Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph CPCP

Though Cartier produced many fine mechanical watches during its 170-year history, by the mid-1990s, the brand was known primarily as a maker of quartz watches.

In an effort to rejuvenate its status as a premier manufacture, in 1998 Cartier launched the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, or 'CPCP,' for short. The Collection Privée resurrected classic wristwatch designs from the Cartier archives and utilized high-grade mechanical movements from the likes of Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Girard-Perregaux. 

This particular watch, the Tortue Monopusher (or, pardon our French, the Monopoussoir), uses a case design Cartier conceived in the 1920s — the Tortue, or "tortoise." While their Tank collections had a number of varying case shapes (Française, Louis, Cintrée or Basculante, just to name a few), the Tortue is a different look entirely. Its sensuous curves lent itself well to use in many different watches, from time-only to complicated references, including the original monopusher chronograph from 1928. 

When Cartier released the first-series of the Collection Privée 1998, the Tortue Monopusher was among the debut models. In keeping with the spirit of collaboration that Cartier had always employed in supplying calibres for its watches, the brand relied on an outside party for the movement of the Monopusher. Rather than Cartier's Richemont stablemate, JLC, the brand entrusted a company called THA Èbauche.

Who might that be, you wonder? None other than Vianney Halter, François-Paul Journe, and Denis Flagolet, who would later go on to form De Bethune. While we're not certain of Journe's hand in developing the Calibre 045MC more specifically, his role in THA Èbauche is doubtless. Flagolet, for his part, later used the calibre in a monopusher designed for De Bethune, cementing the Tortue Monopusher's place among the greats of haute horlogerie and giving it just that little bit of credit among fans of independent watchmakers, for good measure.

The byword of the Tortue Monopusher is elegance, from the curves of the case to the incredible guilloché dial and blued steel hands. The movement, glimpsed through a sapphire exhibition case back, is a work of art in and of itself, beautifully finished to the highest order. And though a chronograph by its nature is meant for use in sports timing, the slim profile of the case — and the fact that the movement relies on a single pusher to operate it — makes it perhaps the only chronograph that looks best when peeking out from under the cuff of a bespoke suit. 

Housed in a 35mm 18K white gold Tortue case with a sapphire-set crown, a sapphire crystal, and a sumptuous, smooth bezel, it features a gorgeous silver guilloché dial with an outer 1/5th-seconds track, stylized 'Roman' numeral indices, a dual-register chronograph layout with 30-minute and running-seconds registers, and a blued steel 'Breguet' handset. Beautifully finished and signed 'Cartier Paris,' it is, quite simply, a collector's dream. 

Powered by the aforementioned Calibre 045MC hand-wound movement and paired to a signed blue alligator leather strap with a white gold deployant clasp, it comes with its service papers from 2024 detailing a complete overhaul by Cartier in Canada. Made in a run of just a few-hundred pieces, this exquisite timepiece represents the efforts of some of the best and brightest minds in contemporary watchmaking. If that sort of thing rings your bell, then give us a call!

Despite being a purveyor of haute joaillerie, Cartier has had a long tradition of making watches.

It started in 1907, when founder Louis Cartier made what was one of the first wristwatches for his friend Alberto Santos-Dumont. In the following years, the brand made a name for itself with its most famous wristwatch, the Tank, in all its multitudinous forms.

Cartier introduced the Tank in 1917 — which was supposedly inspired by the Renault FT-17 tanks seen on the battlefields of World War I — with a run of six pieces. (According to legend, these were given to American General John J. Pershing and his staff.) Cartier took the look of the Renault tank's treads and applied it to the watch’s lugs, which were integrated via brancards into the case itself. That first run of six pieces increased to thirty-three by 1920, and by the end of the 20th Century, that number stood well in the hundreds of thousands. Indeed, in sheer volume alone, the Tank — in all its various models — is Cartier's largest line of watches.

The Tank Louis was introduced in 1922, followed close on the heels of the Asian-influenced Tank Chinoise. The Chinoise, released amidst a mania for jewelry inspired by the Orient, has a square rather than rectangular case and lugs that resemble the portico of a Chinese pagoda.

From its debut, the Tank would see many variations, each in keeping with Louis Cartier’s taste for clean lines and perfect symmetry. Each variant — from the original Tank to the Tank Louis to the Cintrée with its flirtatious, curvaceous lines — has its passionate devotees. Rudolph Valentino, that sensual star of the silver screen, insisted on wearing his Tank onscreen in The Son of the Sheik, and Clark Gable, Andy Warhol, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were among those who sported a one throughout the years.

Other model lines, including the Santos (based upon the original model crafted for Alberto Santos-Dumont) and the Pasha, have developed devoted followers. Indeed, the maison is unique as one of the few jewelry brands to elicit as much passion from collectors as dedicated watch companies.

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Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.