Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Gay Freres 18k Gold Zodiac ram bracelet cuff wristwatch with obsidian, c. 1970
- Maker / attribution
- Gay Frères (maker (maker's mark GF)); Bueche-Girod (signed on the case)
- Date
- c. 1970
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- 18k gold, gold, obsidian, yellow gold
- Auction house
- LiveAuctioneers auction archive
- Lot
- Item 124699473
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 142, The Ukraine Aid Jewelry Sale, Winbids Auctions (2022), via LiveAuctioneers
- Catalogue title (original)
- Gay Freres 18k Gold Zodiac ram bracelet cuff wristwatch with obsidian (English)
Editor's note
'Zodiac' in the lot title refers to the sign of Aries on this cuff watch, not the Zodiac watch company; the lot describes the GF maker's mark of Gay Frères and the signature 'G. FRERES FRANCE BUECHE-GIROD'.View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 124699473), this is a wristwatch by Gay Frères, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1970. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: 18k gold, gold, obsidian, yellow gold. The record is illustrated with 4 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
Lot description — Winbids Auctions
Asymmetric piece made in France during the late mid-century and the early modernist periods, circa 1970. This zodiacal wristwatch cuff was designed and crafted in solid yellow Gold of 18karats with highly textured surfaces. Conceived as a rigid cuff to be twisted, with two carved pieces of natural black onyx. One of them hold a ram's head and the other a watch.Suited with a hinged pin and a slash for extra security. The ram's eyes are accented, with a pair of cabochons cuts of natural Colombian green emeralds (0.20 Cts)The zodiac sign of the Ram is for Aries, between March 20 to April 19. The movement is mechanic manual winding, with white oval dial, roman numerals and black hands.Have a total weight of 124.4 Grams and fit a wrist up to 7 Inches (17.75 Cm).The overall measures are 33.4 mm by 90 mm (1.32 x 3.54 Inches).Stamped, with French hallmarks; the eagle's head for the assay and guaranty of the 18kt Gold, the maker's cartouche GF for Gay Freres and signed, "G. FRERES FRANCE BUECHE-GIROD OR .750 18KT Y6 7755 1 85586".
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
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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