Cartier Tank Louis "Extra Plate" Ref. 96065 - Paris Signed Dial
Year: 1970’s.
Movement: Manual Wind Calibre 21 Movement.
Case Size: 23.5mm x 30.5mm. Extra Plate referring to “Ultra Thin” case.
Dial: White Roman numeral dial with rare Paris signature. Dial in good condition with no patina marks. Sharp unpolished hallmarks on case back.
Case and Clasp: Solid 18K yellow gold case which is Paris signed and Cartier pre-88 18K Gold folding clasp.
Strap: Cartier Leather strap.
This watch comes as watch only. It is common for vintage watches to not come with box and papers. In the rare example that a watch does come with box and papers it will be mentioned in the description. All purchases come with bespoke Watts On Watches packaging and purchase documentation.
As with all watches purchased through Watts On Watches, this watch comes with a 12 month warranty.
Want to pay with finance? Click here.
Year: 1970’s.
Movement: Manual Wind Calibre 21 Movement.
Case Size: 23.5mm x 30.5mm. Extra Plate referring to “Ultra Thin” case.
Dial: White Roman numeral dial with rare Paris signature. Dial in good condition with no patina marks. Sharp unpolished hallmarks on case back.
Case and Clasp: Solid 18K yellow gold case which is Paris signed and Cartier pre-88 18K Gold folding clasp.
Strap: Cartier Leather strap.
This watch comes as watch only. It is common for vintage watches to not come with box and papers. In the rare example that a watch does come with box and papers it will be mentioned in the description. All purchases come with bespoke Watts On Watches packaging and purchase documentation.
As with all watches purchased through Watts On Watches, this watch comes with a 12 month warranty.
Want to pay with finance? Click here.
Year: 1970’s.
Movement: Manual Wind Calibre 21 Movement.
Case Size: 23.5mm x 30.5mm. Extra Plate referring to “Ultra Thin” case.
Dial: White Roman numeral dial with rare Paris signature. Dial in good condition with no patina marks. Sharp unpolished hallmarks on case back.
Case and Clasp: Solid 18K yellow gold case which is Paris signed and Cartier pre-88 18K Gold folding clasp.
Strap: Cartier Leather strap.
This watch comes as watch only. It is common for vintage watches to not come with box and papers. In the rare example that a watch does come with box and papers it will be mentioned in the description. All purchases come with bespoke Watts On Watches packaging and purchase documentation.
As with all watches purchased through Watts On Watches, this watch comes with a 12 month warranty.
Want to pay with finance? Click here.
The Cartier Tank Louis is currently in high demand and is one of our most requested pieces at Watts On Watches. When collecting the Cartier Tank Louis, there are a wide range of factors to consider, including dial signatures, movements, and clasps, just to name a few. This particular 96065 reference we have available ticks all the boxes. Let's break it down.
The dial on this watch is one of its most notable features. At 6 o'clock, every vintage Tank Louis dial should be signed "Swiss" or "Paris." Dials signed "Swiss" were sold through the Cartier New York branch, while "Paris" dials were sold through the London and Paris branches. Service dials are signed "Swiss Made," which is the current signature on the modern Tank Louis model. The Paris dial has become the most desirable among collectors, and this one sports a beautiful original "Mark 3" Paris-signed dial (Mark 3 refers to the flat 'A' in the Cartier logo and the hidden signature at 7). Naturally, over time, these dials show distinct signs of aging, with many developing patina and dark marks. Not this one. The dial is clean, with no marks, and only minor spidering, which is to be expected. Most dials, due to their fragility, have been replaced with service dials, so it is pleasing to see such a well-preserved original dial in this example.
Let's talk about the movement. The movement is the main highlight of this watch. The more common 78086 mostly came with a rather basic 78-1 calibre. The 78-1 is in no way a bad movement, and we love the 78086 reference. However, it is a rather basic ETA-based movement, nothing to get overly excited about. For many collectors, the 96065 and the 96019 references are much more desirable due to the use of the Cartier-branded ultra-thin Piguet 21 movement. Because of this movement, the 96065 reference is often referred to as the "Ultra Thin" or "Extra Plate" reference due to its much slimmer profile, which is much more desirable to collectors. This watch naturally uses the Piguet 21 movement, which has received a full service and keeps time within 10 seconds a day. The Piguet 21 movement later went on to be used in the highly valuable CPCP collection, and the 96065 reference laid the foundations for this.
The clasp is another great point. This watch is equipped with its original 18K gold pre-88 clasp. Many models brought to market these days have had the clasp removed, simply due to their increased value when sold separately, with some clasps selling for well over a thousand pounds. This one, which will appeal to serious collectors, comes with the original clasp as well as a Cartier leather strap. The clasp is in excellent condition, is tight, and sports very clean and present hallmarks.
The topic of hallmarks brings us nicely to the case condition. The case is in fantastic condition, with no signs of over-polishing, which can often be found with these models. The case back sports very clean hallmarks, the model number, serial number, and the Paris signature. Again, this is a small point, but the minor details contribute to the true collectibility of this particular example.
All these details combined create a beautiful and well-preserved example of the 96065, which will appeal to both collectors and newcomers alike. Finding examples in this condition is one of our biggest challenges, and we are very pleased to bring this to market.