HI HAD THIS WATCH FOR YEARS. NUMBER ON BACK OF CASE IS 169370 . PLEASE LET ME HOW OLD AND MODEL PLEASE.
THANKS WALT
Jump Hour, early '30s. To get an exact year, you would need to open it up and tell us the symbol that's on the movement, along with the movement number.
If you look in the watch database under Jump Hour, you will see other watches like yours.
The number that you provided is a serial number. Unfortunately, those appear to have no meaning and do not help us identify models or dates.
It's a pretty hard to find model and well sought after. Yours looks like it might need some cosmetic work; IMO, it would be worth putting some money into.
You want to look at the movement itself (the motor of the watch), not the case. You'll need to carefully lift the movement (dial attached) out of the case and write down everything you see printed on it. Be very careful not to touch the dial, as you could damage the hands. Hold the movement by its edges. There should be a symbol of some sort--could be a circle, a triangle, a cresent moon, a square, a "T", a shield, etc. You should also see three or four larger characters--typically a number and a couple of letters, usually in a box. That's the movement number.
In reply to You want to look at the by NOVA
Bulova case numbering....go figure.
Year
Movement
Mov SN#
Case SN
Jewel
Model
32
13AT
728815
169370
15
Jump Hour
32
13AT
729522
182252
15
Jump Hour
Movement difference - 707
Case difference - 12882
I've always wanted to know if Bulova just stamped every case sequentially as it came off the production line in batches as opposed to by model type grouping.
In reply to Bulova case numbering....go by mybulova_admin
admin,
I've worked in manufacturing.
In this instance My thoughts would be the Caseback would need to be stamped after any machining process but prior to becoming hinged to the bezel. - Easier to handle, less chance of damage to another part.
1. Part is cast in the foundry
2. Rough part is machined in the mahine shop (including the stamp process (?))
3. Finished part to assembly. - caseback to bezel.
One style of Caseback may/would/did and does fit many different bezels.
Watches were then 'Cased and timed' which to Me says a movement was added to a finished Case.
2c.
In reply to Feel free to add this by mybulova_admin
In reply to HI I LIKE MY WATCH. ITS NOT by web1969
most watch makers will charge around $40 or so to go through the movement and clean and oil it. If you were to sell the watch, you would likely do much better ( but not always, ebay is a gamble) if the watch was serviced. If you would like to sell it be sure to let the members here know as well. It is a very cool watch and desireable to many collectors. Your best bet for approx value would be to search for jump hour Bulova on ebay (closed sales ) to get a going rate on the Bay.
In reply to most watch makers will charge by shooter144
In reply to It would be great if you had by shooter144
One just sold on eBay last week. Here's a link to the listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300547017504&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
In reply to One just sold on eBay last by NOVA
In reply to VERY CLOSE MINE HAS A by web1969
True that they have different movements, but that would not, in my experience, have any impact on the price. They both have movements that are appropriate to the model. They are the same watch, i.e., the Jump Hour, and they are both from 1932, so very comparable in the major features.
However, you are correct that condition is a significant factor in price. The watch in that listing had been serviced and cosmetically cleaned up. You could do the same with yours, if you want to invest the funds. There are folks who participate in this site who do that kind of work. With some watches, you can get a significant return on your investment. IMO, this would be one of them, because it is a very hard to find model.
It is possible that, even without doing any work, you could get significant money for it. Probably not what the one last week sold for, but you're likely to still be able to find a buyer who is willing to pay for the refurbishing him/herself.
In reply to True that they have different by NOVA