I contacted the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to find out if it had any record of a relationship between Mr. Wright, Bulova, and the Berkshire and Air King watches. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation was established by Wright himself in 1940. It is the entity that issues licenses to market products under Frank Lloyd Wright's name.
Here is the email that I sent to the Foundation:
Greetings. I and other members of www.mybulova.com are enthusiastic collectors of vintage Bulova watches. I am writing to seek your help in gathering additional information about two specific watches, particularly in regard to whether Frank Lloyd Wright may have had a hand in their design. Any assistance you are able to provide would be greatly appreciated, and I will be sure to credit you as the source of the information you provide.
We know that Bulova has licensed a line of current time keeping pieces through the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Our question, however, concerns two watches produced by Bulova in 1950. We would like to know if Frank Lloyd Wright had any involvement in the design of the two watches pictured below. The photographs of the watches were obtained from Bulova directly, but Bulova personnel were unable to provide any additional information regarding the watches, including who designed them, or what/who influenced their design. These watches are particularly intriguing to us because they are a drastic departure from other Bulova watch designs of the period. Also, we have noticed that they may reflect design elements used by Mr. Wright in various architectural projects.
Any information you could provide regarding these watches or, alternatively, when Mr. Wright--or his foundation--first worked with Bulova would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your kind assistance.
Here is the Foundation's response:
April 20, 2011
RE: Bulova Watches
I received your inquiry below and on checking our Archival records for the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection watches, I found that the earliest recorded watch based on Mr. Wright’s designs was from 1996.
Unfortunately, there is no record of Mr. Wright working with Bulova Corp. in the 1950’s.
I hope that you find this helpful and we appreciate your interest in the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Sincerely,
Sherry L. Dillard
Firstly allow Me to Thank You for the interest shown in this matter.
According to Ms Dillard of the F.LW. foundation (position unknown) Her inquiry was limited to the "Frank Lloyd Wright Collection of Watches" produced by Bulova. Of coarse their earliest recorded Watch would be 1996, 1996 is the Year the Collection began production and of coarse there would be no mention of Mr Wrights involvement with Bulova in 1950 in these archives.
The archives for the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection of Watches began compilation in 1996.
In reply to Firstly allow Me to Thank You by FifthAvenueRes…
No, the inquiry was not limited to the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection of Watches and neither was the response.
She said, quite clearly, that there is no record of Mr. Wright working with Bulova in the 1950s. A reasonable interpretation of that statement does not limit it to a particular watch collection.
Here is Ms. Dillard's title and contact information. Perhaps you would like to contact her directly.
Sherry L. Dillard, Licensing Product Coordinator
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Taliesin West
PO Box 4430
Scottsdale, Arizona 85261-4430
Telephone: (480) 627-5365
email: [email protected]
Also, you may want to visit the Foundation's Web site. It includes a summary of his life and work, which contains this statement, "However, Wright's creative mind was not confined to architecture. He also designed furniture, fabrics, art glass, lamps, dinnerware, silver, linens and graphic arts. "
Note the absence of any mention of watches or jewelry. Seems like a pretty specific list to have left out items of such significance.
In reply to ""on checking our Archival by FifthAvenueRes…
That was one part of her response. There was a second part. She chose to start a new paragraph to make the more general statement about there being no record of any involvement between Wright and Bulova in the '50s. That statement was not limited by the context of the first paragraph. You are attempting to take the statement out of context; your interpretation is patently unreasonable.
In reply to Respectfully, I would say by FifthAvenueRes…
Mark,
Have you been in contact with the foundation yet? Please let us know what you find out.
You would think if this watch was designed by FLW, would he have not named it? Why would there be a Black dial version with the same case named "Air King". If someone designed a watch or watches for Bulova and named it, would you not think that some exclusive rights would be involved?
Look at the Dior designs, Besides Bulova, no names other than Dior are used? Academy Award is another example, just letter designations for the different models, and look how that turned out when Bulova started doing things their way!
The name of a watch or series of watches can come from anywhere, who knows, the guy or gal that designed it could have been a FLW admirer and used some of his design styles in making it, or just happened to have been in Berkshire Village Canada the prior weekend before it was presented to the board for approval and the name Berkshire was fresh in their mind.
One thing we do know is that Bulova liked to use Military language on many of there watch names, and Air travel was also tops on there list.
Thumb through the "Watch Bible" and note the many watches from many manufactures that have a hour ring outside the movement, note the era and compare, seems that they liked to copy each other a lot on the design at the time.
Have to say, I think the connection has been shown to be non existent, at least in a direct form. Of course, as FLW was the most popular designer of his time, many many many people copied his work.
However, considering the Bulova / Military connection (well documented and proven, Gen Omar Bradley was in fact the chairman of the Bulova Research and Development Lab until the death of Arde Bulova in 1958. Four days later, the Board of Directors of the parent organization promoted Omar N. Bradley to the Chairmanship of the Bulova Watch Company, in 1952 roughly 60% of sales were to military.) I would say it is much more likely to have influenced the names of watches, and perhaps FLW design was copied or 'drawn on for inspiration' in the design of some of these watches.
You cant dismiss direct evidence just because it doesnt suit your position. The e-mail was pretty clear, there is no evidence of FLW working for Bulova corp in the '50's, and this is from the foundation that would in fact benefit from him having done so. This is also the only actual evidence either way on a FLW connection.
Interesting mention of Omar Bradley, Shooter. I did a little research on him and found this:
- During WWII, Bradley was stationed in Berkshire, England. You can see pictures of him in Berkshire during WWII on the Web, watching an air demonstration.
- He was known by his troops in WWII as "The Soldier's General" because of his care of and compassiion for soldiers under his command.
- After the war, in 1945, he became director of the Veterans Administration.
- In 1948, he became Army Chief of Staff.
- In 1949, he became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- In 1950, he was promoted to 5 star General of the Army. He was the last officer in the American defense establishment to be promoted to that rank, and the only one since WWII.
- In 1954, Bradley agreed to join Bulova as Chairman of the Board of the
Bulova Research and Development Laboratories. He was well know
to the board of Bulova from the days of research and development in the war
effort and widely acknowledged for his clear thinking in strategic matters.
- In 1958, Bradley became the chairman of Bulova Watch Company. He remained in this
position until he retired in 1973 at the age of 80.
From 1950. . .
Given what we know about Bulova's post-war activities--including its remarkable support of veterans and the hiring of Gen Bradley--it is not reasonable to assume that Bulova's connection with, and interest in, things military ended with the conclusion of WWII.
In reply to Interesting mention of Omar by NOVA
Thats why I mentioned him, I would bet money that he was stationed at Berkshire with some bigwig(s) at Bulova, and that is where the name came from. Generals get jobs at companies like this for a very few reasons, two of the top are knowing someone at the company, and as a thank you from that (or those) person(s) at the company for all of the 'backroom' dealings done on their behalf for the military. That is how business was and is done in the military industrial complex ( and congress, and the senate,etc) Much more likely than any other reasons Ive heard....
In reply to What Bulova watches could be by Wayne Hanley
Wayne, its a logical question but not the point of the post or of Shooter's comments above. The point is this:
Given what we know about Bulova's post-war activities--including its remarkable support of veterans and the hiring of Gen Bradley--it is not reasonable to assume that Bulova's connection with, and interest in, things military ended with the conclusion of WWII.
That statement and the ample evidence to support it were presented in response to Fifth's claim in another thread that there was no basis for a watch being named anything with military associations after 1945.
Relating the Berkshire and Air King watches to WWII and the air force activity that occurred in Berkshire, England makes perfect sense, not only given the actual facts of WWII and the names of the watches but also given Bulova's continued interest in things and people connected with the war well beyond the war's conclusion. In the late '40s and throughout the '50s, there was much still going on in the Bulova community that related to the war (e.g., watchmaking school for WWII vets, hiring of Bradley), as there were interesting things going on in the world related to the military, such as General Bradley's promotion to 5 star in 1950 and the decommissioning of some of the air fields in Berkshire in 1950. I believe that all these events would have been important to the veterans, and others, who were a part of the Bulova community at the time. It is easy (for some of us, anyway) to see why Bulova might have honored these important events places, and people by naming a couple of watches after them.
Wayne,
It's rumored that Bradley was brought on board to aid in the development of the Accutron with its initial intended use being for Military purposes.
Which has zero bearing over what was transpiring at Bulova in 1950, namely the Corporate move from 5th Ave in New York to the Queens manufactuiring facility....and, coincidentally, the initial production Year of the Watch in question.
In reply to Wayne, It's rumored that by FifthAvenueRes…
Bradley was a smart man, but I am quite sure his specialty was at the opposite end of the spectrum of the electronics involved in the tuning fork tech they were working on...He would not have been directly involved in the developement of the Accutron, but for its specific applied usage in the military. His military and war dept contacts were his value to the Bulova company, and in my opinion this strengthens what I, and others, have already said before.
1950 was a new beginning for Bulova.
We have 2 Watches - a Man (s) and a Woman (s)
The earliest known recording devices of Time known are Sundials and Hour Glasses, both depicted in the Art on the Walls of the newly renovated Bulova Corporate Center in Queens.
The Watches have a heavy Aztec influence, one of the first known civilizations.
figure it out....
The Atrium and the entrance to it in the newly renovated Bulova Corporate Headquaters has a Frank Lloyd Wright fingerprint all over it - place Him in the building and there is Your Watches designer.
The Watch could be called the 'Big Mac' as far as I'm concerned, FLW designed it.
In reply to The Atrium and the entrance by FifthAvenueRes…
Fifth, did you miss this post from the "Locomotive" thread is or this another example of you ignoring all evidence in favor of what you want to believe? FLW had nothing to do with the Bulova building, neither during initial construction nor during the recent renovations. Here's the prior post:
Just to tie up a loose thread from earlier, I made contact with the current owner/manager/renovator of the Bulova building in Queens. According to Mr. Ed Blumenfeld of Blumenfeld Development Group, the building was designed by Alexander Crosett.
Mr. Blumenfeld stated that the most recent renovations to the building by his company, "held the integrity of his [Mr. Crosett's] design and improved upon the interior design."
I know that the wild goose chase has since moved on to the Berkshires, but I promised Mr. Blumenfeld to properly credit him for the information he so kindly gathered for us.
Your information is wrong, Mr Bluenfields Company did not touch the Atrium nor the entrance to.
This is documented.
Bulova Corporate Center Renovations
The building renovation preserved a number of significant architectural details, many of which you can see in the photos included with this story. They include the art deco stairwells in the lobby of what was once the front of the building. Along those stairwells are murals depicting neo-classical Greco / Roman laborers working on the art and science of time keeping.
Bulova Corporate Center - Preservations
Further into the building there’s an unusual foyer, which resembles none other than the inside of a large clock. I don’t know its history or meaning, but when I do, I’ll include the information here.
The atrium provides an aesthetically interesting experience with skylights, the soothing sounds of water and Frank Lloyd Wright partitions of space. In places it can provide a momentary escape experience if you let go why you’re there [likely on business] and let the ambiance enjoin your senses.
In reply to Your information is wrong, Mr by FifthAvenueRes…
In reply to Your information is wrong, Mr by FifthAvenueRes…
First, there's absolutely nothing in that post that contradicts what I or Mr. Blumenfeld said. Second, that post is some tourist blogging about their travels. What is your point?
The building was not designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was designed by Alexander Crosett. Are you now trying to make a case that Mr. Crosett designed the watches?
Enough already.
In reply to Your information is wrong, Mr by FifthAvenueRes…
Original article
http://www.queensbuzz.com/bulova-corporate-center-cms-618
The Buildings original design was a manufacturing facility - which was renovated in 1950.
In reply to Original by FifthAvenueRes…
In reply to Original by FifthAvenueRes…
In reply to Alexander Crosetts original by FifthAvenueRes…
What's your evidence for anything that you're saying? (Other than an uninformed tourist's blog.)
Did you look at the lists of FLW projects? Did you talk to the FLW Foundation?
Have you found any evidence at all that links FLW to the building or to the watches.
No, you have not. Enough said.
In reply to The renovation design has an by FifthAvenueRes…
This is from the Blumenfeld Web site. Note that the building was constructed in 1953. It was not renovated in the '50s as you claimed. Crosett designed it in 1953. It was renovated in the '80s.
Bulova Corporate Center
75-20 Astoria Blvd; East Elmhurst, New York
This historic Art Deco building, containing three stories totaling 480,000 square feet is situated on 17 acres. The building was built in 1953 as the world headquarters and manufacturing facility for the Bulova Watch Company. BDG repositioned the building turning it into an ultra-modern, Class A office center in 1985. At the center of the building's core is a 35,000 square foot, sky lit atrium. Within the atrium, streams, waterfalls, and seating areas provide a serene setting to view the magnificent art collection, some of which is a rotating exhibit provided by the Queens Museum. Three glass elevators, granite floors and open corridors provide the ultimate corporate environment. Within the Bulova building you will find a restaurant, health club, auditorium, conference rooms and retail convenience boutique stores. Situated 1/2 mile west of NY's LaGuardia Airport at the intersection of the BQE and the Grand Central Parkway, this Class A office building brings Manhattan services to Queens.
In 1985, SBI undertook the redevelopment of the Bulova Watch Corporation's manufacturing plant into Bulova Corporate Center, a class A office building.
In deciding to preserve the 35 year old, art deco, industrial exterior, the SBI team was inspired to have the interior build off of and accentuate the classic beauty of the timeless facade.
This building prominently showcases SBI's signature creativity. Once again, the team exercised the use of light and fluidity throughout the space to transform the interior of this former manufacturing plant. The skeletal core of this building is the large atrium that is punctuated by the inclusion of a 5,456 square foot skylight. This atrium marks a main pillar of SBI's work that its form serves the function to provide great pedestrian circulation, natural light, and ventilation throughout the building. The atrium is lined with live foliage, both classic and modern sculptures and vibrant pieces of art, around which stream of cascading water bisects the first floor. Additionally, SBI designed the interior to include unexpected amenities, such as health club, auditorium, conference centers, and restaurant.
If you question the knowledge or veracity of Blumenfeld, perhaps you would trust the New York Times?
You know, Fifth, you can believe whatever you want to believe. It's a free country. But if you're going to insist that I and my documented sources of information are wrong, then you should at least have some evidence to support such assertions. You have presented none. So, please, get down off the high horse for a minute or two.
You have also presented no evidence whatsoever to refute any other idea about where these watches came from, including the military connection or the train theory.
So, here's an idea: why don't you let the rest of us explore some other options for a while? It would be nice if you participated in exploring those options with us, but, if not, at least give us a chance to explain and discuss our thoughts and ideas as freely as you were allowed to beat the FLW idea to death.
It would not even be a stretch to say that Alexander Crosett was influenced by and used stylistic design features of FLW> Hell, even today, buildings are designed, built and described as FLW 'spaces' or following FLW design. FLW is taught as a design in schools for crying out loud. ALL of the evidence points against any FLW connections here. There are literally tens of thousands of objects that could be attributed to FLW, strictly by design styles and features, and many were made yesterday. Does that mean we have the ghost of FLW working on current design projects? Nope. It means that he influenced many many designers...and that is all it means.
Listen.... just because he was dead doesn't mean that he didn't rise from the grave and design it. We all know FLW was a god and designed pretty much everything up to an including sliced bread.
I need no evidence.... I just "feel" it.
Can we rename this site http://www.myfranklloydwrightwatch.com please?
In reply to Listen.... just because he by plainsmen
Frank was foremost an ARCHTECT, not a product designer... And quite the exceptional promoter and showman... He also mentored, employed and influenced MANY other talented Architects, Interior Architects, Environmental, Industrial & Product Designers, etc. As well as countless other creative minds!
He heavily influenced the "Prarie Style" slash "Arts & Crafts" movement at large... But later on also blurred the lines between most recent architectural styles, including: Art Noveau, Prarie, Art Deco, Bauhaus, Art Moderne, etc. Organic Architecture, was his signature. And the symmetry of Sacred Geometry, abounds in his work, as it did in almost ALL great Art, Architecture and Design, over at least the last 5000 years...
BUT we're not JUST here, to take MyBully to the No. 2 slot on "Top Watches..." RIGHT!?
:-) Scott