Cartier · Ballon Bleu de Cartier and Tank Must de Cartier
Cartier WSBB0044 vs Cartier WSTA0106
7 published specifications differ between these two, and 1 are identical. Every figure below is what the manufacturer states for that reference; nothing is inferred from the other watch.
What differs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Steel case, 33 mm | Steel case, large model, case dimensions 33.7 x 25.5 mm |
| Thickness | 10.16 mm | 6.6 mm |
| Dial | Silver guilloche, with blued-steel sword-shaped hands | Silvered, with blued-steel sword-shaped hands |
| Crown | Fluted crown set with a cabochon synthetic spinel | Beaded crown set with a synthetic cabochon-shaped spinel |
| Bracelet | Steel interchangeable bracelet | Interchangeable steel bracelet |
| Movement | Mechanical movement with automatic winding | High Autonomy quartz movement |
| Movement notes | Cartier names no calibre for this reference and publishes no power reserve, lug width or accuracy figure. | Cartier names no calibre for this reference and publishes no battery life figure, despite describing the movement as High Autonomy. No crystal material or lug width is published either. |
What is identical
Worth knowing as much as the differences: these are the specifications you cannot use to tell the two apart.
- Water resistance
- Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet)
Stated for one, not the other
These rows cannot be compared, because one maker publishes the figure and the other does not. An empty cell is a gap in the manufacturer's documentation, not a gap in the watch — and not a licence to fill it in from the other column.
| Diameter | 33 mm | not stated |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal | Sapphire crystal | not stated |
What the differences cost you
Each note below follows from the published figures in the tables above — what they mean for intake, for a listing, and for the handover. Nothing here estimates a price or a margin.
A visible difference in how they wear
3.6 mm of thickness separates these, with the WSBB0044 the taller at 10.2 mm. That is the difference between a watch that goes under a cuff and one that catches on it — worth a photograph from the side rather than a number in a table.
Two different ownership conversations
The WSBB0044 is self-winding and the WSTA0106 is quartz. That changes what a buyer needs telling at handover, and it changes intake: a hand-wound watch has no rotor to mask a tired mainspring, and a stopped quartz watch is usually a battery rather than a fault.
What to check on each
WSBB0044
- Quote the thickness alongside the diameter. At 10.16 mm on a 33 mm case this is tall for its width, which is how a Ballon Bleu actually wears.
- Work the crown and the guard around it. The protective arc over the crown is the design signature of this model and a knock that has bent it is both visible and awkward to correct.
- Examine the guilloche dial across its whole surface at several angles, because a machined pattern records moisture and handling far more readily than a flat dial.
WSTA0106
- Quote the case as 33.7 by 25.5 millimetres rather than converting it to a diameter. A Tank is rectangular and has no diameter to state.
- Note that Cartier publishes no crystal material for this reference. Report what you observe on the watch and label it as your own observation rather than as a specification.
- Do not attach a battery life figure to the phrase High Autonomy. Cartier states no number, and one taken from elsewhere is not a specification.
Sources
- Cartier official product page for reference WSBB0044 (Ballon Bleu de Cartier, 33 mm, steel) - Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch; 33 mm; Mechanical movement with automatic winding; Steel case; Fluted crown set with a cabochon synthetic spinel; Silver guilloche dial; Blued-steel sword-shaped hands; Sapphire crystal; Steel interchangeable bracelet; Thickness: 10.16 mm; Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet). No caliber number, power reserve or lug width is published on this page — retrieved 2026-09-23
- Cartier official product page for reference WSTA0106 (Tank Must de Cartier, large model, steel) - Tank Must watch; Large model; High Autonomy quartz movement; Steel case; Beaded crown set with a synthetic cabochon-shaped spinel; Silvered dial; Blued-steel sword-shaped hands; Interchangeable steel bracelet; Case dimensions: 33.7 x 25.5 mm; Thickness: 6.6 mm; Water-resistant up to 3 bar (approx. 30 meters/100 feet). No crystal material, caliber number, power reserve or lug width is published on this page — retrieved 2026-09-23
Not affiliated with Cartier. Specifications are read from each manufacturer's own published documentation on the dates shown and may change; the manufacturer's current documentation governs.