Dear mybulova community, I would like to ask you for help with dating a watch. I inherited this Bulova automatic watch by my italian grandfather. As I did not open the watch, I have no pictures of the inside movement yet and also do not know the maufacture year. From the front the shape of the housing looks like something between a square and a circle, like a pillow. The back shows a circular shape. There is a ingraving which says "BULOVA It." which means Bulova Italy I guess. On the backside of the wristband I have noticed some tiny stamps: A five-armed star followed by the number 50 an the letters AR, as well as the number 750, which I assume is relating to the gold alloy the wristband and/or the watch is made of. ☆50 AR The crown shows the same symbol that is part of the Bulova logo on the box. The watch shows the actual date in italian e.g. MER 9 for wednesday (ital.: mercoledì) the 9th. It is working properly as far as I can see. I hope you will find the pictures useful. In advance I would like to thank you for spending time related to this request. I appreciate your help.
Most unusual. The number and 'AR' indicate the goldsmith and region, in this case Arezzo. 750 is 18K gold. This may or may not mean that the bracelet is original to the case, it may have been custom made. However, since the watch is obviously Italian market Bulova, this may be completely original.
If it is a very thin watch, what is inside may be a micro-rotor movement. If you take it to a watchmaker or jeweller, they can open it and show you what's inside. Very unusual, and valuable.
Hello Rubick, welcome to myBulova this is certainly a fine looking watch. I believe you are most fortunate to have this lovely keepsake from your grandfather, it must be very special to you. Thank you for sharing it.
If the box you show is original to the watch my guess would be it dates to the 1970's or 1980's. I wonder if there is a logo on the clasp of the bracelet. To accurately date this beauty we would like to see a photo of the inside of the case back and one of the movement as well. Is this something you can do?
First of all, thanks a lot for all your replys.
[quote]Reverend Rob: The number and 'AR' indicate the goldsmith and region, in this case Arezzo. […] If it is a very thin watch, what is inside may be a micro-rotor movement.[/quote]
This is great information. I´m excited getting to know where the watch possibly has been produced respectively my grandfather may have bought it. Some research on the web led to this site:
http://www.silvercollection.it/SILVERSMITHSAR.html
If I´m not completely wrong this page may contain the name of the goldsmith and some interesting data?
The watch´s thickness is 1.05 cm (~ .82 cm without the glas).
[quote]William Smith: Is the watch case also hallmarked for solid gold?[/quote]
There is no hallmark on the outside of the watch case. Maybe there is one on the inside?
[quote]Geoff Baker: If the box you show is original to the watch my guess would be it dates to the 1970's or 1980's. I wonder if there is a logo on the clasp of the bracelet. To accurately date this beauty we would like to see a photo of the inside of the case back and one of the movement as well.[/quote]
Unfortunately I cannot tell if the box is original to the watch. But there is one detail about it forgot to mention. One of the lid´s sides has a circular dot printed on it. I´m not sure if this means anything?
There is no logo on the clasp, neither on the outside nor on the inside.
No logo on the clasp, no hallmark on the watch case … maybe the wristband is custom made, as some of you already suggested.
I´m going to let the watch case be opend and take some pictures next week.
Thanks again! I will keep you all updated.
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Well done Rubik, the photos are great. 750 indicates 18k solid gold, the date code we are looking for is the N9 (N7?). N9 is 1979 which looks like the era of the watch. Even if it's 1977 (N7) it still looks correct for that time period. Since the 1979 is the end of our timeline here at myBulova we don't have much in terms of adverts or information on this watch so I cannot suggest a proper Bulova name for it. It is possible that contacting Bulova might lead somewhere.
From the information we currently have I would date the watch 1979 and the name as "Unknown". Still a very special keepsake from your grandfather!
According to Doc, the last calibre family from Bulova. A very interesting piece, but unfortunately I don't have a name for her. Excellent condition, I recommend getting a full service from a qualified watchmaker and case polishing. It will look and run like a million bucks!