Mar 11, 2015
Reading time 2 min.
Before and After: The Restoration of a Rare, Vintage Cartier Tank Watch
In 2011, the BBC TV series "Antiques Roadshow" featured a wristwatch in truly terrible condition. Much to the totally unsuspecting owners’ surprise, their piece of scrap metal turned out to be a rare early Cartier Tank watch from the 1920s (as indicated by the cabochon), with an estimated value of £5,000. It was given to the family’s great-uncle as a payment from an insolvent gentleman a long time ago.
Three years and a rather impressive restoration later, the watch returned to the show last autumn (Season 37, Episode 1) in almost good-as-new condition: a team at Cartier replaced the hands, restored the dial, and fitted the watch with a new winding stem, among other things. Here you can see the result:
Cartier Tank - Restored
PR
Now, while we do not want to agree or disagree with the watch's new estimated value of £40,000 to £50,000, this is certainly one of those stories that will warm the heart of any watch collector. And, as the proud owners concluded, it was “worth getting fixed, definitely.”
