Bulova 1966 Accutron

Submitted by arslotnick on October 8, 2017 - 9:14am
Manufacture Year
1966
Movement Model
Accutron
Movement Serial No.
-
Case Serial No.
J28935
Case shape
Other
Case color
Yellow
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

This was my grandfather's watch, then owned by my father, who recently gave it to me. It's a 1966 Accutron, purchased in Seattle, in or around that year. I have none of the original packaging — just the watch itself.

It looks to be in excellent condition to my inexpert eyes; when I received it, it wasn't running, so I took it to a watchmaker to have the battery replaced. The watchmaker said everything was in order and he didn't have to do anything other than clean the watch and get it started again. It now appears to be running perfectly, fork humming and all. The one element I'm unsure about being original is the band, which is the elastic kind and has some sort of strange text printed on the inside of each of its bars, which I can't quite make out. 

I've not been able to find any information online about the specific model, and I'm curious to learn more. Compared to other M6 Accutrons I've seen on this site, this watch appears different for its diamond-shaped case, the gold mesh-like pattern around the face, and the four markers on the face.

The text on the back reads as follows, going clockwise from the 1 o'clock position:

14 kt gold, J28935, M6, Waterproof, Patented, Bulova. 

1966 Bulova watch
1966 Bulova watch
1966 Bulova watch
1966 Bulova watch
Geoff Baker
Posted October 11, 2017 - 12:03pm

Hello arslotnick, sorry I missed your posting the other day, welcome to myBulova. I think heirloom watches are simply the best. To have a keepsake from your grandfather handed down by your own father must be very exciting to you, I know it would be for me. As you may know Accutron was all the rage in the early 1960's, to have one in solid gold was quite a deal, I bet it meant a lot to your grandfather. The Accutron technology was so radical that these watches were highly prized. The pattern of engraving is called 'Florentine' and was very popular in the mid sixties, Bulova also used it on several non-Accutron models.

I find several Accutron models similar to your but each has a few differences, the 223 model appears only in stainless, the 209 is stainless and gold, the 230 ( I think I have these numbers right) was solid gold but had a different dial design and color. The band is not original and I recommend removing it right away. These generically sized bands (made to fit several lug spacings by expanding) exert pressure to the lugs, the case being solid gold, very soft metal, is easily damaged by the constant pressure/rubbing. Any quality (spend a little more, it's WAY worth it) leather or maybe gold plated bracelet will make it look amazing. Go for solid gold if you can afford it. I myself would go right straight to genuine croc or alligator in brown or black.

In terms of identification, I have not found an exact match among our adverts, perhaps one of my fellow panel members will. For now I suggest naming it "Accutron" but understand there is nothing generic about your watch.

Andersok
Posted October 12, 2017 - 7:16am

Similar to Geoff's research, I found ads showing close matches, but not an exact one. Accutron, no variant, at this time.