Bulova 1930 Sky King

Submitted by Geoff Baker on March 12, 2015 - 6:10pm
Manufacture Year
1930
Movement Model
10AN
Movement Date Code
Omega
Movement Jewels
17
Movement Serial No.
634994
Case Serial No.
0403200
Case shape
Tonneau
Case color
Two-tone
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

Update 10/10/2015 - Ownership transfer - Photos Updated 5/15/2023

Here's a family photo of my Sky King collection:

Following are the original comments as entered by brother plainsman: Well ladies and gents, I haven't been as excited for a watch to arrive as this one in a looooong while. When I saw it I about choked.... everything looks absolutely legit to me.  Case and movement match. I have no idea if this was a "prototype" Sky King or maybe they made a super short run and this is the first one we've seen. Original matching two tone MAXIM bracelet.  It almost seems NOS.... or sock drawer candidate. I believe we've got here a (wait for it....) ULTRA RARE!!  Bulova wandering seconds Sky King! ]

Geoffrey Baker 1930 Bulova Sky King Wandering Seconds 1 05/15/2023
Geoffrey Baker 1930 Bulova Sky King Wandering Seconds 2 05/15/2023
Geoffrey Baker 1930 Bulova Sky King Wandering Seconds 3 05/15/2023
Geoffrey Baker 1930 Bulova Sky King Wandering Seconds 4 05/15/2023
Geoffrey Baker 1930 Bulova Sky King Wandering Seconds 5 05/15/2023
Geoffrey Baker 1930 Bulova Sky King Wandering Seconds 6 05/15/2023
bobbee
Posted March 13, 2015 - 2:55pm

In my opinion this is possibly a 'marriage'.

Funny that we only see a couple of models that use the 'wandering seconds' in adverts though, I would have thought such a novel complication would be more popular.

Still a great looking watch.

plainsmen
Posted March 13, 2015 - 3:57pm

Your opinion that's it's a marriage is based upon what?  

 

Going to have to agree with you about the weirdness of only a model here or there with the wandering seconds.  Maybe it was just something that didn't catch on to well?  We see it everyone once in a great while with Bulova.... the super early Calander watch... the early wandering seconds.  We usually one see one or two of them and it's like smoke.... gone.

I'm betting they didn't sell... if there was a demand for them, Bulova would have made it work.

plainsmen
Posted March 13, 2015 - 3:20pm

I can say this...all wandering seconds Sky Kings have the exact features this one has! :)

William Smith
Posted March 13, 2015 - 5:26pm

I was suggesting the possibility of marriage when I commented on the equidistance between the numerals and in subject watch bezel at the 3 & 9 numerals vs at the 6 & 12 numerals, when compared to the ads.

I see we have other watches in the database that don't have this equidistance, and some that do... but I don't think we have any ads showing anything except equidistance.  

I bet if we looked at the dial outside of the watch in other sky kings, we would see the same or similar shape/size as we do in Plains dial photo added at the request of timemachines.

bobbee
Posted March 13, 2015 - 5:42pm

I don't got a "theory" but refinished examples don't count.

I'm going with all the evidence in the adverts, and I don't think the 'XXX' models conform to the 'rosebud' engraved ones either. If you look at those 'XXX' ads, they are showing all as having the 'angular' minutes track so probably don't match the earlier model.

All the 'rosebud' engraved ads are as I earlier stated, lume dial= angular track, un-lumed dial= curved track. All those examples you show to 'prove' me wrong don't actually count in this case, as they are either refinished or 'XXX' engraved "MK2“ Sky Kings, and your beautiful watch has a "MK1" case.

Try looking at the ads, and don't forget Bulova made them, not me.

I'm not saying I am right in my opinion, it's just my opinion.

timerestoration
Posted March 13, 2015 - 5:54pm

I seem to remeber a similar conversation about these early (not wandering seconds) dials some years ago.

I have dozens of dials from these early Bulovas...all having slight variations, one from another. I know for a fact that if you had a good working 10AN movement with a decent dial, it could be put into any number of early cases. I know because I used to do it myself years ago...before I know better! 

I would have expected to see the actual dial cut to the same shape as the case...not barreled-Shaped. If I had to guess, I would say that there are MANY early Bullies out there with swapped out dials/movements, because I am sure I am not the only perpetrator of such offenses. I would say that this phenomenon exists even in many of the Early Bulovas documented on this site. We have all seen this frequently with later models on our favorite auction site, it is just that some examples are much more obvious than others.

STILL, there is no doubt about the rarity of this Dial Configuration.

My guess (and it is just that) would be that the case this originally was in was much less exciting than the Sky King case it is in currently. That's what I would have done anyway ;)

bobbee
Posted March 13, 2015 - 6:18pm

Wish I'd seen that blown-up dial picture earlier.

The patina/case marks appear to be angular on the right of the number 3, can't see them clearly on the left side.

You can't fake patina like that, so I say that dial has been in that case a while.

Geoff Baker
Posted March 13, 2015 - 6:25pm

Gonna hate you for just a bit longer plains, not sure how long yet but is't gonna be a while

BTW - it's a SKY KING in my opinion, a SKY KING with a dial variant. Anytime big guy, you say the word.

Paleotime
Posted March 13, 2015 - 7:40pm

Well - if you outbid yourself - I was second place by less than two bits.  I even got the green "You Won" screen for a couple of seconds.

BTW...I wasn't the one talking to the seller.

With regard to the dial - I looked carefully at the photos it in the listing and figured it was as an older redial, although with the case condition it could just be a relumed original.  Only looking at the back of the dial will give us a better indication.

Congrats again...