Cartier, LeCoultre Co.

18k, damascened tonneau nickel lever movement, 15 jewels, bi-metallic compensation balance, silvered matte dial, arabic and baton numerals, the case shaped as a lozenge with banded lugs, case signed European Watch & Clock Co., movement signed LeCoultre Co. and dial signed Cartier, case stamped EJ (Edmond Jaeger) and with Cartier reference numbers, accompanied by a Cartier Certificate of Authenticity.

The accompanying Cartier Certificate of Authenticity confirms that this watch was manufactured in 1937.

The 'Parallélogramme' appears to have been introduced in the 1930s, however, examples from this period are rare and the model was primarily produced in the 1950s. Made only in small numbers, the reference remains extremely rare and was never a mainstream member of the 'Tank' family. The current lot is known as the 'Losange à brides' and is distinguished from the regular 'Parallélogramme' by its triple lugs.  For an example of both designs, see Cologni, Cartier, The Tank Watch, 1998, p. 218. In the 1990s, Cartier re-issued the Parallélogramme as a hommage to the original model. An example of the re-edition can be seen as lot 35 in the present sale.