Bulova 1936 Dexter

Submitted by tshanno on November 8, 2019 - 7:43pm
Manufacture Year
1936
Movement Model
10AR
Movement Date Code
Square
Movement Jewels
7
Movement Serial No.
-
Case Serial No.
6543299
Case shape
Tonneau
Case color
Yellow
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Crystal details
17 mm (narrowest) X 20 mm (*widest) X 22 mm
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

Found this on eBay.  Did a little investigating to try to figure out the model, then snapped it up. It runs like a top.  I'm not sure if the box or the band that came with it is original. I'm tentatively identifying this as a 1936 Craftsman.  It's a little hard to be sure because I can't find any live examples but it certainly does look like the ads.   The inscription on the back says 1937 but the date code and the case serial number seem to indicate 1936 manufacture date. 

1936 Bulova watch
1936 Bulova watch
1936 Bulova watch
1936 Bulova watch
1936 Bulova watch
Bulova Watch advert
Kathy L.
Posted November 8, 2019 - 8:02pm

Great looking watch.  The jewel count gives me pause on giving this a Craftsman ID.  Will take a look through the ads and see if there is a 7 jewel watch that also matches.

tshanno
Posted November 8, 2019 - 8:19pm

Thanks.

Yup. I can see how that would be an issue.  There are four ads on the site and they all say 15 jewels.

Seems like this one could be a nice problem.  

neetstuf-4-u
Posted November 8, 2019 - 9:56pm

Neat watch, I'm thinking this may be a Dexter, like this one:

https://www.mybulova.com/watches/1935-dexter-10745

Ad lists Dexter as white gold, this may be a variant. Referenced watch is in a case with side engraving, however, it's impossible to tell if watch depicted in ad does or not.

Tentative 1936 Dexter

tshanno
Posted November 9, 2019 - 1:19am

In reply to by neetstuf-4-u

Neat. Do you think it matters that the Dexter that is cited is a 10AB movement and this is a 10AR?

Kathy L.
Posted November 9, 2019 - 1:31am

Comparing the Dexter that Bob linked (nice find Bob!) I noticed that your dial doesn't seem to follow the case lines exactly as it probably should.  I wonder if maybe you have a Craftsman after all with a replacement dial/movement.  It is hard to tell but your watch looks a bit longer to me than the Dexter.  But it could just be the way they were photographed.  Maybe we could have you measure yours and we can ask what the measurement on the Dexter is to compare?

tshanno
Posted November 9, 2019 - 4:21am

In reply to by Kathy L.

Good point about the dial.  I did notice that but kind of hoped it wasn't an issue.  Looking at the ad I posted, though, the dial follows the case lines perfectly for the Craftsman.  So it probably is.

My own watch is 21mm (narrowest) X 26mm (widest) X 28mm excluding the lugs and crown.  The length is 36mm if you include the lugs.

Regarding the possibiltiy of it being a Dexter, I've been thinking about the different movements.  The Dexter that Bob cited is a 1935 and the 10AB date range is only 1934-1935.  The 10AR is 1936-1937.  Its entirely possible that models with the 10AB movement got the 10AR after 1935.  So maybe that's not an issue.

tshanno
Posted November 9, 2019 - 5:03am

This ad shows the Dexter and the Craftsman both together with the Dexter below and the Craftsman above.  They look the same size to me but, at least in this ad, there is a slight rounding of the edges of the bezel in the Craftsman.  I think mine has more of the the hard, sharp edges and the slightly thicker bezel of the Dexter shown here.

 

mybulova_admin
Posted November 9, 2019 - 6:43am

I'd say it's the Dexter, the lugs match that of the Dexter.

1936 Bulova Dexter

Kathy L.
Posted November 9, 2019 - 9:50am

1936 Bulova Dexter