
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Cartier Tank Must de Cartier 6-81006 Burgundy Dial, 1980s
- Maker / attribution
- Cartier (maker)
- Date
- 1980s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- France
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 23 mm
- Stock no.
- W-2866
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-2866)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Cartier Tank Must de Cartier 6-81006 Burgundy Dial Box and Papers (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-2866), this is a wristwatch by Cartier, made in France, dated 1980s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 23 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 Tank is in great condition, featuring a gold-plated silver case that measures 30 x 23mm. The dial has a cool & rare Burgundy colour with at 6 o’clock the cool “double C” logo and has a blue cabochon topped winding crown. This cool Tank is quartz driven and the watch is fitted with a slightly used Cartier strap and a plated Cartier buckle. Furthermore the watch comes with its original Cartier box and its guarantee papers plus invoice stating a sale in 1989 in Austria . The watch has been fully serviced by our watchmaker and a new battery is fitted. Do you love Cartier like we do? Let us share our passion with you…get in touch! Specifications: - Must de Cartier Tank ref 6 81006 - 593xx serial dating to 1980s - Gold-plated silver case 23 x 30mm - Rare Burgundy dial - Original Cartier strap and buckle - Quartz movement - Fully serviced by our watchmaker
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
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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