The large Tank Francaise, the one with the automatic.

The Tank Francaise of 1996 is the Tank rebuilt as a bracelet watch: the case curves, the sides are thick brushed brancards, and the links continue the case in the same brushed steel. The small and medium sizes are quartz. The large, at about 28mm across and around 32mm tall, is the size Cartier fitted with an automatic movement and a date, which makes it the Tank Francaise for a man’s wrist or for anyone who wants a mechanical Cartier at this price.

The dial is the Cartier grammar with one addition: silver, Roman numerals, a railway track, blued sword hands, and a small date at six. Cartier redesigned the Francaise in 2023 with a slimmer case and a different bracelet; this is the earlier, chunkier one that people mean when they say Tank Francaise.

Rebag gives the case at 28mm wide and 8mm thick, the band at 19mm, a wrist size of about seven inches, steel case and bracelet, a silver dial, an automatic movement with date, the condition as Very Good with scratches, minor wear and dings on the case and band, and no accessories, so no box and no card. It does not give the reference. In Cartier’s catalogues the large steel automatic Tank Francaise with a date is W51011Q3, and the photograph matches it; ask Rebag to confirm from the caseback.

The calibre, reserve and water resistance here are Cartier’s published figures for that reference, not measured on this unit. With dings noted and no papers, ask when it was last serviced.

This unit is sold by Rebag through Amazon Luxury Stores, authenticated by the seller with Amazon’s 30-day return window on top; it is one piece, and when it sells the listing goes away, so the second button opens the live search for automatic Tank Francaises.

Steel Tank Francaises have resold for under new and close to what pre-owned buyers paid, sometimes more, sometimes less; that is a pattern, not a promise, and nothing here is investment advice.