Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Bulgari · Bulgari Bulgari
Bulgari Bulgari Bulgari 44 mm Meteorite Sapphire
Reference 64229OR.24
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Bulgari
- Collection
- Bulgari Bulgari
- Model
- Bulgari Bulgari Bulgari 44 mm Meteorite Sapphire
- Reference number
- 64229OR.24
- Year / era
- 1988 · 1980s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Time and date
- Movement
- In-house automatic chronograph
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 44 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 59F — In-house automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Time and date
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1988 – 2002
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Bulgari Bulgari Bulgari 44 mm Meteorite Sapphire sits within Bulgari's Bulgari Bulgari line, introduced in 1988. It carries the house codes established since 1884 — sapphire crystal case case, meteorite dial and in-house automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Bulgari
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1884
- Founder
- Sotirio Bulgari
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Octo Finissimo, Serpenti, Bulgari Bulgari, Diva's Dream, Aluminium
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · In-house hairspring production
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Bulgari Octo Finissimo 36 mm Salmon Platinum (1955) · Bulgari Octo Finissimo 42 mm Silvered Sapphire (1984) · Bulgari Octo Finissimo 42 mm Meteorite Stainless (1952) · Bulgari Octo Finissimo 39 mm Silvered 18k (1953)
Brand history
Bulgari has spent more than 142 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Octo Finissimo, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Sotirio Bulgari established Bulgari in 1884, working from Italy at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Bulgari calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1884
Sotirio Bulgari founds Bulgari in Italy.
1899
Bulgari earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Bulgari to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Bulgari enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Bulgari continues to produce Octo Finissimo, Serpenti, Bulgari Bulgari and other icons in limited numbers.
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