Cartier Tank 95355C: what to check on a used piece

Cartier Tank 95355C is the reference in this note. Treat the papers and the box as a separate object from the watch. The card should repeat the reference you can read on the case. If it does not, believe the case until you have a reason in writing, and record the mismatch. Count the links or look at the strap holes. Extra holes, a shortened bracelet, or a strap that is not the width of the lug gap are changes people make so a watch fits. They are worth writing down because the next owner needs the same fit. Look at the spring bars. Bent tips and rust at the lug hole tell you the strap has been wet or forced. The crystal, the insert, and the hands are the other parts people replace when they want the watch to look newer than the case. Compare the finish of those parts with the finish of the lugs. Same wear, same age. Different wear, a later part. That comparison is the whole of a used-watch note.

How it differs

Cartier Tank 95355C is a dress case. The checks are the date window if it has one, the thinness of the lugs, and the strap or bracelet that was fitted later. A leather strap is a wearable part, not the watch. Look at the lug gap and the keeper. People change straps, hands, and crystals on dress watches. The case engraving is still the reference.

What to check on a used piece

What to check on a used Cartier Tank 95355C starts with the engraving. The reference to read is 95355C. Then check end-link play, clasp fold, and whether the hands pass each other. There is no price in this note.

Common mods

Common changes are a new strap, a replaced crown, and a crystal. The date disk, when there is one, should match the dial in color and in height. A disk that sits high or low is a note for a watchmaker, and it is still the same reference.

What people change

On the Cartier Tank 95355C, people change the bracelet, the case, or the movement.