This watch was given to my grandfather while he was serving in WWII by my grandmother. He served from Nov 1942 until Dec 1945, so I know the age of the watch is somewhere in that range. It is marked 14K Gold Filled Bulova on the back of the case. I am very interested in knowing the year this watch was made. I was not able to determine the age from the symbols, although I think it is marked with the T, but not 100% certain.
14K would make it rose gold, and it looks it.
Commander with a new dial, or a variant?
http://www.mybulova.com/watches/1940-commander-2717
http://www.mybulova.com/watches/1941-commander-4539
Great watch, and a great story to it. Get it serviced and wear it with pride.
Priceless Family Heirloom. Sounds like the movement sympol (T) and first digit of case serial number suggest 1942. Your Grandfather was there from Nov 1942 till December 1945, so that's within the timeframe. Maybe he got it as a gift when he deployed? ...or maybe he received it will "over there".
Case sure looks like a Commander from that time range. Does it look like the 2, 3 and 4 numerals, as well as the 8, 9, and 10 numerals are pretty close to the edge of the verticle bezel opening? Dial "variant" or perhaps a dial swap? Maybe after your Grandfather returned, he had it serviced and the dial could have been replaced with something "similar" that would fit OK? Maybe the original dial got dirty "over there", and changed post return to Stateside.
hearthsidedirect- on the inside of the case back, jewelers often put little markings to indicate their service. Are there "lots" of service markings on the inside of the case back? This may increase the odds of the dial being replaced since original point of sale.
In reply to Looks alot like the Commander by plainsmen
I agree Plains... either a custom made (Non-Conforming) or perhaps an Unknown model.
I doubt that having solid 14K "Commander" case vs RGP or Fill would change the model name to something other than Commander anyway, and there's still the issue of the dial fit.
With the dial fit...Non-Conforming.
A family treasure for sure. I'm also not convinced that the dial is original to the movement and case. While from a Bulova perspective that may cause us to classify this as a non-conforming watch - one that has been modified in the past to the point that it can no longer be called by a specific or certain model name or one that does not have all Bulova components, this is still a family heirloom of the highest order. My own grandfather served in France during the first World War. My family has an almost complete uniform, helmet, tunic, trousers AND gas mask. We treasure it greatly.
For now.... Non-Conforming
In reply to Call to panel members for ID by Geoff Baker