Bulova 1943 Military Issue

Submitted by shooter144 on March 30, 2011 - 10:53am
Manufacture Year
1943
Movement Model
10AK
Movement Date Code
X
Movement Jewels
15
Movement Serial No.
-
Case Serial No.
032651
Case shape
Round
Case color
White
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

Screw down back with rubber seal and dust cover. As found, winds set runs strong, near mint dial

Bulova watch
Bulova watch
Bulova watch
Bulova Watch
Bulova Watch
William Smith
Posted November 15, 2012 - 9:45pm

Don't we have a Military ID which includes "Non-Issue", or we can create one for this if warrented?  ...if folks think this is a "non-issued" watch.

bobbee
Posted November 22, 2012 - 5:24am

Oct. 1946 ad.

I think this says it all.

William Smith
Posted November 23, 2012 - 12:23am

Bobbee  I'm still working my head around on what that ad says in relation to subject watch.  The minute tracks are different, there's no subsecond in the ad, and it states 16 jewels.  Also looks like the model name may be "Master Navigator".  If someone had purchased one of the watches from this ad, it would be a non-issue watch.  It states "watches identical to these were issued", not these particular watches.  It's an ad for extra watches Bulova had on hand, made to government specs "identical" to those issued.
I also think the subject watch is a Non-Issue watch.  Maybe that was the connection?

I'm going with one tick for subject watch as Military Issue.  Maybe folks can make it clear why it's published as "Issued" and I'll change my ticks.  Didn't Issued watches all have some military markings on the case backs?

bobbee
Posted November 23, 2012 - 12:45am

There's the rub.
As you say, To be issued you need the ordinance markings on the case back.

William Smith
Posted November 23, 2012 - 1:09am

In reply to by bobbee

I thought soo too Bobbee, but wasn't %100 positive. (darned close to positive though).

FifthAvenueRes…
Posted November 23, 2012 - 4:25am

'the rub' is nonsense and the ad dispayed above has no relation to the subject Watch as the ad above is depicting what is believed a 1946+ Bulova Type A-11 Navigation Hack.

There is no mention of, nor an image of, a Caseback.

This Popular Mechanics ad found by Jerin Dates to 1947 and indicates Military Surplus Waches were offered to the public with "AAF nomenclature on back".

The rub is a non issue, the subject Watch is the Military 10 AK, not the Type A-11 and it's unclear at this time what the significance of an unmarked Military Caseback is.

William Smith
Posted November 23, 2012 - 1:34pm

In reply to by FifthAvenueRes…

Great ad.  Thanks for posting it. I think this ad is saying these Issued watches were offered for sale by someone other than Buloav, and the earlier ad is saying Bulova actually sold watches identical to those issued- but not issued or marked on the backs as such.  For the ad above, the watches were originally supplied to government by Bulova, issued or ready for issue, and then post-war supplied to this third party through some "surplus" means, then offered to the public by this third party.  I'm betting they were never given to soldiers to wear, but were marked on the backs and "ready" to distribute.   Great ads!

bobbee
Posted November 23, 2012 - 5:34am

Nice ad, not seen it before, but as it says, they are A-11's, with ORD marked case backs, are RE-issues and have nothing to do with the subject watch. That statement "it is unclear at this time" gives me an overwhelming feeling of déja vu, and after some thought, recollection and a tiny bit of investigation, I know why. You use it ALL THE TIME. In other words you are unsure of just about anything you say. As most of us probably are.

bobbee
Posted November 23, 2012 - 8:34am

I repeat, for a watch to be Military Issue, it needs Military markings, and though the watches in Jerins ad above shows  "Air Force nomenclature", the movements are stated twice to contain 17 jewel movements, so probably not the 16 jewel 10 AKCSH used in the standard Type A-11, and are therefore Frankies.

I used the ad above to capture member's imaginations about what happened to all the returned, unused Military watches after the War, but I guess you missed that.

Subject has no Military marks, and therefore cannot be Military Issue, not nonsense. Q.E.D.

William Smith
Posted November 23, 2012 - 1:22pm

So is subject watch believed to be Military Issue by most folks?  I don't think it is, but I've been wrong before...