18K Cartier Tortue Medium Watch

Our Perspective:

The Tortue, French for “turtle,” is one of Cartier’s earliest and most poetic case shapes. In fact, it was the third case shape Cartier ever produced (after the Santos and Tonneau) which means it pre-dates even the Tank. Introduced in 2014, this specific version was released in small or medium models, rather than the previous L and XL models and takes more inspiration from the earlier Tortue designs The softly curved tonneau silhouette wears beautifully and feels organic, almost sculptural, especially in white gold.

This example features the traditional silver Guilloché dial with bold Roman numerals, blued steel hands, and Cartier’s signature chemin de fer minute track. The proportions of the Medium model give the dial room to breathe, while still remaining a perfect size for anybody to enjoy. 

It comes fitted with a black Cartier leather strap, paired with an 18K white gold Cartier pin buckle. It's a watch that's more difficult to find than it seems, as full white gold Tortues in Medium size rarely surface, and when they do, they tend to disappear quietly.

Condition Report:

Good overall condition with wear consistent with daily use, including medium to heavy scratches and indentations throughout case and bezel. Dial, crystal and hands may show faint sings of age under magnification, but are clean to the naked eye. Black Cartier alligator strap shows light signs of wear and original 18K white gold pin buckle shows medium scratches.

Cartier Calibre 430MC is in beautiful aesthetic condition and runs well with a 5-position average of -2.3 S/D | 0.1MS BE | 265° AMP.

Watch can be fully refinished/polished by our watchmaker upon request of buyer. Timeline varies, please reach out for more details. 

Condition Grade: 7.75/10