Hello,
I have just come across this very rare Bulova 1962 Selfwinding Super Waterproof, single crown.
Not sure if the bezel is original - the original might have been a plastic one.
The dial is partly faded and/or needs cleaning.
Has somebody a spare dial for sale, and/or an original bezel?
Or some advice how to clean the dial?
Thank you
Jörg
Great Watch! Is it the angle or is the picture accurate that 1-7 and the hands have gone grey and 8-12 are still fine?
Unfortunately finding a NOS dial for such a rare watch will be at least as hard as finding another watch. Whatever you do do not touch the dial. 9 times out of 10 any non-expreienced attempt to clean up a dial does more harm than good. If you do not have any qualms about redialing, i would send it out to a professional to get re-done. If you (as I do) do have an objection to a redial, I would get it fully serviced and wear it or you can play the waiting game until you find a NOS dial and then get it serviced.
With a watch that awesome i would say it's well worth a donor watch, but i wouldnt buy a serviced one to act as the donor! You could always buy the serviced one and then sell this one as a donor watch or for a collector/watchmaker who enjoys aged dials (like me.)
Unfortunately a dial can only be cleaned to an extent even by a watchmaker. Just based on that picture i would say it needs to be stripped and relumed at the very least to get it to its prior condition, which can be done, but needs to be done by a redialer generally and not just a watchmaker.
Speaking from experience, I do not even attempt to clean dials anymore, unless it is my own personal watch, but even then. I have rarely met with any kind of success, as the discolouration may not even be dirt, it can be radiation burns, water damage and oxidization.
I always tell the customer that if they are interested in a major dial improvement, re-dialing is the only option apart from a NOS dial. I clean surface dirt, of course, but this only makes a minor improvement. If you are going to attempt to clean a dial, be prepared to ruin it. Then if it doesn't work or makes the dial worse, you have a plan B. In your case, your watch is rare, and I wouldn't attempt to clean it. A donor watch is often a really good idea, and the only solution in some cases where parts are no longer available, which happens more and more as the limited supply is used up.
International usually does a really good job, Shawn (bourg01) uses them a lot, and I love the way his watches turn out.
I'm a big proponent of Flea Markets, and Rummage sales and the like, especially Antique Flea Markets. Most of my watches have come from the Flea Markets in and around Toronto. It also isn't a bad idea to join a local collector's club, like the NAWCC, and attend marts and shows, it provides the greatest concentration of collectors with all their various interests. I find them absolutely invaluable.