famed watch: the case in which the dial is housed pivots inside an outer case, much like the Reverso's. However, unlike Jaeger-LeCoultre’s design, which only uses a single track, the Basculante employs a swinging frame. When deployed, the inner case looks as though it's on a seesaw. Hence the name, which comes from the French bascule, or seesaw. 

The Tank Basculante may seem a pale imitation of the Reverso, but the subtle differences set it apart. (And, to be fair, Cartier was making rectangular wristwatches before JLC.) But it's small details like the crown at 12 o'clock and the subtle guilloché of the dial (in which Cartier's hidden their signature inside the Roman numeral at 7 o'clock) that make the Basculante truly original. Unfortunately, even though Cartier released the Basculante within the famed Collection Privée, it spawned an independent collection, and was discontinued sometime in the last decade.

This particular Basculante is a Mecanique version, powered by the Calibre 610 hand-wound movement. Its 25.5mm stainless steel case — which is well sized for both men and women, by the way — is in excellent condition, as is its white guilloché dial with Roman numerals and elegant leaf-shaped, blued steel hour and minute hands. The hinged reversing mechanism and cabochon-encrusted pull tab are likewise in excellent condition.

Going with a Tank is always a formula for dress watch success — but choosing the Basculante, with its unique reversible design, signals a particularly refined level of taste.

The Story

Despite being a purveyor of haute joaillerie, Cartier has had a long tradition of making watches.

It started in 1907, when founder Louis Cartier made what was arguably the very first wristwatch for his friend Alberto Santos-Dumont. In the following years, the brand made a name for itself with its most famous wristwatch, the Tank, in all its multitudinous forms.

Cartier introduced the Tank in 1917, with a run of six pieces - given, or so the legend goes, to American General Joseph Pershing and his staff. The design of the Tank was inspired by the Renault FT-17 tanks Cartier seen on the battlefields of World War I. Cartier took the look of the Renault tank's treads and applied it to the lugs, which were integrated via brancards into the case itself.

That first run of six pieces increased to thirty-three by 1920, and by the end of the 20th Century, that number stood well in the hundreds of thousands. In sheer volume alone, the Tank - in all its various models - is Cartier's largest line of watches. The Tank Louis was introduced in 1922, following close on the heels of the Asian-influenced Tank Chinoise. The Tank Chinoise, released amidst a mania for jewelry inspired by the Orient, has a square rather than rectangular case and lugs that resemble the portico of a Chinese pagoda.

From its debut, it would see many variations, each in keeping with Louis Cartier’s taste for clean lines and perfect symmetry. Each variant, from the original Tank, Tank Louis or the Cintrée with its flirtatious, curvaceous lines, had its passionate devotees. Rudolph Valentino, that sensual star of the silver screen, insisted on wearing his Tank onscreen in The Son of the Sheik, and Clark Gable, Andy Warhol, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were among those who sported a Tank throughout the years.

Delivery & Returns

Standard Delivery (Est 1-3 Days) - Free

Our secure shipping service delivers Monday - Saturday between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. For security purposes, every delivery requires an adult signature; Mayors does not deliver to P.O. boxes nor third party forwarding services. To find out more about delivery, click here. Tracking information is available upon request.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your order, Mayors’ E-Commerce team can be reached at 1-800-4-MAYORS (1-800-462-9677), option 1, during the following times (Eastern Time):

- Monday - Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m

- Sunday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m

- Closed Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas day

Alternatively, you can email the E-commerce team at ecommerce@mayors.com.

Return Policy

Our commitment to you does not end at delivery. We offer the following return services to make your experience as pleasant as possible.

10-Day Returns For Timepieces:

Timepieces purchased online can be returned or exchanged within 10 days from when they are shipped or collected.

30-Day Returns For All Other Purchases:

All other online purchases can be returned or exchanged within 30 days from when they are shipped or collected.

On presentation of the original receipt, your purchases may be returned or exchanged at any of our store locations. Alternatively, you may elect shipping to our facility with all the original paperwork. All refunds must be credited to the same tender used for the original purchase. To return the online purchases through secure shipping service, please contact our client service team who will provide you the shipping label.

All returns or exchanges must be in new, unworn condition, with no scratches or markings, not sized or adjusted and in their original packaging and with warranty cards / certificated and instruction booklets.

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