Bulova’s latest addition to its Frank Lloyd Wright collection of watches is this limited-edition ode to the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which opened on Sept. 1, 1923 and celebrates its centennial this year.
New York—Bulova is expanding its Frank Lloyd Wright collection yet again, this time with a timepiece that pays homage to Tokyo’s famed Imperial Hotel.
Designed and built between 1913 and 1922, the hotel is one of the city’s architectural icons, with Wright merging Eastern and Western architecture in its design, Bulova said.
It is also one of the earliest examples of the style of architecture known as Mayan Revival, which took cues from the iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures.
Bulova said its Imperial Hotel watch focuses on a specific geometric peacock detail found in the hotel’s mural and carpeting, which is reflected in the rounded-edge hexagon shape of the dial as well as in the multi-layered printed graphic dial.
The watch has a 41 mm gold-tone stainless steel case with a blue calf-leather strap.
The caseback of Bulova’s new Frank Lloyd Wright Imperial Hotel watch features a drawing of the hotel as well as the watch’s individual number. The watch, which retails for $495, is limited to 1,000 pieces.
It is powered by a Miyota quartz movement and features a curved mineral glass crystal, crown at 2 o’clock, and a special caseback with a glass insert printed with a line drawing of the hotel’s façade. It is water resistant to 30 meters.
Sold in a special presentation box with a story booklet and commemorative plaque, the watch retails for $495 and is limited to 1,000 pieces. They are individually numbered, with the number appearing on the caseback.
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New York-based Bulova first partnered with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in 2018, launching a special collection of watches that paid homage to the famous American architect.
It’s added to the collection several times over the years with timepieces incorporating elements of specific Wright-designed buildings, like the Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, as well as the collection introduced in 2020 that was a nod to the architect’s foray into graphic design.
To see the entire collection, visit the Bulova website.
