Final production date of the 218

Submitted by bsshog40 on December 13, 2015 - 9:03pm

I ask this because I thought 1977 was the last production of the 218 movement. There is watch WUS that has a 2182-f with a production stamp of P0 (1980). I'm positive this was a replacement movement because it sits in a 1969 Accutron case with a proper caseback. It has a Bulova service mark of *644. Would a movement have been produced if this was replaced in 1980? Were there others made just not used after 1980? This had me really curious and hopefully someone here can help. 

Thanks, Bobby 

tmaca
Posted May 24, 2016 - 12:01am

That's strange.  It'd help to see a pic of the movement. I'm assuming, if it's a 218 movement, that it's the one with the stem at 3 instead of 4 o'clock.  If the stem is at 4 o'clock, that isn't a 1980 case, although it COULD be a 1980 case back.  Bulova made all of its Accutron movements right up to the end, includind the 218, which was in 1977.  That was both the year the last true Accutrons were made, and also the year that the first quartz movement "Accutrons" were made, so a 1977 Accutron could have either a tuning fork movement or a quartz movement.

 

What you have might be a 218 of unknown year in a 1980 case, or a 218 in its original case with a 1980 back.  It'd help maybe if you could find a date code on the movement, then you'd know when it was made.  But one thing is certain.  It can't be a 1980 218.