I would like information on this watch. My grandfather bougt it new in 1949 and worn it everyday till he died in 1968. I have had it ever since. It shows wear but works so, I had it cleaned, oiled and adjusted. I would like information on it. I would like to know what model it is and if the band was original.
Thank You Dan
The band has an A S stamped with what looks like a shield inbetween the A and S also stamped 12ktgp. The band is broken. I want to get a new one. I am finding out that it is 15mm wide and not too much to pick from. If this was not the original band , what would it have had ? I am looking at putting a brown leather band on it. I would like to polish the body of the watch but unsure about the gold plate. I do not want to polish the edges through. Any ideas?
Also as far as the dial goes. Is it possible that the whole watch would have been ordered this way. Dial face and band?
I talked to my mother about the watch and she says that she always remembers this band on it.
Thanks for all your help on the watch so far......
Dan
In reply to The band has an A S stamped by js8419
Dan,
The band is probably Original, I don't think Bulova got into band making. The popular Quality bands in the 40's & 50's was B/R, Kresler, and JB.There were other cheaper brands sold as replacements at the local drug store.
If you look at the Bulova ad's listed here, you can see that many were advertised with Metal bands, and some with Leather.
The Dial could be a Jewler upgrade, or maybe a "Special Edition", That is what this site is for, the ad's and the people that post here have helped me ID many watches, but it is not complete, and may never be unless Bulova fills in the blanks.
As for Cleaning up and making your watch look like a new one, you can try to find a good local watchmaker (they are getting hard to find these days!) or do it yourself.
I clean up and polish my own and its not that hard, but you will need a few tools to do a good job. Most of these can be found online at watch supply stores and the hardware store.
1. Variable Speed Dremel (One with a Flex Attachment works best) and buffing arbors
2. Soft buffing wheels and soft cloth buffing pads
3. Red Jewlers Rouge (Gold) Green Rouge (Stainless) and extra fine Gold Tripoli, Crest Regular Toothpaste
4. Pointed Wood Toothpicks, Q-Tips, and a Xtra soft Bristled Toothbrush, Scotchbrite pad. (Stainless)
5. Old Bath Towel and a couple old cotton Diapers.
6. (Important!) A couple of old watches to practice on!
7. 10X Jewlers Loupe
8. Band Removal Tool
9. Case Knife
Once you have all of these lined up, begin by removing the band, and taking out the movement, setting it in a safe place like a small Ring box with a lid. On the old Snap Cases all you need is a case knife or a Old Butter knife that has been sharpened slightly on one side, with you Loupe locate the tab on the case back, usually between the lugs, place your knife under the tab and on the lug and gently pry straight up. The case back and movement should pop ou as one unit. Gently work the movement out of the case by rocking the winding stem. I always use a large folded up bath towel on my work bench when I do this, because sometimes Sh*t happens!
If you plan on replacing the Crystal, Remove it now, this is usually done by pushing it out from the backside. If it is stubborn, leave it in and mix up a couple drops of Dawn Dish soap in a Cup of Hot water and place the back, and bezel in and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Your crystal should pop right out. Grab your toothbrush and start scrubbing!
Use you Jewlers Loupe to check out all cracks for dirt, use the pointed toothpicks and Q-tips to get in the tight spots. Once you have all the dirt removed, dry it off and get ready for the fun part.
With your Jewlers Loupe, inspect the back and bezel for deep scratches, If your pointed Toothpick catches on one, its deep and may or may not buff out. This is where the Practice watches come in handy so you can learn the proper pressure and Technique to remove them. Also look for wear spots, (Usually the Lug Tips and Corners on the case Back if it is Filled or Plated) if you have some, note them, you will want to only lightly buff over them.
If you are not replacing the Crystal, your watch can still be buffed out, and if the Crystal is Acrylic, that can be buffed out also but using a different compound. (More on this later)
Start your buffing with the Red Rouge on a Felt pad at about 2000 RPM using light pressure and working with the contours and planes of the Bezel. I snap the case back on when I buff, it makes it easier to hold and if it is Gold it will need to be buffed too.
Work your pad over all surfaces at least 3 times, if you have a area where there is some scratches, apply more pressure but keep the pad moving back and forth and they will buff out. I use touch to let me know when to ease up, if the case starts to get very warm, back off a bit and let it cool, then go back. If you have left your Crystal in the Bezel, take care around it, if it is Acrylic, it can be buffed over, but not with Red Rouge, I use Regular White Crest Toothpaste and a new pad, and set the dremel to about 1500 RPM, use light pressure and go back and forth overlapping each pass. This will take quite a few passes to do the job, so I do this for light scuffs and scratches, if there deep, and I can get a New Crystal, I just replace it.
I put a Old Towel on my lap and rub the compound off, inspect, then go back and buff some more. When I am satisified that I got all of the scratches out that I can, I use a Diaper, Q-Tip, Pointed Toothpick to clean off the Red Rouge.
If your Watch has a Stainless Back, Remove it now, it will have to be buffed with the Green Rouge and a New pad the same way you did the bezel. You can use a little more pressure and about 3000 RPM on this. If you want the Brushed look after you buffed the scratches out of the Stainless Case back, wiping it with the ScotchBrite Pad in the direction you desire will make it look "Factory Finished "again. This is where the practice watches come in handy.
Now that you have your Bezel and back buffed out with the Rouge and all of the compound cleaned off, its time to go to a new "Soft Cloth" pad and the Gold Tripoli to take care of the swirl marks and give it that fine shine. Use the same Technique as you did with the Red Rouge. You can use this to go over your newly Brushed Stainless back also to give it some luster. Set your Dremel to about 4000 RPM, and go over it with very light pressure 2-3 times or as needed.
Gently wipe it off with a clean diaper, then mix up a cup of Hot water and a couple drops of Dawn and soak it for 10 Minutes., Use a clean Diaper to wipe it down and a Q-Tip to get in tight spots, use your loupe to check the cracks, you may need to use the pointed toothpick to get some of the compound out of the cracks and along the edge of the Crystal if you left it in, so be careful not the scratch anything.
Finally, after it is dry, ( I leave the case and back seperated overnight to allow the moisture to evaporate) Install your New Band with your band tool, being careful not to scratch it, those spring bars can be tricky, and gently install the movement back in the case back making sure it is seated, and snap it shut. Stand back , Pat yourself on the back and admire it!
You can use the same process to Refurbish a watch band, or even a pocket watch. But I would recommend buying a couple of Clunkers off of eBay to practice on before you do your pride and joy! but beware, this can become habit forming and lead to bad things like Watch Collecting!
Sorry this was so long, but I hope it helps, and I'm sure some of the others that post on this site will fill in anything missed.
Good Luck,
Greg
Dan, according to this ad the band looks like it could be the original: http://www.mybulova.com/sites/default/files/vintage_ads/1946_AD5.jpg
I'd just use an old rag to polish up the case. You shouldn't need to use anything else. These Bulova's usually buff up really nice. Don't worry about the gold it won't rub off as it's filled and not plated so you have a fair bit of covering before hitting the base metal.
I'd say that this watch was offered for sale to the publicwith a number of dial variations. This being one of them. It would be interesting to know if the diamonds and rubies are real or synthetic.
In reply to Dan, according to this ad the by Stephen Ollman
Stephen,
The Dial on the Benrus I posted, the Diamonds and Rubies where synthetic, the Avalon I don't know. I also have a 1966 Senator posted with 2 "Diamonds", and they test real.
I have a late 50's Beau Brummell coming in with 5 "Diamonds" that I am anxious to test and will update later this week.
Greg
