Accutron Spaceview question....

Submitted by plainsmen on January 1, 2011 - 1:14pm

So how do you tell the difference between an authentic Spaceview....and a regular 214 a some guy took the dial off of and then put the Spaceview crystal on?

I think I saw one of these.... maybe a fake in progress on Ebay a few days ago...

and another one with no tickmarks on the outside I think is very suspect but being advertised as a Spaceview

 

how does a guy know the difference?

There's a few hundred Spaceviews on the ebay... so many different cases and bezels...where there certain years? Who knows this stuff?

 

 

Wayne Hanley
Posted January 1, 2011 - 1:46pm

Plains

The Complete Price Guide to Watches lists most of the models on the market, and their prices. Definfately educatate your self before buying. I have been wanting one for about 4 years now & i'm still watching. You will find that most existing Space Views are modified 214 or 218 Accutrons. 

If you are interested in Complete Price Guide to Watches, the 2011 edition should be out very soon. IHC185 sells  the Guide with a plastic cover that comes in handy. Membership will cost a paltry $7.00 per year and the Guide will be shipped free. I don't know the price of the 2011 guide yet. In the meantime. You can get an education on all types of watches. The site does favor pocket watches and has some very knowledgeable watch people there. Lindell Riddle is the site manager & owner. Membership may be the best $7.00 you ever spend. The is a link to the site above on Watch Links, check it out free.

Wayne

 

 

FifthAvenueRes…
Posted January 1, 2011 - 2:34pm

In reply to by Wayne Hanley

I'd read that to keep up with demand Jewelers were authorized by Bulova to remove the dials and switch hands on standard Accutrons and make them 'Spaceview'. This is still being done today by enthusiasts and resellers looking to profit.

How can You tell a real Spaceview?  You can't.

plainsmen
Posted January 1, 2011 - 3:26pm

In reply to by FifthAvenueRes…

Wow... that sort of cheapens the watch for me when anyone can automatically just make their own watch by removing a dial and adding hands......  I don't know how I feel about that.

Stephen Ollman
Posted January 1, 2011 - 9:21pm

Great post. This actually occured to me last week that this practice might be happening.

I guess we can all just buy a cheap 214/218, pull the dial off and wear it proudly as a spaceview.....or not.

Wayne Hanley
Posted January 2, 2011 - 12:23am

It is possible to do, there is a spacer that is need to take up the dial space and you need the crystal of course.

Wayne

plainsmen
Posted January 2, 2011 - 1:00am

The only thing that makes me think the below watch would be more legitimate is the ticks around the inside of the watch/where the dial should be.

Maybe those minute marks are the only way to at least give an impression of legitimacy?

FifthAvenueRes…
Posted January 2, 2011 - 1:21am

Plains,

I'm tring to find the original article about accutron history and legitimacy, til then.

http://accutron214.com/

Again, any 214 can be made a Spaceview.

plainsmen
Posted January 2, 2011 - 10:51am

I'm glad we established this before I saved up and bought one...  I'd have been pretty pissed if I found this out after the fact.

Timemachines
Posted January 20, 2011 - 12:40pm

Hello,  I have been restoring Accutrons for more then 20 years now and I'm still not a expert on this. It is hard to figure out the real Accutron Spaceview. Most people will tell you if the watch has a visable chapter ring with markers on it, that it is a real spaceview, and if it only has a spacer ring, that it is a conversion, But I have seen factory Bulova spacer rings, and I believe that Bulova made a few watches with just a spacer ring inside and they would use a printed crystal for the markers.

 I believe that the only way to make sure that you have a real spaceview is to remove the back of the watch, and look for the 4 to 5  digit # printed in ink, not stamped into the metal . This is a referance # for the proper crystal  and case design . If you look into a bulova crystal manual and do a cross referance, it will tell you what crystal goes on the watch and if it is a printed crystal for a spaceview or not.

The only problem is that the printed # being in ink, is that the ink would sometimes come off if the case was cleaned in a ultra sonic cleaner  and the numbers would be cleaned off. It has been my practice to scratch the #'s into the back of the case before I clean it as to have a future referance for the case.

I hope this helps.

NOVA
Posted February 11, 2011 - 6:37pm

I just bought a SpaceView on eBay and was wondering if it is a factory original as claimed.  On that point, I found interesting information here:  http://www.accutron214.com/AccutronQ&A.htm#a converrsion?

According to that write-up, mine is legit, as it has the white hands with luminous centers (US version), concave chapter ring with appropriate markings, and inside the case is printed an identification number that does appear on the list.

NOVA
Posted February 11, 2011 - 7:50pm

If I had an extra $4k laying around, I would definitely get one of those.  As it happens, my vintage Spaceview cost 1/10th that amount.  The new one is beautiful though.  Imagine what they'll go for on eBay once they're sold out in stores!

Bob Bruno
Posted February 11, 2011 - 7:52pm

yup only 1000 made

Wayne Hanley
Posted February 11, 2011 - 8:33pm

The original Accutron 214 model, first hit the streets October 25, 1960 (identified by absence of a crown) & was produced until about 1966 and about 2 million were made. The newer 218 model has a crown at the 4 O'clock position. By 1975-76 the Accutron production ended and about 5 million were sold.

The "Spaceview" so named due to the conventional dial was left off so the tuning fork can be viewed from the top of a transparent crystal. With the conventional dial missing, a dial spacer was installed to was used take-up the dial space.  The "Spaceview Alpha", as delivered from the factory, used a transparent crystal with dots and a dial spacer only. The "Spaceview H" used a crystal and a dial reflector (chapter ring) not a dial spacer. There are many different original factory combinations of "Spaceview" crystal with many different styles of hands, Spaceviews came in both 214 & 218 models.

This information is contained in The Complete Price Guide to Watches written by Richard E. Gilbert.TomEngle and Cooksey Shuggart. The 2011 edition will hit the streets in March.

plainsmen
Posted February 12, 2011 - 10:18am

 

Oh I'm lieing... this one actually  is the Spaceview Watch 21 listed here:

www.allamericanwatches.com/site/626101/product/28B64

Looks like they also sold about 1000 of these a couple years ago and they were limited edition as well.  This was the 40th anniversary addition

 

Bob Bruno
Posted February 12, 2011 - 10:30am

Wow they certainly make a lot of "limited editions"  I think I'l wait for the 60th edition!!

lylel396
Posted April 20, 2011 - 10:47am

  I must respectfully disagree with the information that the Spaceview came in both 214 and 218 models. The only Spaceviews I've ever seen have been 214's. Some people cut the middle out of the dial on some 218's and called them Spaceview and I understand that the factory even did that to a few but I don;t think anybody considers them to be Spaceviews.

NOVA
Posted April 20, 2011 - 10:53am

In reply to by lylel396

What?  Are you disagreeing with, "The Complete Price Guide to Watches", written by Richard E. Gilbert.TomEngle and Cooksey Shuggart? 

Blasphemy!   LOL!

lylel396
Posted April 20, 2011 - 11:45am

I'm sorry for being so impertinent.  I'll try to do better. LOL!

I'm sure no expert on Spaceviews but I'd bet that 90% of the ones on the bay are conversions of watches that were never converted by Bulova or the dealers. I've tried to do some research but haven't been able to nail down all of the  cases, hands and crystals combinations that were available. 

For example, I's like to know if the 14k Alpha Spaceview  was available with yellow hands. I don't think so but ??

Timemachines
Posted April 20, 2011 - 1:57pm

 I believe that the only way to make sure that you have a real spaceview is to remove the back of the watch, and look for the 4 to 5  digit # printed in ink, not stamped into the metal . This is a referance # for the proper crystal  and case design . If you look into a bulova crystal manual and do a cross referance, it will tell you what crystal goes on the watch and if it is a printed crystal for a spaceview or not.

With the 218, from the factory they used a cut open calander bridge that looks like the example pic, any thing else is a fake. The 218 dial also had a calander opening that protrudes into the opening of the dial like the example pic, people who cut open a 218 dial on the lathe could not leave the date window hanging out like the original, and the opening would stop short of the date window.

 The silver 218 is a fake without question.

 Hope this helps.  Mike..

mybulova_admin
Posted December 30, 2021 - 10:05pm

Accutron Spaceview case reference numbers.

Bulova Accutron Spaceview case reference numbers