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Lot 132 CARTIER THE HARRY PORTMAN GRAND TANK CINTRÉE GIFTED BY METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER
CARTIER. AN HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT LARGE RECTANGULAR CURVED 18K GOLD WRISTWATCH PRESENTED TO HARRY PORTMAN FROM METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER FOR THE OPENING OF THE EMPIRE THEATRE (LEICESTER SQUARE), LONDON, NOVEMBER 8TH 1928
SIGNED CARTIER, GRAND TANK CINTRÉE MODEL, CASE NO. 20483⁄27600, THE MOVEMENT SIGNED EUROPEAN WATCH AND CLOCK CO. INC., THE CASE WITH LONDON IMPORT MARKS FOR 1928
Closed9 May 2022
Price Realised
CHF 88,200
More Information
Specialist note
This endangered species strap is shown for display purposes only and is not for sale. The watch will be supplied with a calf leather strap.
The Cartier Grand Tank Cintrée is a rare and very elegant model, due to its large size and classic Cartier looks it has become one of the most sought after vintage Cartier wristwatches for collectors. An impressive watch with important historic provenance, the present watch is a particularly attractive example with Art-Deco style dial, the case is fully numbered both on the back cover and on the interior of the bezel, the interior of the back is also stamped ‘JC’ for Jacques Cartier along with London import hallmarks for 1928. The movement is correctly signed ‘European Watch and Clock Co. Inc.’, a partnership with Cartier that had begun in the 1920s.
Harry Portman was one of the investors in and a Director of the Empire theatre in London’s Leicester Square when it was refurbished in 1928. Portman was also general manager of all MGM's European theatres. The Empire Theatre was the second theatre on the site, it was built as a 'super cinema' with stage facilities and could seat 3,500 people. The Empire opened on the 8th of November 1928 with the 1916 silent MGM film accompanied by an orchestra "Trelawney Of The Wells," starring Norma Shearer. The Empire was respected and admired, not only by Londoners for whom it was an obvious first-choice for film entertainment, but throughout the length and breadth of the country and by legions of visitors from overseas.
The Cartier Grand Tank Cintrée is a rare and very elegant model, due to its large size and classic Cartier looks it has become one of the most sought after vintage Cartier wristwatches for collectors. An impressive watch with important historic provenance, the present watch is a particularly attractive example with Art-Deco style dial, the case is fully numbered both on the back cover and on the interior of the bezel, the interior of the back is also stamped ‘JC’ for Jacques Cartier along with London import hallmarks for 1928. The movement is correctly signed ‘European Watch and Clock Co. Inc.’, a partnership with Cartier that had begun in the 1920s.
Harry Portman was one of the investors in and a Director of the Empire theatre in London’s Leicester Square when it was refurbished in 1928. Portman was also general manager of all MGM's European theatres. The Empire Theatre was the second theatre on the site, it was built as a 'super cinema' with stage facilities and could seat 3,500 people. The Empire opened on the 8th of November 1928 with the 1916 silent MGM film accompanied by an orchestra "Trelawney Of The Wells," starring Norma Shearer. The Empire was respected and admired, not only by Londoners for whom it was an obvious first-choice for film entertainment, but throughout the length and breadth of the country and by legions of visitors from overseas.