Baume & Mercier Tank 38307 White Dial on Leather 1974

The Tank form has belonged to Cartier since 1917, but it traveled widely through the mid-twentieth century under license arrangements that placed the architecture in other hands. Baume & Mercier produced Tank-cased watches during the 1970s bearing signed Cartier dials — a practice that reflects the era's fluid boundaries between Swiss manufacture and Parisian retail, and one that makes these pieces genuinely unusual documents of that relationship. This ref. 38307, dated to 1974, is one of them: a 20x28mm case in solid 18-karat yellow gold, manually wound, with a white dial signed by Cartier and Roman numeral indices that follow the form's original grammar precisely.

The dial carries age-appropriate patina — not damage, but the kind of warm, uneven aging that a half-century of life produces and that no restoration can replicate convincingly. The sapphire cabochon crown, the gold bezel, and the original Cartier-signed buckle are all present, which matters: replacement hardware on a piece this age is common, and its absence here keeps the watch coherent as an object. The case and bracelet-mounting surfaces show very good condition with hardly visible signs of wear, consistent with a watch that has been worn and cared for rather than stored and forgotten.

Offered in pre-owned condition, watch only, without box or papers. A service is noted for August 2026.