1970s Near New Old Stock Blita White "Cristallor" Mechanical
Ref: 51387
Specification
Lugs : 16mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Chrome
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and, therefore, comes with no original Blita box or paperwork. It is paired with a well-suited aftermarket 16mm leather strap. The watch is from the Circa 1970s and is sold in Near New Old Stock condition, as you can see from the photos, marks are from storage over the years. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kBUSgdSH0KlORZanBZDqm8TCPIW3QZWm?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 22:52 - https://youtu.be/I2xWLseGRqc
The Watch
Here we have a quintessential 1970s Near New Old Stock Blita White "Cristallor" Mechanical with a 22mm stainless steel case in a distinctive five-step design similar to the Cartier Cristallor launched in 1973. A lug-to-lug length of 42mm and a case thickness of 9mm ensure a comfortable fit on the wrist. On the right side is a black cabochon inset push/pull coin-edged crown. The steps lead to a rectangular-shaped crystal above an attractive white sterile crosshair dial. The simple baton hands sit proudly in the centre. At 12 o’clock, we have the Blita motif in black to complete this refined dress watch. On the reverse, a snap-off case back, inside a manually wound Swiss, 17 jewels movement. The watch comes paired with its original 16mm leather strap and pin buckle.
Personal Note
One from the personal collection that I will be sad to see go, as of the time of this going up on the website I also have a blue dial for sale, both sat in my collection and were worn a handful of times at most, the wrist presence is incredible and different to anything I've owned previously. Both were purchased as new old stock and still feature their case back sticker, both are incredibly well preserved and I would love if both stayed together in a new collection, but the opportunity is there to buy whichever you prefer!
The Brand
Blita was founded in 1928 in Les Breuleux, Switzerland. It was a member of the Coopérative de Fabricants Suisses d'Horlogerie (SAH), a consortium created in 1960 to help small Swiss watchmakers compete with larger Swiss watchmakers. Unfortunately, the brand didn’t survive the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. Today, the brand has been brought back to life, and new Swiss-made watches have been developed and designed in the same spirit as the original owners from their headquarters in Hong Kong.