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Cartier Obus CPCP 18kt Yellow Gold with CPCP Box Ref 2380, late 1990s — view 1 of 6
View 1 of 6 · Image: Bulang & Sons · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Cartier Obus CPCP 18kt Yellow Gold with CPCP Box Ref 2380, late 1990s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Cartier (maker)
Date
late 1990s
Country of origin
France
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
yellow gold
Stock no.
W-2589
Credit line
Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-2589)
Catalogue title (original)
Cartier Obus CPCP 18kt Yellow Gold with CPCP Box Ref 2380 (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-2589), this is a wristwatch by Cartier, made in France, dated late 1990s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: yellow gold. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Bulang & Sons

The Cartier Tank has been around for over a century now, with a number of variations including the Tank Obus. The name Obus comes from the French for ‘bullet’ and is demonstrated by the bullet-shaped lugs. This is a very collectible example from the sought-after Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP) line. The watch measures 33x26mm in yellow gold and houses a silver dial with black Roman numerals with railroad track, blued Breguet hands and a blued stone cabochon-topped winding crown. The dial and case are both in superb condition with the dial having the secret Cartier signature in the VII numeral. We love that the fact one has a view on the nicely finished featuring Cartier movement featuring Cartier’s interlocking ‘C’ pattern through the display caseback .. The original (massive !) CPCP box is included in the sale. The watch will come on the pictured leather strap with 18k gold Cartier folding buckle and the Cartier calibre 1585 manual wind movement has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Do you love Cartier like we do? Let us share our passion with you…get in touch! Specifications: - Cartier Tank Obus - Yellow gold case 33x26mm - Display case back - Serial CC58xxx dates to the late 1990s - Silver guilloche dial with painted black Roman numerals - Blued Breguet hands - Blue cabochon-topped winder - Comes on pictured leather strap with original 18k gold Cartier folding clasp - Cartier calibre 1585 manual wind movement - Large CPCP box - Fully serviced by our watchmaker - Includes a handmade leather watch pouch

Historical context

Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)

Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.

Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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