A 23 Jewel self-winding model with a 10 BOAC movement. Black sunburst textured dial. The Speidel bracelet may be original.
Rob - This is called a "Bulova 23". You'll find that option in the dropdown list. If you want to confirm that, there are others in the database. Do a search for "Bulova 23". Also, check the ads for early 50s, and I believe you'll find this watch or something very close.
I'm looking at the shape of the lugs. Those "hips". I'm checking ads for similar case style. And checking other watch records for time period. Perhaps something other than a Bulvoa 23- a model with 23 jewels called ? What year in our ad database does the first advertised "Bulova 23" appear?
I found this 1954 ad
Ad states "New" and doesn't indicate any letter variant. Has the "sunburst" dial. ...and different case shape. I guess 1954 rolled out the 23 jewel movement:
1955 ad below shows same case as subject watch. Offered w/ three "variants" available, but doesn't specify letter variant for choices. "sunburst dial not evident in pic below, but doesn't mean it's just an artist rendering issue. I don't believe the term "sunburst dial" was used for subject watch or ads as early as 1954/55, but termed a little later in collector circles and used in retrospect.
Now what year do we first see 23 Jewels printed on dials or in ads? Not much earlier, if I remember correctly.
Subject watch passes muster for confirmed Bulova 23 - IMO. Shawkey (2010) states several early 23 had choice of charcoal and/or black dial. May or may not have had seperate letter variant advertised as such for these two choices, but had to have some way of ordering w/ charcoal dial choice.
In reply to I replied to William Smiths' by rob
That's great Rob. Your welcome. Thanks for posting it! I PM'ed you in case you weren't checking in on the website, and hope you had the PM message forwarding notification working- just to see if you were still "out there". This is a great function admin has modified and improved over the last month. Thanks Admin! I didn't notice I had gotten a reply, but it must be there..... Glad you can take some more pictures. Will
Will,
Information in regards to the Bulova "23" was posted in the Bulova timeline at the Corporate site. It has since changed.
1954 was the first Year of production for the Bulova "23" - the Watch was the first Bulova Automatic to be produced wholly in the United States. All were 23 Jewels, Automatics (obviously) in Waterproof Cases. - by the 1960's We see variants listed in the vintage advertisements to 3 letters, literally Hundreds.
