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Buler wristwatch, date, circa 1960-1970 — view 1 of 3
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Buler wristwatch, date, circa 1960-1970

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Buler (brand / maker)
Date
c. 1960-1970
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
stainless steel
Dimensions
diameter 36.2 mm. (bezel) mm; height 42 mm; width 35.3 mm
Lot
Lot 348-25
Credit line
Auction lot record: LOT 25, Hong Kong, March 9th, 2022
Catalogue title (original)
Buler Diver’s, date, black dial; stainless steel (English)

View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 348-25), this is a wristwatch by Buler, dated c. 1960-1970. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. Recorded dimensions: diameter 36.2 mm. (bezel) mm; height 42 mm; width 35.3 mm. The record is illustrated with 3 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Antiquorum catalogue description

Stainless steel, manual-winding, round-shaped, diver’s wristwatch, water-resistant with snap-on case-back, 60-minute graduated bidirectional revolving bezel with black insertfor the decompression times, black dial with radial luminescent applied indexes, centre-seconds and one horological complication:· Half-instantaneous date of the month (aperture at 3 o’clock).

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Model: “30 ATM” “Beryllium Balance” “Jemaflex”; Reference: 10116; Movement No.: unnumbered; Case No.: unnumbered; Material: stainless steel; Bracelet: black leather strap; Buckle: stainless steel buckle; Diameter: 36.2 mm. (bezel); Height: 42 mm.; Width: 35.3 mm.; Signature: dial, case and movement

Inscriptions & marks

dial, case and movement

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Dive and water-resistant watches

Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.

Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.

What to look for

  • Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
  • Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
  • Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
  • Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.

Dating clues

  • Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
  • Professional dive watches: from 1953.
  • Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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