I have search for 3 weeks trying to find a picture of this watch online and have come up with nothing even close. I hade it inspected and appraised and i keep getting the same anser we cant tell you what its worth because we have never seen one like it and that its has be base metal and the movement brass well i hade it tested by a jeweler and the band is 10k white gold and i havnt tested the movement because i dont want to damage it but looks to be gold. The only other watch i have seen in this style wich is called the modern diamond now back then we dont know there is a member from this site yudi he has one in yellow gold plated in pretty bad shape but it has the same movement 10CK aslo his looks like a enlarged rolex coktail watch and the closest thing to my watch from that time seems to be a Rolex Cellini diamond watch. I dont believe that my watch was ever put into production just a prototype because of cost .this watch being a N8 1978 bulova was having big problems they reported 48 million in losses from 76 to 78 then changed management in 1980 its only now you see the modern diamond bulova in this style witch back then was to it was to much of a copy of rolex cellini its almost like a bulova clone of that watch of course this is all speculation because we dont have records to referance .I think that if there where any number of these watches made and sold they would be collectable and easily found but there isnt a trace of this watch any place on the web . I also discovered the swiss didnt acknowledge even 14k gold until 1988 so this watch claiming to have a base metal bezal is how they would of labeled it in Switzerland in 1978 im not sure when or even to this day that they acknowledge 10k gold as gold gotta love the swiss they try and keep us Americans honost. Please if anyone has a simular watch do tell me so i can stop searching .below the 6 diamond marker it reads BVA-10CK with 10CK on the movement 17 jewels swiss made N8 5-676240 on the back 8316-1 with NBV on the case back
By definition, any gold alloy is not a base metal. 9K is common as the lowest alloy in the UK and 10K is common as the lowest alloy in the US. Those gold 'guns' are known to be inaccurate, I have had this conversation with jewellers in the US.
I think it is extremely unlikely that they would pair a solid gold alloy bracelet with a base metal case, especially as this is an integrated bracelet. I strongly suspect gold plate, and I have seen erroneous readings on gold fill and plate using the 'guns' or probes.
Over the years I have seen many watch styles only once, but in general this does not make them rare. A production watch, even during the quartz crisis, would have had a run of tens of thousands.
That is still comparatively low, and if, as you say, it was an unpopular model, (which many were during the QC) that explains why it is not widespread and common.
The Quartz Crisis was not the time for any company to stick their neck out, and many were struggling to stay alive. Most were bought out, and Bulova is no exception. Very few watch manufacturers today can trace their lineage unbroken back to the founding. Exceptions to this are Patek and Rolex, but neither are what I call 'normal' companies. Rolex is a Foundation with no shareholders and cannot be bought out.
What I'm getting at here, is that these were weird and panicky days in the Industry, and near the end there were many unsold watches.
In reply to By definition, any gold alloy by Reverend Rob
i have taken off the clasps and drimed a centimeter or more into the band and it is solid gold as i am asuming the bezal i will try and post pictures of me doing it and the band before and after i wanted to know why this watch being 40 years old didnt show any trace of plating because thats what everyoone kept telling me it had to be but it isnt plated or filled or rolled i have a few jeweliers eyes and the band is most definatly the same metal all the way threw i made sure to drimel at least a centimeter if not more i have filled down at least the hight of the band is tall laying on its belly this i why i started to think it was a prototype watch because it says base metal bezal and i knew buy how the watch looked the condition its in it was not plated the band has un even score marks as a diamond cut finish that you see alot with white gold rings and that was also telling me it wasnt plated there a thousands of tiny cuts all over the band as the stone wash or diamond cut finish. this watch at least is hand made the band having an finish that it does. if not hand made and one of a kind then it was customized later i can promise you that it was not me . originaly when i thought it was a prototype with base metal bezal on the back and it being solid gold i thought maybe the back was just taken out of a pill by the watch maker and since it was never intended for sale i didnt matter what it said on the back.also the clasps where soldered on with one big clump on each clasp that would of made it very uncomfortable to wear i have since removed that solder to take off the clasp.