Cartier Tortue Wristwatches

Cartier Tortue Watches

The Cartier Tortue watch was designed in the early 20th century and takes its name from the French word for “turtle,” thanks to its shell-like case silhouette. Cartier has never manufactured Tortue watches in vast numbers like the wildly popular Tank timepieces, but instead develops them with Cartier connoisseurs and collectors in mind. As a result, Cartier crafts Tortue watches only from precious metals and often fits them with exquisite complications. 

Cartier Tortue History

From the beginning, Maison Cartier distinguished itself by focusing on “shaped watches” — which is what the brand calls nonround timepieces. Developed in 1912, the tortoise shell-inspired Tortue was Cartier’s third wristwatch design, following the square Santos (1904) and the barrel-shaped Tonneau (1906). 

While the earliest versions of the Tortue were time-only watches for ladies, Cartier soon began offering more complicated Tortue watches for men as well. The Tortue Monopoussoir single-pusher chronograph debuted in 1928, and the Tortue Minute Repeater followed the year after. Over the following decades, Cartier continued to produce the Tortue in small numbers, mostly as special-order pieces. 

In 1998, Cartier launched the Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP) series, which was home to modern and limited reissues of the Maison’s most beloved vintage watches. The Tortue became a prominent watch model of the CPCP series, starting with the 1998 Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph and joined by others like the Tortue Perpetual Calendar, Tortue 8 Days and more. Cartier replaced the CPCP series with the Cartier Fine Watchmaking Collection in 2008, and high-complication Tortue watches soon joined that lineup.  

Alongside the technically complex Tortue watches, Cartier has also continuously produced elegant time-only Tortue watches for men and women.  

Tortue Timeline

• 1912 — Louis Cartier designs the Tortue watch.
• 1928 — Maison Cartier introduces the Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph.
• 1929 — Cartier develops the Tortue Minute Repeater.
• 1998 — The CPCP series makes its debut, including the vintage-inspired Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph.
• 1998–2008 — Cartier releases several CPCP Tortue models, ranging from time-only to high-complication. 
• 2008 — The Cartier Fine Watchmaking Collection replaces the CPCP, and various high-complication Tortue watches soon follow.

Tortue de Cartier Design and Features 

The Tortue watch’s defining design trait is the shape of its case, which features two straight horizontal lines connected by two convex vertical lines. The curvaceous sides of the Tortue case extend to become the four lugs of the watch that hold the bracelet in place. All Cartier Tortue watches are made from precious metals, whether yellow gold, white gold, rose gold or platinum. Many Cartier Tortue women’s watches are further embellished with diamond-set bezels. 

Modern Tortue watches are categorized according to the following case sizes: 

• Cartier Tortue Small Model
• Cartier Tortue Medium Model
• Cartier Tortue Large Model
• Cartier Tortue XL Model

In addition to time-only Tortue models, Cartier has made a vast assortment of Tortue watches with complications: 

• Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph
• Tortue Minute Repeater
• Tortue Perpetual Calendar
• Tortue Tourbillon Chrono Monopoussoir
• Tortue Tourbillon Ascensionnel Retrograde
• Tortue 8 Days
• Tortue Multiple Time Zone
• Tortue Grand Date
• Tortue Day & Night

In similar fashion to most Cartier watches, Tortue timepieces generally feature light-colored dials with black Roman numerals and blue hands. One way to differentiate a CPCP Tortue from a standard production Tortue watch is that the former will have “Cartier Paris” on the dial while the latter will have “Cartier.” Another way is to look at the hour and minute hands — a standard-issue Tortue will generally have sword-shaped ones, while a CPCP Tortue will have Breguet-style hands with open circular details near the tips. 

The vast majority of Cartier Tortue watches run on manual-winding mechanical movements. 

Cartier Tortue Price and Collectibility

Tortue watches have always been some of Cartier’s more expensive watches, thanks to their precious metal construction.  

The prices for Cartier Tortue watches can range dramatically depending on what type of functionality the timepiece has. For example, in 2021, preowned Tortue watches with time-only dials and leather straps range from about $7,500 to $15,000. Editions with full gold bracelets will typically start at $16,500 and quickly go up from there if there are diamonds, too. 

As expected, high-complication Cartier Tortue watches are ultra-expensive. For instance, in 2021 the price of the yellow gold Tortue Minute Repeater in Cartier’s catalog is $120,000. What’s more, it is not uncommon for a preowned Tortue Tourbillon Chrono Monopoussoir to be priced above $100,000 in the secondary market. 

Given that they’ve always been produced in low numbers, Tortue watches are some of the most collectible Cartier watches in the market. Cartier Privée Tortue watches from 1998 to 2008 and vintage Tortue watches from the 1920s and 1930s are particularly prized by collectors. And among these, the Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph models are especially sought after — and hard to find. 

In 2020, a white gold CPCP Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph circa 2008 sold for over $40,000, which was twice its presale estimate. One element that makes Privée Tortue watches particularly appealing for collectors is that Cartier sourced the movements from highly respected movement makers. For example, the CPCP Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph runs on a movement made by THA Èbauche, which was founded by three now-famous names in modern watchmaking: Vianney Halter, Denis Flageollet and François-Paul Journe.

Cartier Tortue Fun Fact

In 2002, a 1929 vintage Tortue Minute Repeater sold for over $1,100,000 — the most expensive Cartier ever sold at auction.