Hello, My name is Adam and this is my first post here. I recently ran into a couple of pictures of bulova snorkels from the late 60's and early seventies and I think they are quite interesting. Unfortunately, I've also noticed that many of the bezels are cracked or broken as this seems to be the weak point in the design.
Regardless, as I find the watches interesting I thought I would attempt to either restore an original to as 'like new' as possible. Has anyone any luck in finding a source for NOS bezels or are we relegated to trying to scavenge them up piecemeal from watches that have become inoperable or otherwise undesireable?
Also, as with all old watches - the lume dies over time and I was wondering if it is possible to 'relume' the little orbs used as markers in the snorkel 666 divers. I haven't yet recieved the watches that I've ordered but am looking forward to it, unfortunately that also means that I've never seen these orbs first hand so I'm not sure how they were created. Does anyone have any experience with this?
Thank you for creating this great resource and I looking forward to continuing to learn more about bulova watches and document the progression of my project as it moves along.
Best regards,
Adam
Hi Adam - glad you found us, welcome to myBulova. The bezel rings are out there, I saw half a dozen go by on eBay recently. I can't find the seller info, I have it here somewhere, if I come up with it I'll PM you. Depending on the exact model you choose to restore it will take a different bezel ring, I bet there are a half a dozen different ones used. A Bulova parts book for the watch will help nail it down. Regarding those orbs (dots, hour markers), I doubt they were lumed new. If it's what I'm picturing, they're just plastic dots. On the other hand, you an do what I'm doing, waiting for the perfect one to show up on ebay and then pay way to much for it, (and I'm holding out for the one with the orange dial).
geoff