The Tank Basculante was released in 1932, a time when gentlemen of leisure needed a watch that could be protected during pursuits such as polo and tennis.

The tilting-action of the Tank Basculante is very similar to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso, which was released just a year earlier. That’s neither a coincidence nor a sign of shady business practices. Cartier and LeCoultre, in fact, had a long-standing business relationship in the 1900s, owing to an exclusive agreement for LeCoultre to provide watch movements to Cartier. This close relationship also extended to cooperation on watch designs, as Spécialités Horlogères SA (the LeCoultre subsidiary responsible for the Reverso) made the Basculante for Cartier.

Like the Reverso, the Tank Basculante was designed to be flipped over so that the crystal and dial could be protected during sporting and other activities that could damage the watch. The name Tank Basculante means exactly that in French: the Tilting Tank. This tilting action is made possible thanks to a nifty mechanism that allows the face to be flipped upside down in a swinging frame. And, because the Basculante can be rotated 360 degrees, it can even be rested upright and used as a little table clock! Like many of Cartier’s interwar designs, the Basculante never made it into regular production and the model was relegated to the archives until it was reintroduced in the 1990s.

This ref. 2391 is a lovely execution dating back to the mid 90s and features an 18k yellow gold case measuring in at 25 x 38.5 mm. It is a strictly numbered limited edition and only 365 pieces were produced by the maison. The white dial features exquisite guilloché engraving, combined with the Paris signature above 6 o'clock and Cartier’s well-known painted black Roman numerals with a secret ‘Cartier’ signature at VII. And how can we ever get enough of their blue sword hands? All these features make for typical characteristics of this icon.

The watch is carried by a dark green leather strap with Cartier's well known 'Butterfly' deployment clasp.