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Bvlgari Antalia, 1990s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Bvlgari (maker)
Date
1990s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 20 mm
Stock no.
40990609
Credit line
Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40990609)
Catalogue title (original)
Bvlgari Antalia (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40990609), this is a wristwatch by Bvlgari, made in Switzerland, dated 1990s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 20 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 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

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

In the 1950s and 1960s, small ladies’ ‘cocktail’ watches were all the rage. These timepieces — thin, and often in precious metals with matching bracelets — were unobtrusive and elegant, with diminutive dials and mechanical movements whose small size is notable even today. (The famed Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 101, which powered many such cocktail watches, is still the world’s smallest mechanical movement, and has held this distinction since 1929.) Though no longer widely produced, this type of ladies’ timepiece remains the perfect accessory to a cocktail dress or evening gown. This particular cocktail watch from Bulgari dates to the 1990s. Housed in a 20mm, signed yellow gold case with an integrated, articulating cuff bracelet, a sapphire crystal, and an 18K yellow gold unsigned crown, it features a black dial with a yellow gold ‘pencil’ handset powered by a quartz movement. Perfect as accompaniment to eveningwear, this elegant cocktail watch is the ideal accessory for a night out. We’re sure you’ll agree!

Historical context

Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)

Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.

Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

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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