Bulova 1948 His Excellency

Submitted by Geoff Baker on June 26, 2011 - 9:22pm
Manufacture Year
1948
Movement Model
7AK
Movement Date Code
48 (A8)
Movement Jewels
21
Movement Serial No.
-
Case Serial No.
8976385
Case shape
Rectangle
Case color
White
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

White with gray dial, original Kreisler Quality WG Mesh butterfly bracelet.

6/26/2011 Photos Updated 6/3/2023

1948 Bulova his Excellency NN 1 Geoffrey Baker 6/3/2023
1948 Bulova his Excellency NN 2 Geoffrey Baker 6/3/2023
1948 Bulova his Excellency NN 3 Geoffrey Baker 6/3/2023
1948 Bulova his Excellency NN 4 Geoffrey Baker 6/3/2023
1948 Bulova his Excellency NN 5 Geoffrey Baker 6/3/2023
mybulova_admin
Posted June 26, 2011 - 10:24pm

That band wouldn't happen to be 20mm across would it?

:-)

Geoff Baker
Posted June 27, 2011 - 8:34am

Gee Stephen, wonder where this is going? :)

No - actually it's 16mm, BUT don't overlook 18's or 19's for the "C" - the lugs ARE hidden on it and you could probably get away with slightly smaller.

gb

Wayne Hanley
Posted June 27, 2011 - 1:16am

Nifty!

William Smith
Posted March 15, 2012 - 2:15pm

is charcoal dial still variant "NN"?

plainsmen
Posted March 15, 2012 - 5:40pm

Really at this point who knows.... I'm thinking it probably  is though,  as in this era they had quite a few different His Excellency models but the cases were quite different.  Until we get definitive information showing otherwise I'd say we go with the known.

NOVA
Posted March 15, 2012 - 5:57pm

There's a 1948 ad that indicates the "NN" came in yellow, white, and pink gold.  It wouldn't make sense for all those colors to have a white dial. Consistent with other models, the white would have a gray dial; the pink, a matching pink/copper dial.

William Smith
Posted March 15, 2012 - 6:00pm

I was thinking that too, the three gold w/ appropriate dial colors....but would those constitute other letter designations?  They have in other series, I think?

NOVA
Posted March 15, 2012 - 6:16pm

That's not my read of the ad for the "NN", which indicates that it was offered in three colors.  Actually, there are two 1948 ads that read the same way, plus I don't think we have an ad that shows that case as anything else (but don't get me wrong--I don't think we have all the ads either).

Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and say something else, which will likely drive Fifth crazy.  It seems to me that in regard to the His Excellency group in the 1940s, the difference in variants was about the case.  I think Bulova was just getting its feet wet with the variant business at that point and didn't yet realize just how much fun they could have with it.  So, they just used the variant designations to identify the His Excellencies by their entirely different case styles, not by band/bracelet or dial changes.  Later, they truly went to town with the variants, and it takes a lot of patience to sort them out, but I think the 1940s His Excellencies (along with the many Academy Award variants) are pretty easy to distinguish.

 

FifthAvenueRes…
Posted March 15, 2012 - 6:44pm

You are out on a limb and Yes You've driven Me crazy.  The late 1950's ads showing the various round 'HIS EXCELLENCY's are a prime example of variants being named not only on Case color and Dial but on the mount the Watch came on. ie: Bracelet vs Leather. 2 Identical (IMO) Watches are shown in 2 different ads. One is on a Leather strap the other on a Bracelet both named differently, variantwise. (if that's a word) ....and, the Bulova '23' ads show variants to 3 letters. That's a lot of variants. 

When naming a variant the Watch should match the ad 100% on all points.

NOVA
Posted March 15, 2012 - 6:41pm

I specifically--and intentionally--limited my comments to the 1940s His Excellencies, and I also stated that, after that, things get a lot more complicated.  Nothing you said disagrees with what I said, and I don't disagree with you.  Late 1950s is a whole different scene from the late 1940s.