Throughout their history, Cartier has developed a powerful history as a revered watchmaker. While their reputation waned in the 80s and 90s due to producing jewelry-oriented quartz timepieces, they made a conscious effort to turn things around in 1998 by launching the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, or CPCP, at SIHH to demonstrate their horological prowess. By partnering with THA Èbauche, a collaborative movement manufacture made up of Vianney Halter, Denis Flageollet (founder of De Bethune), and François-Paul Journe, Cartier began to challenge the horological heavyweights with truly spectacular timepieces, much like this Tank à Vis Squelette ref. 2772, which was launched in 2006 as a limited edition series of just 20 pieces. Featuring the Tank’s signature rectangular construction in platinum, a stunningly finished manual-wind movement, and an elaborately skeletonized dual, the Tank à Vis Squelette ref. 2772 lives up to the CPCP’s deserved status as one of Cartier’s finer creations. With its gorgeously elegant display and wonderfully luxurious precious metal construction, the Tank A Vis signified Cartier’s return to watchmaking form with a watch that emphasized their iconic design while also showcasing their watchmaking prowess. With its skeletonized display, and enlarged 28mm x 40.5mm case (when measured from lug-to-lug), the Tank à Vis Squelette is a wonderfully wearable timepiece that still retains Cartier's elegant design language while flexing some horological muscles in a rather elegant manner.

Exercising Cartier's horological muscles through its impressive craftsmanship and a revitalized eye for detail and design, the CPCP program was thoroughly successful thanks to watches like the Tank à Vis Squelette ref. 2772 that we have here.