The "Cartier Must Tank" that arrived today is commonly known as the pre-must tank, which is the version before the "must de" designation was printed on it.
There are two types of pre-must tanks, and this is the first time that both the North American and European versions have been available.
Pre-must tanks are still shrouded in mystery due to the lack of accurate documentation.
This is just my personal opinion based on the information I have researched,
In 1972, Cartier New York opened its doors to the public.
The Pre-must Tank was originally produced as an attempt to sell inexpensive watches based on the Tank Louis design.
At the time, Cartier was a separate company from its French headquarters.
I assume that this is what happened.
However, due to the large number of counterfeit products on the market,
The "Must de Cartier" series was released by Cartier, headquartered in France, in 1976.
The general must tank was produced from the following year, 1977.
Is the European-spec pre-must tank a way to differentiate it from the North American-spec?
We don't actually know if it's a prototype mast tank or not.
However, there is a lot of information about the relationship between the French headquarters and Cartier in New York.
There are valuable items such as Tank New York,
It seems that Cartier in New York is a powerful company, just like its headquarters.
Now, going back to the topic,
The North American version has a snap-back case instead of a screw-down case.
It is characterized by its simple structure.
This was a fairly common case structure in the 1970s,
Occasionally, Tank Louis watches with snapback cases come out, so
Maybe there's some kind of connection.
The inscription on the dial and the logo on the case back are written in cursive.
The dial and case also feature the "SWISS" inscription, indicating that the watch is made in Switzerland.
Although this item has some small scratches on the case,
It's a very clean item with no signs of having been used much in the past.
The dial also shows almost no damage, with only slight discoloration on the hands.
The belt is from that time and the buckle is probably genuine.
Just to be safe, I requested a repair estimate from Cartier and had it inspected in their home country.
We recommend replacing the hands and glass at the same time as the complete service.
As there are no other issues with the other parts, we have determined that they are genuine.
It is recommended to replace the hands every time, but this is the first time that the dial does not need to be replaced.
The results show that the individual specimens are in good condition.
Regarding manufacturer repairs, the price was revised in September, so we are unable to provide an exact price.
The estimate this time was approximately 80,000 yen for the complete service, free needle replacement, and approximately 80,000 yen for glass replacement.
However, since we can be sure that it is an original, we carry out maintenance in-house.
And this European-style pre-must tank was very interesting.
This is a pre-must tank that has been handled several times in the past.
This particular watch appears to have had the dial replaced by Cartier in the past.
The prints and other details are almost the same, but the texture of the dial is glossy, like porcelain.
Previously, the texture was close to matte white, so I didn't expect to see such a difference.
The needles are steel blue in European specifications,
In the past, when I had a different watch repaired at Cartier, the quote stated that it would be "changed to black."
This one has black hands attached.
It's surprising that manufacturers still have parts for watches of this age.
I am impressed by Cartier's conscientiousness in providing maintenance even for old watches, even though it requires a fee.
The most obvious differences from the North American version are the case design and back cover.
There are differences in the engravings, as well as the screw fastening specifications.
You can compare the differences between the European and North American models.
Although this particular watch has some damage to the case commensurate with its age, it is still within acceptable limits.
Needless to say, the dial is in excellent condition.
The movement is also in very good condition.
The European version also has a different buckle design, which adds another layer of mystery.
This time, the original box from that time is also included,
This is a great feature when collecting.
In the past, the Pre-must Tank has been available in both specifications, but this is the first time they have been available at the same time.
There aren't many opportunities to compare the differences in each detail, so
Personally, I'm quite excited.
The pre-must tank is an interesting subject with many mysteries and no accurate information available.
Perhaps one day we will be able to understand the full picture,
I hope to be able to tell you as much as I can at this point.
However, there is no doubt that both the North American and European versions are watches with high documentary value.
If you've been looking for this for a while, don't miss this opportunity!
