Price Of Admission: What is the Least Expensive Cartier?

You may surprised to hear that just a couple of years ago, Cartier watches were not the hottest thing in the world. Between 2016 and 2018, the Richemont Group began a buyback program in which half a billion dollars of Cartier watches were sent back from retailers. For anyone who wasn’t steeped in the watch industry back then, those were the days of deep discounting and grey market deals that would surely lead to reputation stagnation and decay. While the buyback program initially stung, the trimming of the inventory glut, and the rise of e-commerce in the luxury space during the pandemic, led to massive growth that culminated in 2021, when Cartier overtook Omega, which had long been the second-biggest watch brand by sales after Rolex. Given the brand’s long history and pervasive popularity among vintage, neo-vintage, and modern collectors, it may be a little daunting for the newer, first-time buyer who just wants to obtain that timeless Cartier without completely breaking the bank.

I spent a bit of time sorting through Cartier’s e-commerce platform as well as the pre-owned market and found that the cost of entry is really quite reasonable considering the brand's market segment. Naturally, there are compromises to be made in terms of size and especially in terms of movements, with the quartz pieces occupying the first tier of affordability. If you’re willing to push a little bit more, the second and third tier really opens up the options. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the cost of admission for a Cartier watch.

The rock-bottom, entry-level Cartier model is the Ronde Must de Cartier in a 29mm case with quartz movement, priced at $3,050. A simple, small, round-cased steel watch on a leather strap, the Ronde is most likely too small to be considered unisex but fortunately just adding just a couple of hundred bucks to the budget really expands the options in the entry-level quartz space. For $250 more, you can size up to the truly unisex, 36mm Ronde Must de Cartier or the small Tank Must in quartz. Note the small Tank is 29.5mm tall, 22mm wide, and 6.6mm thick so, yeah, it’s small.

While in the concept phase of this story, I was sure the Tank Must Solarbeat — at $3,300 for the small size and $3,450 for the large — would emerge as the best value, if not the most accessible. You’ll recall the Solarbeat was released in 2021 as Cartier’s first-ever solar-powered watch and boasted a 16-year battery life. However, it seems the availability of these depends on where you are. While the small model is available here in the United States, the large seemingly isn’t. However, both are available in France, the U.K., Singapore, and other countries. There could be many reasons for this, but it does complicate what would otherwise be the obvious easy pick.

Fortunately, the jump to a large, quartz Tank Must isn’t too bad, at $3,400 in either classic silver dial with Roman numerals or a really cool all-black-dial model. For the Cartier buyer on a budget that wants a bigger Tank, these large models are 33.7mm tall, 25.5mm wide, and 6.6mm thick. Frankly, for people who want a versatile Cartier and don’t want to worry about dealing with the hassle of winding, these quartz Tank watches are some of the best values out there and would easily be my recommendation. These are some of the most timeless watches in history, after all.

The second tier of accessible Cartier watches occupies the $3,650-4,700 range and adds some variety to the available options. Still, these are all quartz models, so you’ll have to wait for that third and priciest entry-level tier for mechanical movements. For $3,650, you can get the small Tank Must on a bracelet or size up to the large Tank Must on a bracelet for $3,850. We can start to have some fun at this price point with $3,700 opening the doors to a small steel Panthère (25mm tall, 19mm wide, 6mm thick) on bracelet or small steel Tank Française (25.7mm tall, 21.2mm wide, 6.8mm thick) on bracelet. The most affordable Santos-Dumont also just sneaks in with the small quartz model (38mm tall, 27.5mm wide, 7.3mm thick) at $3,900 — though spending $300 more will get you the large case (43.5mm tall, 31.4mm wide, 7.3mm thick). Finally, the small quartz Tank Américaine (35.4mm tall, 19.4mm wide, 6.8mm thick) on a leather strap starts right at $4,000.

Finally, there is the third tier, which is the entry level for those who want a mechanical Cartier. The extra-large Tank Must (41mm tall, 31mm wide, 8.4mm thick), with the in-house 1847MC automatic movement, which operates at 4 Hz and has a 42-hour power reserve, comes in at exactly $5,000 on strap and $5,350 on steel bracelet. Not too far off is the 40mm Ronde Must de Cartier on matching steel bracelet also outfitted with the 1847MC and priced at $5,050. And if you really want to push it, the large Tank Française on bracelet is $5,700. Note the Française was updated back in 2023 with a more refined case and bracelet, and the large model was given the Caliber 1853 MC movement with a decent 37-hour power reserve.

While the base cost of entry for new Cartier watches has been thoroughly covered, there are still some, let’s call them “entry level micro-categories,” that I’d like to delve into. For example, the most affordable Cartier model with a little bit of gold on it is the small quartz Santos-Dumont in a two-tone steel case with 18k gold bezel, priced at $5,600. The Santos-Dumont will also be the starting point for the traditionalists who prefer a manual-wind movement. The steel, extra-large (46.6mm tall, 33.9mm wide, 7.7mm thick) model is outfitted with Caliber 430 MC (based on the Piaget 430P), operating at 3Hz with a 36-hour power reserve, and priced at $6,250. This price point will also get you a large Tank Américaine with an automatic movement. Finally —and I know we’re pushing it now— for anyone who wants the most affordable solid-gold Cartier, there is the Baignoire with quartz movement in the mini-size case (24.6mm tall, 18.7mm wide, and 7.2mm thick) in solid 18k yellow gold, priced at $6,900.

Of course, the hunt for an accessible Cartier watch doesn’t end with currently available new models. Some smart pre-owned shopping opens up a world of possibilities, including discontinued models you may not even have been familiar with. For example, the short-lived, cushion-shaped Drive de Cartier was released in 2016 and discontinued around 2022. A quick look at pre-owned inventory in the U.S.A. shows the the time-and-date models (Ref. WSNM0004 in silver dial or Ref. WSNM0009 in black dial) asking between $4,500 and $5,500. Or, there is the long- lived predecessor to the current Tank Must, the Tank Solo XL with automatic movement, which goes for around $3,000 on a strap and starts around $3,500 on a bracelet. And for the adventurous type who knows how to do their homework regarding buying older watches, there are plenty of very cool models — like the old Must de Cartier models from the 1980s, done in silver with gold-plated Vermeil cases, which start around $1,800 and go up to $3,500+ for rarer models.