1960s Cartier Tank Allongee 18K Gold Plaque "Steve McQueen"

The Cartier name is synonymous with luxury and has been since the brand's inception in 1847. Offering bespoke and unique jewelry to the world’s elite allowed Cartier to steadily grow through the 19th century and eventually introduced new offerings and wristwatches to their clientele. Most notably known for the Tank Louis, the Cartier brand and jewelry juggernaut also produced some eclectic references that are just as interesting and in many cases much more rare than the classic Tank.

The Tank Allongee was initially introduced in the 1920s under the direction of Louis Cartier himself. This was an era of expansion for the Cartier watch department, and one that we see the most iconic models come from, like the Allongee, Cintree, Cloche, and Basculante. With a name that directly translates to "Elongated Tank", this distinct Cartier took the traditional Tank style and gave it a subtle, or sometimes severe, stretch. 

Steve McQueen is well known and well documented within the watch community for the watches he wore on and off screen, but the classiest watch the iconic movie star wore is one that is seldom mentioned when his name is brought up, likely due to how rare the watch is itself. That watch is the Cartier Tank Allongee 18K Gold Plaque featured in the 1968 film "The Thomas Crown Affair", a watch designed by Cartier New York exclusively for the American market and was sold between the 60s and early 70s. It is believed fewer than 1000 of this Cartier model were made, with only a fraction surviving today. Due to the extremely long and thin proportions that feature a significant curve, which is unique for the Allongee line, this watch is often mistaken for the more commercially known Tank Cintree. However, upon closer inspection, there are numerous attributes that set this unique Tank Allongee apart, most notably being the case construction that houses the ETA Cal. 2412 manual wind movement. 

Considering the rarity, extremely attractive design, and pop culture significance, the Cartier Tank Allongee 18K Gold Plaque currently remains undervalued and the example offered here is in exceptionally impressive and well-preserved condition.