For you watch guys- an older Bulova

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The_Eric

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This watch belonged to my wife's late father, given to her by her mother. It was his retirement present from the flour mill he worked at (1947-1973). It hasn't worked for some years, but as a birthday present, I took it into the local jewelry shop (I know a guy there) and had them look at it. I was pretty amazed at the movement; way different than the newer stuff out there. They later diagnosed the coil as being bad, and as luck would have, they had one of the few remaining parts out there.

It's really neat to see and hear it in operation... It makes a high pitched humming sound. Evidently it keeps time off that humming somehow? The watch guy was trying to explain it to me, but I wasn't understanding it.

20140222_204818_HDR_zps6lfppsis.jpg



A picture of the offending part:

20140222_224516_HDR_zpskk3biwji.jpg
 
That's cool!

I have an Accutron sitting on my dresser. It was my fathers. I remember being with my mother when she bought it as a birthday gift for my father. He was not happy that she spent that much on him. Seems like it was about $90. And that would have been in the late '60's.

I remember that they were the most accurate watch available at the time. Now, they don't hold a candle to a $30 Timex, as far as accuracy is concerned. Still, it is pretty cool to hear them hum.

As unique as they are, they aren't worth a lot as collectors items. Last time I checked, they are worth just slightly more than they cost when new. Too many of them made, and still available. But mine has a lot of sentimental value to me.
 
That's the reason I had this one fixed up. I don't really care what it's worth as a collector's item, just to my wife. She intends to pick out another band for it and wear her "daddy's" watch from time to time.
 
The humming would be the result of an oscillation.
If that oscillation occurs at a known and constant frequency then it could be easily used as a basis for keeping track of time.
Or at least that's my best guess.
I recall seeing one of these watches in the window of a jewelery store in the late 'sixties with a transparent face, exposing the working parts, which seemed pretty neat.
 
Yes, that is a very typical looking watch of that era and I love the crown at 4:00. I'd say 70's for sure!

I have over 70 watches from the 30's to present. Most of my dads Buolova's, Gruen's, Elgin's, Benson's from the 1930's & 40's. I do not have an Accutron. IIRC, they were made from the early 60's to the early 70's. And their hum came from the viberation of a mini tuning fork, hence their simble(tuning fork).

I did have a friend[RIP] that had just about every Accutron made in his collection. I don't know much about them!
 
I'm a HUGE Bulova fan! I've picked up a couple of Bulova "23" self-winding watches from the 50s, a couple of modern Marine Star models, and two modern Accutrons (a quartz chronograph, and an automatic chronograph). Modern Bulovas use Japanese movements, modern Accutrons use Swiss movements (Valjoux). But yours is a "true" Accutron with the tuning fork movement, the first truly electronic watch and the movement selected for all the clocks in the Apollo capsules (Omega watches were worn by the astronauts on the moon because NASA had concerns about how the tuning fork movement might behave in hard vacuum). Its great that you were able to get it working. Parts are hard(ish) to find, but there are Accutron enthusiasts out there with stockpiles who can keep it running when your local guy can't.

Hope your wife gets many years' enjoyment out of it!


Quote:
I recall seeing one of these watches in the window of a jewelery store in the late 'sixties with a transparent face, exposing the working parts, which seemed pretty neat.


That wold be the Accutron 'Spaceview' model. Bulova did a limited production re-issue back around 2010.

http://www.accutron214.com/SpaceviewHistory/front.jpg
 
Everybody has pretty much said it all, except that the Accutron was my dream watch when I was 13-14. Finally I bought a vintage one about 1998, a "doctor's watch" model with the Latin words for "Count to 20 beats" printed on the outer edge of the dial. It's a little small for my tastes, but I like it. Need to get it serviced again. Cool Accutron, sir!
 
Now you have motivated me. I'm going to take my father's Accutron in to the jeweler this week, and have them clean it, and put in a fresh battery.
 
Originally Posted By: Old Mustang Guy
I think I remember that the Accutron was the first wristwatch deemed accurate enough for the railroads. Prior to that, pocket watches were required.


According to the Bulova website, you're correct.

On a side note: Why does the railroad demand such accuracy of the timepieces used? I can certainly understand needing to know the time, but going through the trouble of certifying them? Do they run that tight of a time window? With all the electronics employed by them (for a very long time) I don't understand.
 
I have one like that. Belonged to my granddaddy. Needs a new band. I have that, an old diamond ring, and the tools he had. Granny gave me that stuff when he passed back in 1982.

I got a modern Bulova as my 10year company anniversary reward back in 2010.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: Old Mustang Guy
I think I remember that the Accutron was the first wristwatch deemed accurate enough for the railroads. Prior to that, pocket watches were required.


According to the Bulova website, you're correct.

On a side note: Why does the railroad demand such accuracy of the timepieces used? I can certainly understand needing to know the time, but going through the trouble of certifying them? Do they run that tight of a time window? With all the electronics employed by them (for a very long time) I don't understand.
If my history is correct, a deadly rail accident in the early 1900's caused by an inaccurate timepiece resulted in a mandate from Congress regarding the accuracy of watches in railroad use.
 
Originally Posted By: turbodieselfreak
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: Old Mustang Guy
I think I remember that the Accutron was the first wristwatch deemed accurate enough for the railroads. Prior to that, pocket watches were required.


According to the Bulova website, you're correct.

On a side note: Why does the railroad demand such accuracy of the timepieces used? I can certainly understand needing to know the time, but going through the trouble of certifying them? Do they run that tight of a time window? With all the electronics employed by them (for a very long time) I don't understand.
If my history is correct, a deadly rail accident in the early 1900's caused by an inaccurate timepiece resulted in a mandate from Congress regarding the accuracy of watches in railroad use.


Yep. Remember there didn't used to be GPS. Telegraph was unreliable. NO communication (other than signals) in the cabs of locomotives. Trains rolled according to conductors' watches, and making it to a siding to let the oncoming train pass was dependent on leaving at the scheduled time.

And if the conductor realized that they wouldn't make a station or siding in time... better break out the torpedoes! (look it up...) ;-)
 
Okay, I'd heard of them before, but as "track mines"...

I know that back around the turn of the century there wasn't reliable communications, but in 1962, when the Bulova was certified, I would have thought that the locomotive would have had an accurate time piece built into it. Heck, I remember a family friend who used to work for the CNW saying that he could only use certain watches, and that was in the late eighties/ early nineties.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Okay, I'd heard of them before, but as "track mines"...

I know that back around the turn of the century there wasn't reliable communications, but in 1962, when the Bulova was certified, I would have thought that the locomotive would have had an accurate time piece built into it. Heck, I remember a family friend who used to work for the CNW saying that he could only use certain watches, and that was in the late eighties/ early nineties.


Some traditions die hard. There are still 'Railroad approved' watches on the market today. I have a Seiko Railroad Approved from the early 90s, and a Citizen EcoDrive Railroad Approved from about 3 years ago. In addition to accuracy, Railroad Approved requires a white face, 24-hour time circle in red, minimum 12-hour numeral size and design, red sweep second hand, maybe a few other things. Makes for a very attractive and easily readable watch.
 
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