1951 21 j 10bm model. The only crystal to fit is a CMY 312-6 for an Academy Award Model. The case is all 10k gold filled. The date, case, 21j movement and crystal all suggest it may be an academy, we know there are plain dial varients around. I can find no adverts for this model or hardly any other models the same as. So any ideas? Excellency or Academy are the two front runners at present!
I'm easily swayed with ads or strong suggestions from things like crystal specs. I looked through many of the new and old ads for AA's - the men's - and didn't see a single tonneau-shaped model. None ID'ed in the watch database as men's tonneau either. We do have ads for rectangle and round mens AA's. When we have a tonneau crystal, does a T show up somewhere in the crystal name? I'm not that up on crystals. If I were gonna go on "looks close", I did see an Excellency which "looks" similar- except for the angled-top lugs of subject vs flat-topped lugs in the ad below - is tonneau, and matches jewel count. It could be an Excellency for which we don't have an ad? Wasn't there some possible cross-reference to an Excellency crystal that was a close fit to subject watch? Lemme check the crystal specs...I have not to date, just relied on folks more familiar w/ crystal stuff. 1950 ad below.
In reply to I'm easily swayed with ads or by William Smith
Well, not yet JP. Subject watch is cusion shapped (not tonneau). I was looking at the 1957 Watchcraft Crystal catalog (which I obviously don't know how to use as good as other folks). If I have figured "it out", it does look like there are tonneau AA crystal, but the size of the one I checked seems to be for a ladies AA's. Also there's a cusion-shaped AA crystal too- unless the size of that crystal suggests ladies. It looks like the "E" below is tonneau, but is it a ladies size crystal?
I see this as I try to figure out the 1957 Watchcraft Catalog:
Not that hard Will. Look at the ZZ, it says it is an A shape and is 21.5mm in length by whatever the bottom number in the crystal diagram says. The P just tells you it is a moulded glass crystal.
If you look in the 1953 BB catalog for the CMY 2397 you will see it is the size of the subject watch and if you look toward the end of the catalog to the listings you will find the Bulova AA YY is the CMY2397.
Does this help??
In reply to Not that hard Will. Look at by JP
Yes it does. Thanks JP. I need to buff up on these crystal catalogs. I think with subject watch, it just doesn't have that AA look/feel to me. This is a gustalt call, and I'm not that familiar with AA's to make a Gustalt call. So I try to do other research. If we need a majority of voting panel members in agreement to publish, I'm motivated to do research before I vote vs. abstaining due to lack of knowledge. I should not vote based on a Gustalt feeling...but in the end, it's only one vote....and the batteries on my magic eight ball are dead...
The subject watch crystal is also listed in AM Perfit as HMY 239/2 and in SUC as RMW111-3 if this helps. If you look in the Rocket Catalog #9 on page 50 under Bulove AA watches the YY is listed as the RMW111-3.
Is this multiple listings of the AA YY crystal enough to sway your opinion to vote for AA YY???
Without an ad I will go tentanive AA, no variant. Based on the following crystal specs it most likely will turn out to be the AA "YY" but without an ad we don't know what the dial looks like.
The only model id'd for the following crystals is the AA "YY".
BB CMY2397
GS CMY312-6
SUC RMW111-3
Perfit HMY239/2 (Bulova, no model listed in catalog #11)
WC P5MC238
Federal MT17-239 (listed with their tonneau crystals but has 4 curved sides)