Newbie

Submitted by AlisaPooh on June 10, 2011 - 2:38pm

Hello all!

I am not only new to this site, but also to collecting and more specifically vintage Bulova.

I was on ebay and had seen a few Bulova watches and started doing some research on them.  I think I am hooked. 

My questions are:

1. What should I look to AVOID when looking at vintage Bulova?  Are there fakes?

2. What features should I be looking FOR in terms of rarity, etc (other than the fact that I like the watch)?

3.  If it is non-working order, is it still worth purchasing?  What price point (if you will) does this make sense?  How expensive is it to fix it?  I don't want to spend $30 on a watch, $50 to fix it, to find out it is only worth the $30.

4. Any other tips, suggestions?

I have 2 watches so far. 

Thanks for your time!

 

Alisa

Elgin Doug
Posted June 10, 2011 - 3:18pm

I'll comment on the non-working question:

Jeweled mechanical watches like vintage Bulovas were designed with regular maintenance in mind.  That means every year or so, they were to be taken completely apart, cleaned, all parts carefully inspected, and then reassembled, lubricated, and timed.  This is what 'Cleaning', 'Service', 'Overhaul', and 'COA' mean.  This involves a lot of skilled work and time, and nowadays that costs between $50 and $150 - JUST for that, without replacing any parts.  (nowadays you can easily stretch that to 5 years - better oils)

Few if any vintage watches have had this done within the last few years, so a reasonable collector will factor that in to the price of any watch they buy.  That's part of why they only cost $30 sometimes - the hidden cost of repair and service. 

There's also the question of the quality fo the service.  Few jewellers anymore have a watchmaker on the premises, so they get sent out to god-knows-where, and they'll charge and arm and a leg.  Or you'll be told 'It's completely worn out' or 'I can't get the parts' by guys who make more money changing batteries and just don't want to bother.   Or you'll go to a place that services high-end watches like Rolex etc and want to charge you $200 or more.

For these reasons, most of us have a 'watch guy' (unless we ARE a 'watch guy') on whom we rely to service our watches.  I myself have two - a talented amateur for simple watches, and a pro for automatics. 

A nonrunning watch can be nonrunning for any number of reasons, from the simple and cheap to the complex and expensive.  Parts can be expensive and hard to get, depending on the particular watch.  For that reason, I and others often buy up parts movements in addition to whole watches, just to make sure we'll have parts. 

I personally go back and forth on whether to buy nonrunners.  Sometimes, I figure that I would pay for a COA anyway, so if I get a nonrunner for a lot less than a running watch, I'm ahead of the game.  Other times I the watch has so much wrong with it that it's not worth trying - into the parts bin it goes.

In the end, whether it's worth it has to be your own opinion, because collecting vintage watches makes no sense financially.  My own view is that I like vintage mechanical watches, so I'm willing to put more into them than I could resell them for - because I want to wear them, and so I'm willing to pay the price to get them serviced. 

BUT I'm also learning how to service them myself.  ;-)

 

bourg01
Posted June 10, 2011 - 4:27pm

Hi Alisa, I'll try to impart some knowlege in as few words as possible.

1.) Yes, there are non original vintage Bulova's out there. If a case is not marked Bulova on the back or inside the back, it's been re-cased. If a dial says "Bulova Movement" on it, it's also re-cased, meaning it's not an original Bulova. Date stamps on the case and movement should always match within a year. IE: 49 movement in a 1950 case, or case and movement match. If there's to big a spread between the 2 then parts are not original to the watch.

2.) Rareity can only be defined by how many were made. Bulova did not however publish or track production numbers like say Hamilton did. Now you have to rely on how many you see out there. The earlier 20's and 30's seem to be more scarce and more desirable. At the end of the day, I buy what I think is cool and don't worry to much if it's rare or not.

3.) Since your just starting, I'd buy only "running and keeping good time". As Doug has pointed out, getting a vintage watch seviced can get very expensive, restoring one, even more so!

 

Last I will say, find your own comfort zone, buy what you like and would wear and exercise a great deal of patience. It's just to easy to get caught up in an auction with that "I have to get it" attitude. Set your price and let it go if it goes higher, another will come along.

Enjoy! Regards Shawn

FifthAvenueRes…
Posted June 10, 2011 - 5:40pm

Cardinal rule number one for the novice - The Watch should run, run and stop or at the very least tick.

At first stick to the models that are readily identifiable through the Watches in the site database or the vintage ads. Attaining an 'unknown' model can be risky until You learn what to look for, We all own at least one 'FRANKENBULLY' and they're out there...

Welcome, enjoy Your new found addiction.

Paleotime
Posted June 10, 2011 - 6:45pm

Hello and welcome.

I am relatively new here but have been collecting for a few (several?) years.  I have little to add to the good advice above but...

When I was starting out I bought all my watches in person from antique stores, flea markets, etc.  I did this because it is very difficult to judge a watch from pictures.  Once you get comfortable with looking at vintage watches with a critical eye this gets easier.

As far as non-running watches...I have made some great deals on non-runners...I have made some horrible deals on non-runners.  Again easier to judge in person.  Making a calculated gamble on a non-running watch requires a lot of knowledge about the mechanics of watch movements.

I also service many of my own watches at this point.  This is a good option if you are mechanically minded and have really steady hands.  The down side is tools are expensive, and specialized...so you have to do quite a few watches to "break-even" with paying a good watchmaker.

Post some pictures of your Bulovas when you get some time.  We would love to see them.

geezer_D
Posted June 10, 2011 - 10:09pm

 A word of advice on what to look for in an eBay description of any watch.  If the description reads "wound too tight" or "overwound" avoid it unless you have deep pockets or have a really good  friend who is a watchmaker.

There is no such thing as overwound or wound too tight.  That description usually indicates a damaged balance staff, broken balance jewel or roller pin.  No small or cheap undertaking.

mybulova_admin
Posted June 11, 2011 - 5:57am

It doesn't hurt to ask one of our many collectors if a watch can be fixed. The beauty of a vintage Bulova is that chances are you'll be able to find a replacement part and it really shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg. What does cost is the servicing and know how of pulling these mechanical wonders apart, fixing them and putting them back together so that they beat to life again. Its a wonderful feeling!

Like others have advised here thus far, only ever buy within your comfort zone and if in doubt feel free to ask our members about a particular watch or movement.

Geoff Baker
Posted June 11, 2011 - 6:17am

Alisa - couple more things to add to the excellent advice you've already received. Women watch collectors ( and we have many here ) are fortunate in that they can wear any watch - mens / womens. Until the 60's many mens watches were smaller than watches are today and some guys just can't get away wearing the smaller case watches, so you have an advatage over some.

I suggest picking an ERA to start collecting  in. The watches of the 20-30's are typically fancy - engraved - enamalled models and in some cases very desirable from a collecting standpoint. Some of our members spend HUNDREDS or THOUSANDS of dollars buying and restoring them. The 40-50's tend to be a tanq style (square / rectangular) cases with the addition of rose / red / pink colored gold. Many of these watches can be had for reasonable prices as they are, in most cases readily available. The 50-60's brought us back to an austere design, mostly classic round cases (although there are some serious embellishments being added after 1960) and the addition of auto winding movements. Late 60's early 70's brought the mod styles (of which I am particularly fond). There is a whole world of collecting in the Accutron line of Bulova's which began in the early 60's. After 1980 or so, many Bulova's have quartz movements and are, for the most part less collectable to many of us, but Bulova still makes some wonderful watches today.

Also be aware that in the 20-30's Bulova was involved with a company called Westfield and in the 60's started a 'less expensive' line of watches named Caravelle. While some consider these watch brands Bulova's too, this site prefers that they not be part of it's mission.

Wander around in our most excellent database and see all the glorious possibilities in the world of Bulova collecting, perhaps pay attention to the year / era and pick out a decade or two to collect in - (and don't forget to be eternally grateful to Stephen Ollman - aka mybulova_admin - our founder, maybe even consider a donation to the site - upper right hand corner).

You have joined the premier Bulova community - welcome!

geoff

timerestoration
Posted June 11, 2011 - 10:28am

First of all....WELCOME! All of the above is GREAT infomation! Like any type of collecting, EXPERIENCE is the most valuable resource. Start small and inexpensive and move up as your knowledge and experience grows.

The great thing about BULOVAs is that for many calibers, parts are still available, and if not, there are still MANY parts movements out there to be had. I too stockpile a lot of the older Caliber movements for parts.

As a beginner, you should avoid sellers who claim "I know nothing about watches", but when you view there history and feedback, you find that all they sell is WATCHES. When they say it is not running, and they know nothing about it, it is often a major problem, ie. a broken balance staff, fouled hairspring etc. ALSO, make sure there are photos of the movement, or ask for them. I have bought watches that were "not working", only to find half of the movement GONE when I opened it up! In addition, make sure the  Caseback is also shown... Sometimes the caseback is worn right through to the inside, or the lugs are almost worn away, and the seller never shows a photo of it or even mentions it. If the description says, "for parts or repair" and the photos and description are minimal, I would avoid like the plague!

As a full time Watchmaker, I take a lot of chances because I can usually repair any unforseen problems. I have gotten a lot of great watches for little money that way!

GOOD LUCK!

Elgin Doug
Posted June 11, 2011 - 10:57am

BTW, even 'runs' is no guarantee.  Once I bought a Hamilton that was 'running' only to discover that it gained about 2 minutes every hour. The hairspring was messed up, and it cost me a bit to get it fixed.  Once fixed, though, it became one of my favorite watches.

If you're thinking of buying a nonrunning watch, maybe one good guideline would be don't pay more than you'd pay for lunch.  That way if it's a complete dud, you haven't lost much.

dano056
Posted June 12, 2011 - 12:30am

 Wow,great comments here!I'm a newbie also.Just bought a '67 Accutron today-God help me--I just could'nt resist!

stubbie
Posted July 2, 2011 - 9:41pm

  hello from new member ,with one watch 1957 quartz  gold ?  day date accutron   dont know anything else  got it on ebay   very interesting forum pages

stubbie
Posted July 2, 2011 - 9:49pm

addition to above, my bulova quartz is oval shape. would like enybody to help me with any infomation if possible

timerestoration
Posted July 3, 2011 - 12:24am

In reply to by stubbie

 Hi Stubbie,

Welcome!

How about posting a photo of your watch. It can't be a 1957... there  were no quartz watches that early. 

Jeff