Cartier Tank Cintrée 100th Anniversary Limited Edition Model Sold Out Before Release

The Cartier Tank Cintrée, born in 1921, will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2021. To celebrate the anniversary of the brand's iconic model, Cartier has released a limited edition commemorative model in 18K yellow gold. This model is equipped with a manual-winding caliber and was limited to only 150 pieces worldwide, but surprisingly, it sold out before it was even released.

　The Tank was born in 1917, a time when the world was emerging from World War I.

　Seven years later, in 1924, the first major evolution of the revolutionary Tank was released: the Tank Cintrée, with its elongated Tank shape and curved case that conformed perfectly to the shape of the wrist. Cintrée is French for "curved."

　At the time, this model was equipped with the LeCoultre manual-winding caliber 123, equipped with a Breguet balance spring. Two apple-shaped Breguet hands indicate the hours on the dial, while the traditional Cartier Roman numerals are used. The two sides of the railway minute track, at 12 and 6 o'clock, are rounded to resemble the curves of the case.

　The Tank Cintrée, once owned by Fred Astaire and worn by Steve McQueen in the film "The Thomas Crown Affair," celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021 with the release of a model that pays homage to the timepiece from 100 years ago. The Tank Cintrée's lineage continues to this day, having been reinterpreted in 2004.

　This commemorative limited edition model was announced as a yellow gold model, Ref. WGTA0057, with a serial number and limited to 150 pieces worldwide. Amazingly, all of them sold out before they were even released. This indicates that the combination of a traditional design not seen in the regular model in recent years and the unique curved shape was a success.

　With a case size of 46.3mm x 23mm x 6.4mm thick, this Tank Cintrée retains some of the original's defining features, including a two-sided curved railway minute track, Roman numerals, tempered blue Breguet hands, a pearl-set sapphire cabochon crown (slightly different from the original), and a brown calfskin strap with buckle.

　The movement has been changed from the original LeCoultre caliber and is now equipped with the manual-wound caliber 9780 MC, based on Jaeger-LeCoultre's round caliber 849, and has a power reserve of approximately 36 hours.