More people are priced out of a Cartier Tank by its reputation than by its price. The watch that sat on Jackie Kennedy’s wrist and Andy Warhol’s — the one Warhol admitted he never even wound — reads as unobtainable. It is not. The watch in our showroom this week makes the case: a 2012 Tank Solo XL, reference 3515, pre-owned in mint condition, full set, at €3,300.
This is what it is, what it is not, and what to check before buying any Tank — this one included.
The piece on our desk
- Model: Cartier Tank Solo XL, automatic
- Reference: 3515 (case reference; Cartier’s commercial reference for this configuration is W5200028)
- Year: 2012
- Condition: Pre-owned, mint
- Scope of delivery: Original box and papers — full set
- Case: Stainless steel, 31 mm × 40.85 mm, 7.65 mm thick
- Dial: Silvered opaline, black Roman numerals, blued-steel sword hands, date at 6
- Movement: Cartier calibre 049, automatic, 42-hour power reserve
- Crown: Beaded, set with a synthetic blue spinel cabochon
- Strap: Black alligator leather
- Water resistance: 30 metres — rain and hand-washing, not swimming
- Price: €3,300, in stock in Athens, private viewing by appointment
What the Tank Solo actually is
The Tank Solo was Cartier’s entry into the Tank line — introduced in 2004, retired from the catalogue when the Tank Must replaced it. “Entry” deserves honesty rather than euphemism. The Solo is not a precious-metal Tank and it does not carry an in-house movement. If you want a Tank Louis in gold with a manufacture calibre, this is not it — and you will pay four to five times more for one.
What the Solo gives you is the part of the Tank that matters most: the case Louis Cartier drew in 1917 — the vertical brancards that run into the strap, the proportions that made the Tank the most copied watch design of the twentieth century — executed by Cartier, with the silvered dial, the Roman numerals, the secret signature hidden in the numerals, and the blued sword hands that make a Tank read as a Tank from across a room.
A design this old has outlived every trend it ever met. That is the argument for buying one, and it has nothing to do with the metal.
Why the XL automatic is the one to look for
Most Tank Solos are quartz, and most are smaller. The XL changes both things at once.
At 31 mm × 40.85 mm it wears like a modern watch — present on the wrist without abandoning the Tank’s discretion. And it is the only Solo fitted with an automatic movement: the calibre 049, running at 28,800 vph with a 42-hour reserve, with a date at 6 o’clock the quartz models do not have. The 049 is built on a proven ETA base — tough, accurate, and inexpensive to service for decades to come. On a watch you intend to wear rather than store, an unglamorous movement that any competent watchmaker can maintain is a feature, not a compromise.
Mechanical, rectangular, from Cartier, at this price — the list of alternatives is short.
What a full set is worth on a €3,300 watch
Box and papers matter proportionally more here than on a five-figure watch. On this Tank the full set does three jobs: it dates the watch precisely to 2012, it anchors resale — Tanks without papers trade noticeably below ones with them — and it removes the authentication question that follows every Cartier, because the Tank’s fame made it a counterfeiter’s favourite long before the Submariner was.
Ours has both, and the watch was checked by our master watchmaker — 50+ years at the bench — before it was listed.
What to check on any Tank before you buy
The checks below apply to this watch — which is why we can list them — and to any Tank you are offered anywhere.
- The brancards. The Tank’s vertical case flanks take the knocks a bezel would take on a round watch. Look along them under angled light for dents and deep scratches — light surface wear polishes out; rounded-off edges mean it already has been, too many times.
- The cabochon. The crown stone should sit tight and unchipped. On a Solo it is synthetic spinel — deep blue, not purple. A loose or cloudy stone is a cheap fix at a proper workshop and a bargaining point everywhere.
- The secret signature. Genuine Tanks hide “Cartier” in tiny script inside a Roman numeral. Bring a loupe. Counterfeits routinely miss it or botch it.
- The date and the deployant. On the XL, check the date snaps over crisply around midnight, and inspect the folding clasp’s teeth — a stretched deployant lets the strap slip.
- The strap, without sentiment. Alligator is a consumable, like tyres. Judge the watch, not the strap; a replacement is routine and ours is fitted with a proper one.
None of this needs a workshop. All of it is easier with the watch in your hand — which is what a private viewing in Athens is for.
This Tank Solo XL is in stock now at Spyrou Merkouri 4, 116 34 Athens — €3,300, full set, viewing by appointment, insured worldwide shipping. See it in our collection, or if a Tank is what you are selling, tell us what you have. Every watch we list is personally inspected and authenticated first, and our workshop backs its work with a written two-year warranty using original parts only.
Call or WhatsApp +30 697 546 1445. Monday–Saturday, 10:00–19:00.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Tank Solo a “real” Cartier Tank?
Yes — designed, cased and sold by Cartier as part of the Tank family. It is the accessible end of the line: steel rather than gold, an ETA-based calibre rather than a manufacture one. The case design is the same 1917 blueprint as every other Tank.
What movement is inside the Tank Solo XL?
The Cartier calibre 049 — an automatic on a proven ETA base, 28,800 vph, 42-hour power reserve, with a date at 6. The smaller Solos are quartz; the XL is the only automatic Solo.
Can I swim with it?
No. 30 metres of water resistance on paper means rain and hand-washing in practice. Rectangular cases seal less forgivingly than round ones — keep any Tank away from swimming pools.
Do you service Cartier watches in Athens?
Yes. Our workshop is run by a certified master watchmaker with more than 50 years of experience, and every service carries a written two-year warranty using original parts only. We are an independent specialist, not an authorised Cartier service centre — and for a watch still under factory warranty, the authorised network is where it should go.
GrecoWatch is an Athens-based luxury watch specialist and a Chrono24 Trusted Seller with a 5.0 rating from 54 reviews. Every watch is personally inspected and authenticated, with insured worldwide shipping and private viewings by appointment.