Cartier

Emerging first in 1917, the Cartier Tank was conceived by Louis Cartier who based his design on the world’s first modern tank, the Renault FT, seen from above.

From that first Tank sprang a myriad of designs that captivated tastemakers and collectors alike. Adored by the trend setting jetset of the 20th century, any discerning man or woman of taste wouldn’t be without a Tank adorning their wrists in the decades that followed its creation. One addition to the Tank family however, would come decades after it was originally introduced.

When Cartier first unveiled the Asymétrique in 1936, it was the last ‘Tank’ released in Louis Cartier’s lifetime, however, it was not introduced as a Tank at all, but rather a standalone model with the modern driver in mind that was named the Parallélogramme. Its unique design took into account the position of a driver’s hands on the steering wheel, where the unconventional orientation of the dial would allow the driver to read the time effortlessly without lifting their hands from the wheel. However, due to the increasing success and brand recognizability of the Tank collection, the Parallélogramme was rebranded as the Tank Asymétrique when it was relaunched in 1996. 

Our present Asymétrique, the Reference 2488, was part of this 1996 reissue and features a beautiful guillochéd dial with printed Arabic numerals. Released as part of a limited edition of just 400 pieces, 300 examples were cased in yellow gold, and the remaining 100 were cased platinum. We are pleased to offer our present Asymétrique numbered 181 out of the 300, with clear and crisp engravings and a beautifully preserved Paris dial.