Hermès Bolide Tokyo: Prices, Sizes & the Mini

In short: The Hermès Bolide was the first handbag to close with a zipper, and a century on it remains one of the quietest and most practical bags Hermès makes. It comes in two lines, the original Bolide with its small oval patch and the cleaner Bolide 1923, and the full sizes are seldom chased, so an unused piece in Tokyo is rarely priced far above the boutique. The exception is the Mini Bolide, the size boutiques can seldom offer a visitor; Ginza Celia sources it to order, with no purchase history required.

Two different bags answer to the name Bolide. One is the domed, zip-top bag with a small oval patch on the front, made in sizes from 27 to 45. The other is the Bolide 1923, a cleaner line named for the year the original appeared, and it includes the small crossbody Mini, the Bolide size we handle most often. The two differ in size, in how they are carried, and in how easily you will find one, and a resale listing does not always say which of them it is.

What follows is how we would guide you at our Ginza salon: which line suits the way you carry a bag, what each costs in Tokyo, where the difficulty lies, and how we find the right piece when it is not on our shelf.

What Is the Hermès Bolide?

The Hermès Bolide is a domed, zip-top handbag first made in 1923, and the first handbag to close with a zipper. Hermès designed it for drivers and long-distance travelers, to fit easily into the rounded trunks of the cars of the day. Today it exists in two generations: the original Bolide in 27, 31, 35, and 45, and the Bolide 1923 in Mini, 25, and 30, with a travel-size 45 above them.

According to Sotheby's, Émile-Maurice Hermès came across the zipper during a 1916 visit to Henry Ford's factory in North America, secured the rights to use it on leather goods in France, and in 1923 introduced it in a bag first called le sac pour l'auto. Hermès did not invent the zipper. The later name is French for a fireball or bright meteor, and colloquially for a fast car.

Two details from that origin still matter to a buyer: the zip follows the curve of the dome and opens almost to the base, so the whole interior is visible at once, and the base usually sits on small protective feet.

There are also Bolides outside these two lines, including a backpack, a messenger, and the Bolide on Wheels, a small handbag with two car wheels set into its body. This guide covers the two handbag lines.

What Sizes Does the Hermès Bolide Come In?

Hermès Bolide sizes divide into two lines. The current Bolide 1923 is made as the Mini, 25, and 30, measuring 18.5, 26, and 30 cm wide. The original Bolide comes in 27, 31, 35, and 45. The 1923 figures below are Hermès' official dimensions; the original sizes are approximate, because they have been made by hand across many years of production and pieces from different years measure slightly differently.

A4 paper measures 21 × 29.7 cm. Hermès also makes a travel-size Bolide 1923-45, which sits outside the everyday sizes covered here.

Three points in this table catch buyers out:

• The size name is not the width. The Bolide 25, officially the Bolide 1923-25, measures 26 cm across. If a measurement matters to you, ask for it rather than reading it from the model number.
• Of the 1923 Mini, 25, and 30, only the Mini is built for crossbody wear. Hermès lists the 25 and 30 for hand or shoulder carry only, on an 84 cm strap. A longer strap can be fitted to a 25, provided its clasps match the bag's hardware.
• A4 documents fit comfortably only from the 31 upward. The 1923-30 takes a sheet, but too tightly for daily use.

Can You Still Order a Bolide 27 or 31 From Hermès?

Not reliably. Hermès has made no announcement ending the original sizes, but the 27, 31, 35, and 45 rarely if ever appear on Hermès' online stores and are not a regular sight in its boutiques. A buyer looking for an original Bolide today is looking at the resale market, where nearly every piece is pre-owned. Treat an unused 27 or 31 as a find to act on when it appears, not something to plan a trip around.

How Do You Tell a Bolide 1923 From an Original Bolide in a Listing?

Look at the front. An original Bolide has an oval leather patch and a horizontal seam at about two-thirds of its height (Japanese sellers sometimes call the patch the "macaroon"). The Bolide 1923 front is plain. The padlock tells you nothing: a 1923-25 can come with one, and an original 27 often comes without.

Before you commit to a piece from a photograph:

1. Oval patch on the front: original Bolide.
2. Horizontal seam across the front: original Bolide.
3. Plain front, no patch, no seam: Bolide 1923.
4. Width alone does not settle it. A 1923-25 (26 cm) and an original 27 (approx. 27 cm) are within a centimeter of each other.
5. Ignore the padlock (cadena) as a guide to the generation.
6. Ask for a straight-on front photo if the listing does not show the patch or seam clearly, together with the blind stamp for the production year.

What Is the Mini Bolide, and What Does It Hold?

The Mini Bolide is the Bolide 1923 Mini, the smallest size in the current line at 18.5 × 14.5 × 8 cm. It holds a card case, keys, and a lipstick with ease; whether it takes your phone depends on the phone. Of the Mini, 25, and 30, it is the only size Hermès lists for crossbody wear, with a 105.6 cm strap on snap hooks, and it comes without the padlock the larger sizes can carry.

The Hermès Mini Bolide in practice:

• Phone: measure yours against the 18.5 cm width and 14.5 cm height, allowing for the curve of the top, before you commit.
• Against the Mini Kelly: the Kelly 20 measures about 20 × 12 × 5.5–6 cm, so the Mini Bolide is narrower but taller and noticeably deeper, and it holds more. Our Mini Kelly guide covers that bag in the same detail.
• Strap: the crossbody length suits most frames; over a winter coat, or if you are tall, try it on first.
• Leathers: Evercolor and Chèvre goatskin (such as Mysore) are the ones you will meet most often on the Mini.
• Price: the Japanese boutique price for a Mini in Evercolor is ¥1,061,500 (approx. $6,867 USD); unused pieces in Tokyo currently trade between ¥990,000 and ¥1,698,000 (approx. $6,404–$10,985 USD), depending on leather and color.

The Mini is where the Bolide stops being easy. Boutiques rarely have one on the shelf for a visitor without a purchase history; it goes mainly to clients with an established sales-associate relationship and does not stay long on Hermès' online store. Tokyo's unused market offers Minis more often than any other Bolide size, and it is the size we handle most, but a specific color and leather can take time to surface. Plan a Mini as a request, not something to find on the day.

How Much Does a Hermès Bolide Cost in Tokyo?

The Hermès Bolide price in Japan, at a Hermès boutique after the February 2026 revision, is ¥1,287,000 (approx. $8,326 USD) for a Bolide 1923-25 in Epsom and ¥1,518,000 (approx. $9,820 USD) for a Bolide 1923-30 in Epsom. Unused pieces on Tokyo's resale market trade on both sides of those figures, depending on leather, color, hardware, and stamp year.

Boutique prices are Japanese retail for the leather named. Hermès' Japanese online store does not list most Bolide sizes, so confirm the current figure at the boutique. Unused ranges exclude exotic leathers. Exchange rate: 1 USD ≈ 154.58 JPY.

How to read the two columns:

• Side by side, not as a verdict on value. The boutique price assumes Hermès offers you the exact size, leather, and color you want; the unused range is what is on a shelf in Tokyo now, each piece placed by its color, leather, and hardware.
• The original 27 and 31 are priced by condition. Judge each one on its photographs and blind stamp, not on a list price.
• Pay in yen. On a charge of this size, declining dynamic currency conversion matters; our guide to paying for a Hermès bag in Japan covers card limits and settings.

Until October 31, 2026, visitors pay the tax-excluded price at the register; from November 1, the 10% consumption tax is paid in full and refunded after departure, less any refund provider's fee, as our guide to Japan's 2026 tax-free changes explains.

Why Is the Bolide Underrated, and Which Sizes Are Hard to Find?

The full-size Bolide is underrated because it is quiet and not chased. It carries no quota at Hermès boutiques, so a Bolide 1923-25 or 30 can be shown to a visitor without a purchase history, and unused full sizes in Tokyo trade on both sides of the boutique price rather than far above it. The Mini Bolide is the exception: boutiques rarely have one for a walk-in visitor.

The reasons it stays under the radar work in a buyer's favor:

• It is understated. With no turn-lock, no sangles, and, on the Bolide 1923, a plain front, it is recognized mainly by people who know Hermès well.
• It closes completely. A single zip seals the whole top, which matters on a crowded train, in an airport queue, or under an aircraft seat.
• It holds more than its footprint suggests. The dome adds volume that a flat-sided bag of the same width does not have, which makes the 25 a capable everyday and travel bag.

Whether the size, leather, and color you want is at the boutique on the day you visit is another matter; that is the gap Tokyo's unused market fills.

Which Leather Should You Choose for a Bolide?

On the current Bolide 1923, the leathers you will meet most are Epsom on the 25 and 30, Evercolor on the Mini and 25, and Chèvre on the Mini. The original Bolide was most often made in Clemence, Epsom, and the very soft Sikkim, with Swift also appearing. Shape is the deciding factor: Epsom holds the dome, while Clemence and the other soft leathers slump as the bag is carried.

Store a soft-leather Bolide lightly stuffed so it keeps its line. Our guide to Hermès leather types compares each of these in more depth.

How Do You Secure an Unused Hermès Bolide in Tokyo?

You can secure an unused Bolide in Tokyo without a purchase history, waitlist, or sales-associate relationship: decide the line and size, then the leather, color, and hardware, and ask a specialist to search the city's unused market against that specification. Unused Minis appear most often, the 25 and 30 in smaller numbers, and an unused original 27 or 31 only occasionally, so a specific color or leather is usually a sourcing request from the start.

At Ginza Celia, Bolides reach our floor a few at a time. If the piece you want is not on the shelf, this is how we look for it:

1. Send us the specification on WhatsApp: line and size, leather, color, hardware, and, if it matters to you, the stamp year.
2. We check what is available and send photographs of the actual piece: the front (patch or plain), leather grain, hardware, blind stamp, and interior.
3. If nothing matches, we track arrivals against your request.
4. Try it on at our Ginza salon before you commit, with particular attention to the strap length.
5. Tax-free documentation is handled at the counter with your passport, under the rules that apply on your date of purchase.

Our guide to the most accessible Hermès bags in Tokyo places the Bolide alongside the Evelyne, Picotin, and Lindy if you are still choosing between models.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Hermès Bolide

Conclusion

The Bolide rewards a buyer who knows which one they want. The Bolide 1923-25 and 30 are understated, fully zipped, quota-free bags whose unused pieces in Tokyo trade on both sides of the boutique price. The Mini Bolide, the sought-after crossbody size, is best planned as a request, and the original 27 and 31 are a pre-owned search. Ginza Celia sources all three against your specification and photographs each piece before you commit. Every piece at Ginza Celia is physically authenticated before sale and sold under a license issued under Japan's Secondhand Goods Business Act (License No. 305562116803).

Connect with Our Concierge

Looking for a Mini Bolide, a Bolide 1923-25, or an original 31? Message our concierge with the size, leather, color, and hardware you have in mind, and we will search Tokyo's unused market against it.

• Visit Us: Ginza Celia Boutique — Google Maps
• Inquire via WhatsApp: Contact Our Concierge
• Browse New Arrivals: View the Unused Collection

Prices as of October 2026. Exchange rate: 1 USD ≈ 154.58 JPY.