
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Cartier Tank à Vis "Wandering Hours" CPCP ref 2553, early 2000s
- Maker / attribution
- Cartier (maker)
- Date
- early 2000s
- Historical period
- Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
- Country of origin
- France
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 28 mm
- Stock no.
- W-2361
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-2361)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Cartier Tank à Vis "Wandering Hours" CPCP ref 2553 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-2361), this is a wristwatch by Cartier, made in France, dated early 2000s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 28 mm. 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
This 18k gold reference 2553 Tank à Vis from the Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP) line features a wandering hours complication. This cool and creative way of displaying the time was first developed in the 1600s by the Campani brothers in a clock for the Pope ! The mechanism allows the time to be read of rotating discs as opposed to the traditional hands that circle the dial. This lovely Tank features a rectangular 18k yellow gold case, measuring 40 x 28 mm, with an H-shaped bezel with screws in each corner and remains in really great condition. The dial is made of 18k gold with guilloché engraving of a flower motif. The curved aperture at the 12 o’clock position displays the wandering hours disc and the minutes are shown via a more traditional centre hand. This Cartier is powered by the ultra-thin calibre 9902MC manual winding movement that is visible through a display case back. The watch will come on a used leather strap fitted with a folding clasp in yellow gold. We will include a Bulang and Sons strap with pin buckle. The manual wind movement has been fully checked and regulated by our watchmaker. Specifications: -Cartier Tank à Vis -Serial 27xxx dating to early 2000s -Yellow gold case 40 x 28 mm -Guilloché dial -Blue Cabochon crown -Calibre 9902MC manual winding movement -Comes with original 18k gold folding clasp -Additional Bulang and Sons strap -Fully checked 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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