1974 Bulova Oceanographer in NOS drop dead gorgeous condition. Blue and white rotating bezel is perfect, not a scratch anywhere on this beauty. Back is only marked with 'Bulova', the s/n and "Stainless Steel 666 Feet. Original matching all stainless bracelet also marked 'Bulova'. Dial is marked Bulova Snorkel - Automatic 666 Feet. Not sure if the numbers on the back tag have any meaning.
Added 4/24/2013
not attacking and not being paranoid in the least.
What I don't understand is an ID without an Ad when most all other Watches entering the database have been scrutinized to the point of slight Dial descrepencies negating a positive ID.
The ID in question, although it may be correct, is a guess, at best.
"live by the Sword, die by the Sword"
O.K. I see your point, but you yourself have recently and in the past, since gaining administrative powers, posted watches as ID'd with minimal proof, although the watch or watches in question were blatantly obvious as to what they were.
What does the italicised phrase in parentheses mean? I must be drunk or stupid as I do not get it, please, please PM me with an explanation.
Bob - it is I who has emphatically stated in the past that BULOVA advertised no Snorkel post 1970. In a way I still stand by that although I agree that this ad you've found presents a challenge to my theory. The watch pictured in the ad is a Snorkel - we have a 1967 Model "H" in the db -
http://www.mybulova.com/watches/1967-snorkel-666-5399
and I don't THINK I've ever seen one dated later than that. The ad is a collage of camera ready art supplied by manufacturers expressly for newspaper advertising. Note that the trash masher and the Bulova ads have the same "Father's Day" header - the paper's art department created those ads. In effect, the ad is not a Bulova ad although it features Bulova (and Whirlpool ) products. My explanation, or should I say THEORY is that a watch retailer supplied 1969 camera ready art to the paper for this ad. I think that this is a potential problem with ALL newspaper advertising. In fact we've discussed, in the past, that it might even be a problem with 'official' Bulova magazine adverts - the marketing department wasn't exactly in sync with the current model names by year.
I'll still contend that BULOVA did not advertise the Snorkel past 1970 although you have proved that a jeweler certainly did. If I had gone into that store to BUY that watch is is likely that they would actually have had one as well, dated.........1967 or 1968.
I do believe this ad holds a clue to the "SNORKEL" name, regardless of age.
The first sentence says "in the case of the Snorkel model, 666 feet."
Any model with Snorkel on the dial would be a Snorkel model, whatever the date.
Maybe ALL Diver's models water resistant to 666 feet are called Snorkels.
Why not name all diver's models Oceanographer Snorkel, as this would stop any arguing and gives, at least in my view, a proper name for the model.
1969 ad.
This watch disproves any ideas of no Snorkels after 1970.
1973 model, proved by case number.
http://www.mybulova.com/watches/1973-snorkel-666-5708