Bulova 1967 Accutron Calendar

Submitted by AllThingsMustPass848 on February 20, 2019 - 3:32am
O
Manufacture Year
1967
Movement Model
218
Movement Jewels
15
Case Serial No.
B60939
Case shape
Round
Case color
Yellow
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

I recently inherited my grandfather's watch from 1967. The 5 star insignia immediately caught my eye, and upon a quick google search I found a Hodinkee article about 5-star Accutrons. The article explains how 5-star US general Omar Bradley, then-chairman of Bulova, would wear hese watches for a few days before they were given as gifts by Bulova. 

My grandfather was elected president of a mattress company called Southern Cross in 1965. They were doing very well in 1967, so it stands to reason that he may have been the recipient of a nice gift from another big company. Unfortunately, the recession in 1968 hit them hard and derailed their plans to build two new factories. My grandfather was also a bomber pilot in WWII, but as far as we knew he had no connection to General Bradley

I have found no other information on this watch outside of the Hodinkee article, and niehter my grandfather or grandmother are around to answer any questions. It's somwhat mind-blowing for me to think that this is actually one of those 12 watches, but it's exciting prospect! What do you folks think? Thank you for your help! I'll post a link to the Hodinkee article below. 

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/five-star-general-omar-bradley-specia…

[Accustron_1967] Dial
[Accutron_1967] Bulova watch
[Accutron_1967] Dial
[Accutron_1967] Dial
AllThingsMustPass848
Posted February 20, 2019 - 11:00am

Thank you so much, everyone. How exciting and special!

I want to get this watch running again. My grandfather passed in 2012, and from videos/pictures it looks like he occasionally wore it until his death. How do you recommend I proceed with service? Would it be ok to try just putting a battery in it, or do I need to go ahead and have it fully lubricated and cleaned by an Accutron specialist?

mybulova_admin
Posted February 20, 2019 - 8:42pm

This watch might be something Bulova themselve might be able to service. Normally they don't service old Accutrons, but with this one they may make an exception.....worth asking.

Other than Bulova there is a few Accutron specialists out there. Member SpaceviewM2 recently posted that his guy 'Rob Berkavicius' does a great job, and by looking at the watch in question there is no doubt about it.

AllThingsMustPass848
Posted February 20, 2019 - 10:10pm

Awesome, thank you for the info. At the suggestion from the Bulova phoneline, I've emailed customercare@bulova asking for their help in identification and authentication. Once they get back to me I will ask them about servicing. That would be great. 

mybulova_admin
Posted February 21, 2019 - 9:30pm

Re indentification and authenticity, they may refer you back here, but I'm hoping they will take a particular interest in this watch and help you service it.

Andersok
Posted February 20, 2019 - 12:31pm

As for the model, it appears to be identical to the Calendar 'O', with the dial alterations added.

If you ever get it opened, see if the inside caseback has a number stamped, perhaps 2661.

Wonderful watch!