Bulova 1979 Model

Submitted by Samurai on December 1, 2012 - 2:22pm
442 01 02.5
Manufacture Year
1979
Movement Model
ETA 2892
Movement Jewels
17
Movement Serial No.
-
Case Serial No.
G156861
Case shape
Other
Case color
White
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Crystal details
Mineral, flat
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

Bulova Automatic, Design a la Royal Oak.  ADDED INFO:  There is also a second number located above the Bulova insignia on the case back. It is 4420101.  On the case back inside I found: "Bulova N9 All Stainless Steel 12055". ADDED INFO 2: Movement is marked with: "ETA CW 2892". Rotor is marked with " BULOVA 1432.10 Seventeen 17 Jewels SWISS N9"

Bulova "Royal Oak"
Bulova watch
Bulova watch
Bulova Watch
Bulova Watch
William Smith
Posted December 2, 2012 - 2:39pm

Unknown from me.   Maybe "new" enought that Bulova Corp would have some info on this watch.

bobbee
Posted December 2, 2012 - 3:40pm

Great pics by the way, Sebastian.

Samurai
Posted December 2, 2012 - 4:08pm

Hi, @bobbee: Thanks for the flowers. @Will: Is it possible to ask? Or get more Infomations from Bulova Corp? Do you have a contact? 

Sebastian

William Smith
Posted December 2, 2012 - 6:44pm

Sebastian.  I don't have the best contact for this type of question to Bulova.  Others on site may, and perhaps they can provide.  I'd have to look it up and contact to see if I had the right Bulova point of contact.

armchairb
Posted August 22, 2013 - 7:36am

 

I have exactly the same watch, I posted on the forums a while ago, but then moved house and temporarily mislaid the watch.  I have just taken it to the jewellers and he removed the back and the numbers are the same.

 

If you get any further information, I would be extremely interested to find out more about it.

Geoff Baker
Posted August 23, 2013 - 5:38am

armchair - how close to the same? I wonder if the number on the case back is the same?

Is it also 6-156861?

Reverend Rob
Posted August 23, 2013 - 7:37pm

I must have failed to save my own post? I could have sworn I added something within the last day or so...

Anyway, I was told this is a Genta design, as was the Royal Oak, and I don't think Bulova would have blatantly used it without authorization, so it seems to point to Gerald Genta collaborating with Bulova or at least licensing said watch.

armchairb
Posted August 24, 2013 - 2:14pm

The numbers on the back of my watch are 6-156083 and 4420101

Reverend Rob
Posted April 15, 2015 - 9:31am

Ok, some more info on this piece. It was the product of an early to mid seventies collaboration by Gerald Genta and Bulova, and predates the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, making it in essence the very first incarnation of a Royal Oak design. 

In an interesting side note, The Chrono 'C', aka the "Stars and Stripes", is stamped 'GG' on the inside of the case. Although I cannot match the design of the logo exactly, it does make one wonder. Did Gerald Genta use the left and right facing 'G' s as a trademark? Still researching.....

An update: The chronology is wrong. AP had the Royal Oak design before Bulova. This means that in order for Bulova to take the trouble to manufacture a copy of the design, it must have been authorized by Genta or AP, although why AP would allow this is beyond me, their watch was a runaway hit by this time. 

JimDon5822
Posted December 28, 2021 - 9:37pm

Finally found an ad confirming the model.   I just purchased this ad from eBay.  This 1975 ad shows this as model #4420102.5.  Based on this ad can we ID this watch as a 4420102?  I think this dial is darker than the subject watch and wonder if the .5 part of the model number indicates the dial.   Can we also show this as a 1975 since this has no date code instead of the default 1979 used by the owner.

1975 Bulova Royal Oak