Bulova 1943 Time King

Submitted by tshanno on September 26, 2020 - 3:45pm
Manufacture Year
1943
Movement Model
7AP
Movement Date Code
X
Movement Jewels
21
Case Serial No.
3329695
Case shape
Rectangle
Case color
Yellow
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

Preliminary diagnosis wold be 1943 Broadcaseter

The case is 10K yellow gold filled and is marked Bulova Fifth Ave New York on the inside.  The movment is a 21 jewel 7AP with a 1943 date code.

It's as I bought it.  It runs well.  One potential problem is that the face has numbers on it.  It looks to me like most of the Broadcasters at this time didn't have them (see the ad).  ON th eother hand the subsecond dial looks like it usually has numbers.  My watch doesn't.

It actually is a lot cleaner than the pictures make it look.  the phones nowadays are so good they exaggerate every flaw. I don't think the lighting helped.

face
case back outside
case back inside
side
movement
broadcaster ad
neetstuf-4-u
Posted September 26, 2020 - 5:13pm

Cool watch, Tom! I find ads for 2 models in this case, but both are 17 jewel and dial per ads doesn't match - Sponsor & Broadcaster.

Broadcaster is advertised as rose gold, but seems to have 3 variants, "A, B and C", and Sponsor assumed to be yellow gold. We have IDed this watch with 21J Jewel as opposed to ads stating 17 and full numbered face as Sponsor - tentative, but also as Time King, like this one. I have yet to find ad confirmation, and don't know where the original "TK" ID came from.

So far I think we have 3 , all dated 1941 ID'ed as Sponsor/tentative (identical to subject watch) noting jewel count / face discrepancy, and 3 as Time King. Two are identical to subject watch but with no ad and this one that appears to be a redial to black with 17 jewels and face configuration matching Sponsor/Broadcaster ads.

Isn't this easy ? (insert eye roll here)

The more I look, the less sure I am that this model is  indeed Sponsor due to jewel count and different face. Is the Sponsor ad wrong, and showing a Broadcaster, as we have yet to see one that truly matches the ad?

Call  it tentative Sponsor, or revisit Time King? Panel thoughts?

tshanno
Posted October 4, 2020 - 3:58pm

In reply to by neetstuf-4-u

Good call on this.  I was in a hurry when I posted it.  This is what I get for not taking the time to check the jewel count.  Thanks.

Geoff Baker
Posted September 30, 2020 - 10:36pm

Nice watch Tom - 1943 Bulova Time King