Bulova 1938 Dauphine

Submitted by TexasLady on February 26, 2019 - 4:49pm
Manufacture Year
1938
Movement Model
6AL
Movement Jewels
17
Movement Serial No.
-
Case Serial No.
65600
Case shape
Square
Case color
White
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Gender
Ladies
Watch Description

This is a Bulova Ladies watch in 14 KT White Gold with twenty-four (24) Diamonds. No Date code stamped on the movement. Looks very close to the 1936 Dauphine and Princess Pat,  except the lugs are different. Kathy helped me to eliminate the Pandora with her enlargement.

1938 Bulova watch
1938 Bulova watch
1938 Bulova watch
1938 Bulova watch
1938 Bulova watch
bourg01
Posted February 26, 2019 - 5:57pm

Beautiful watch,

The engraving on the caseback would make it at least 1936 ? I would think.

TexasLady
Posted February 26, 2019 - 6:23pm

In reply to by bourg01

Hello Shawn,

Thank you for the compliment on my watch,  and you are correct about the date: at least 1936.

I found the same watch on Ebay but the lugs are consistent with the Dauphine.

Possible previous owner(s) had the lugs altered?

Nice to have you on the board again.

Kathy L.
Posted February 28, 2019 - 10:56am

I have looked for an ad for this one and not finding anything that matches the lugs like you said.  It did find another watch that seemed to have lugs like these but it wasn't this one.

Unknown for now.

Kathy L.
Posted February 28, 2019 - 4:02pm

I would say it does match Dauphine except for the lugs.   Lug repair could be possible.

Geoff Baker
Posted March 1, 2019 - 5:10am

I think the wire holding the bracelet is aftermarket, hard to tell and impossible to guess why. I would tag this one Dauphine.

jabs
Posted March 1, 2019 - 6:12am

Dauphine will be good vote

bourg01
Posted March 1, 2019 - 8:35am

Dauphine is close but I'm not on board with Dauphine. Her lugs are elongated triangular shaped and are solid so the could not have broken and be replaced with the loop shown on our subject watch. Given that the band matches the bezel on our subject, I believe it is all original.

Lastly the subject watches diamonds are prong mounted. The Dauphine ad appears to have them bezel mounted.

 

neetstuf-4-u
Posted March 1, 2019 - 10:53am

I've come back to this one several times and have to agree with Shawn for the time being. I think the lug difference is a little too elaborate to be a jeweler mod/repair, but that's me basically thinking out loud. Face of subject watch also lacks the detail center "square" line shown in ad.

I doubt it's a repair, if anything it's a mod to allow use of a metal band as opposed to a silk cord, and an expensive change. If that was the case, why cut down the lugs to the extent seen? It would have been a lot more cost effective and less modifying of the overall watch style/appearance to just put a ring in the cord hole to change mounting from "female to male" for lack of a better description.

There is also the possibility it's a Dauphine Variant differentiated by band?.

A close-up photo of the lug end looking straight at the wire where it goes through the band end may help. It may provide enough detail to determine if it is modified or factory.

I'm on the fence, but agree it's a beauty as it is.. I will go with general concensus, but just wanted to add my thoughts and observations.

Reverend Rob
Posted March 1, 2019 - 11:49am

Looks just like the Dauphine, except for those lugs!

TexasLady, is there any evidence of a repair in this area? Tool marks, hard solder, that sort of thing? It's possible one of the original lugs was say broken off and then lost, the repar being to remove the other one and attach wire lugs. Those wire lugs look totally out of place, here.

mybulova_admin
Posted March 1, 2019 - 9:49pm

I'm in agreeance, I think the lug difference has an explanation of sorts, but still makes this a Dauphine.