I actually hesitated to make this an entire dial variation and most likely would not have if Cartier had not decided to release an amazing, limited edition Tank Cintrée in 2004 that featured Arabic indexes and a minute track with 50 pieces in platinum and 150 pieces in yellow gold. But the most famous example of this design is, of course, the Tank Cintrée by Cartier London, dated to 1929 and gifted by Fred Astaire to his friend and racehorse trainer Felix Leach Jr. What is so famous about Fred Astaire’s Tank Cintrée is that it not only has Arabic numerals, but these numerals are also painted in luminous radium and complemented by radium-filled cathedral-style hands.
As far as I know, this was the first time Arabic numerals and hands of this style appeared on a Tank Cintrée. While there is speculation that “a few” such Tank Cintrées were made, I have never seen any other example beyond this. Because of its near-mythological, unicorn-status fame, the Fred Astaire Tank inspired the creation of the aforementioned 2004 limited edition; however, it should be noted that while the new watch featured Arabic indexes, they were not luminous. Also, instead of cathedral hands, both executions of the watch featured flame-blued Breguet hands.
