Wow... talk about the most over used statement of the millenium. I can't tell you how many EXTREMELY RARE common bulova's I've seen for sale recently.
Oh.. look... there's another EXTREMELY RARE 40's senator... holy moly I better jump on it as you never see that model...
I want to slap the EXTREMELY RARE face of those sellers... haha!
Yeah it seems that a lot of those sellers on eBay that buy up a small lot of antique/vintage watches at estate sales usually end up admitting at some point in time during their listings that they aren't watch experts and that they don't neccesarily know what they have or whether or not they run as they never bother to test them out of fear of breaking them and yet they choose to list the watch as "extremely rare" and have the starting bit or buy it now price set at some outrageous price that isn't even close to what the watch is worth. So yeah I agree with you sometimes I do want to knock some sense into some of those people.
O*RIG*I*NAL [uh-rig-uh-nl]
adjective
add: "I don't know" and "overwound"
In reply to O*RIG*I*NAL by FifthAvenueRes…
It's called puffery, and it is a routine, accepted advertising practice. "Puffery refers to an exaggeration or statement that no reasonable person would take as factual. It often occurs in the context of advertsing and promotional testimonials."
It should not be confused with statements of fact.
Here's how I would break down Bob's examples:
1. Art Deco - has a very specific historical meaning, and therefore is a fact, open to challenge unless used in the context of "Art Deco style" rather than of the Art Deco era.
2. Vintage - debatable, but probably not well established enough in regard to a particular date range to be considered fact
3. Extremely Rare - clearly subjective puffery
4. Mint - debatable, but I would argue that it has a specific, well-documented meaning in regard to the condition of watches and, is, therefore factual
5. Running - factual, albeit a poor choice of wording. Nevertheless, I think everyone knows what is meant by the term in regard to a watch.
6. Original - This one is tough, unless there's more to the use of the word, such as "original condition", or "original parts". "All original" would pretty clearly imply that nothing about the watch has been changed from its original manufacture. Calling a dial that has been painted pink an "original dial" is clearly factual and problematic. Otherwise, used by itself, the word is probably too vague to win in court.
Curvex refers to specific models manufactured by Gruen. On EBay it has been used by some to indicate any curved watch.
Jay
In reply to Curvex refers to specific by vintagebulova.com
Gruen -
The most famous Gruen wristwatch was the Curvex. These watches are one of the greatest examples of 1930s streamlined design. The patent for the movement was applied for (in both Switzerland and the U.S.) in 1929. U.S. patent 1,855,952 was granted on April 26, 1932 to Emile Frey of Bienne, Switzerland, but assigned to the Gruen Watch Company. It was later reissued as Re. 20,480 under Gruen President Benjamin Katz's name in 1937, after Frey's death. The first watches went on sale in 1935.
Very interesting, boys. I'm glad to know that. Would tend to make me think that "curvex" has a very specific, factual meaning, and, therefore, is widely improperly used on the Bay. Of course, one could argue in opposition that it has been so widely and regularly used incorrectly that it now has an accepted meaning different from the original.
Interesting history of the Curvex here: http://www.pixelp.com/gruen/1929.html
The first watch shown in the Curvex discussion looks an awful lot like the "Drivers" model I posted recently.
Yes, and the Ladies model is a spitting image for the Bulova 'DEBUTANTE' from the same era.
1937.
The liberal use of the term 'Art Deco' gets My Goat, particularly when the Watch is dated post 1939. (when the period ended for those not playing from Home)
The "Art Deco Movement" (1925 to 1939) was founded by members of the French Artists' collective known as the "La Société des artistes décorateurs" following the Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels held in 1925 and was originally referred to as "Style Moderne". it wasn't until the 1960s that English Art Historian Bevis Hillier first coined the term "Art Deco."
In reply to Yes, and the Ladies model is by FifthAvenueRes…
Yes, agreed, except I do think you could use "Art Deco" in a way that would not be problematic, such as describing the item as "Art Deco style". The problem on eBay is that sellers simply state "Art Deco" in the listing title, and that, I think, is a misstatement of fact.
In reply to Yes, agreed, except I do by NOVA
In reply to Essentially, in Ebay usage, by Elgin Doug
If you scroll down a bit you'll get to the Ristside which is the same type of case as the Bulova Drivers.
Jay
In that discussion of the Ristside, there's an interesting paragraph that I suspect of being equally applicable to Bulova and the general concept of the "driver's" watch. Many models are advertised as "drivers" watches, but they probably were never intended as such.
". . . .Some sellers seem to think any watch with hinged or hidden lugs is a driver's model, even if it is round! The style of strap attachment does not make a watch a driver's model. The true driver's watches are all rectangular, but have much more extreme curves than a normal Curvex. Except for the two models with hinged lugs, these watches are impossible to wear normally on top of the wrist."
In reply to The Gruen "Drivers" style by FifthAvenueRes…
Lisa, I'm still inclined to go with your Bulova as a "Driver's" watch or "Wristside" as another has commented but since Cooksey's has it in print as a "driver's" watch, I'm still good with that call. Gruen's "Curvex" line was patented for their design and the movements that had curved bridge plates to accomodate the dramatic curvature of some of the later designs. Early curvex watches used a regular flat bridged movement.