Cartier Tank Bec d’Aigle in 18k yellow gold

Louis Cartier created the Tank in 1917, and over the following decades the Maison kept playing with its lines. The Bec d’Aigle is one of the rarest of these variations. Its name, “eagle’s beak”, comes from the lugs: hooded, they curve down to a point and give the case a profile unlike any other Tank. Italians also call it "Cornice". This example dates from the 1950s. Its 18k yellow gold case houses a manual-wind movement by the European Watch and Clock Co., the company Cartier set up with Edmond Jaeger to produce movements in the LeCoultre workshops in Le Sentier. Collectors pay close attention to these EWC movements in a Cartier of this period. The white dial, fitted in the 1970s, carries all the classic Cartier codes: black Roman numerals, inner railway track, blued hands and the “Paris” signature at six. The watch is in excellent condition and comes on a tan leather strap. Small, precise and quietly unusual. A Tank for those who already know the Tank.