Bulova 1938 Corrigan

Submitted by FifthAvenueRes… on April 17, 2011 - 6:02am
Manufacture Year
1938
Movement Model
10AE
Movement Jewels
17
Case Serial No.
8750523
Case shape
Square
Case color
Yellow
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

When 31-year-old Douglas Groce Corrigan took off from Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field on July 17, 1938 in a modified Curtiss Robin, He carried two chocolate bars, two boxes of fig bars, a quart of water and a U.S. map with the route from New York to California marked out. Corrigan, who had spent three years trying to get permission to fly from New York to Dublin Ireland had been told that He could fly nonstop from New York to California, but an Ocean crossing was out of the question. It was a foggy morning, Corrigan flew into the haze and disappeared. Twenty-eight hours later He landed in Dublin and instantly became a National hero. Case measures 32mm lug to lug x 26mm wide non inclusive of the Crown while using Calipers. The original White Dial shows raised Gilt Arabic numerals and Bulova logo, tracks are printed Black. Hour and Minute Hands are Gilt Modern style and a Gilt Modern seconds Hand shows on a sub Dial completely obscuring the 6. Unique 2nd Bezel housing the Crystal is removeable. Caseback is Gold.

Bulova watch
1938 Bulova watch
1938 Bulova watch
1938 Bulova watch
Reverend Rob
Posted February 1, 2014 - 4:36pm

Guys, I am in the process of restoring my 1938 Corrigan, and my example came with only one hand, and the other was just the ring in the centre, having broken off. What's interesting is they are blue. All the other examples we have are gold, and while I do think it looks nice also, I'm wondering which is correct? Were blue ones swapped out as time went on? 

I can find no actual example of a Corrigan with blue hands, but the ad for 38 does look dark. Could just be the way it was rendered. 

Thanks Greg and Shawn for your assistance with parts!

 

FifthAvenueRes…
Posted February 2, 2014 - 8:23am

Good question Reverend.

Whilst the contrast of Blued Hands against Gold Numerals is typical of era Art Deco I believe by this time (1938) Hands matching the numeral colour would be correct.

Reverend Rob
Posted February 2, 2014 - 2:35pm

In reply to by FifthAvenueRes…

I think you're right, as I can find absolutely no other example of a Corrigan with anything other than Gold hands. I am hesitating to send the dial in, because I see a lot of re-dials and they don't look quite right, too white. My dial is very discoloured so may just bite the bullet and have ID do it, but I will send them a note with some instructions. I suspect this 'whitish' silver is actually a silvering process, and not a paint. 

William Smith
Posted February 2, 2014 - 4:33pm

I always keep original dial (or dial as I received it) unless the dial is just crap.  Even if I the dial I received was not as originally marketed/sold, it is as I originally received it.  Also agree with Fifth and RevRob's observations, that by this time, the hands usually matched the numeral colors.   
Artists rendering could depict numerals and hands as "dark" while they were actually "gold", as per most if not all examples (with exception of Rob's question) and most of our vintage ads for this model. Newspaper ad from Dec 1st, 1939 below.  Looks like ad was "Bulova mat material" even if used by third part newspaper.