Case measures 23MM wide including the crown and 40MM in length.
Stephen's site movement serial number list is at the top of the page under the "search" option.
Here is a link to it: http://www.mybulova.com/bulova-serial-numbers
There is no known "explanation" for the case s.n. apart from this below.
I am only remarking on the case number dating system in my post above, as first noticed by fifthavenuerestorations on this site, whereby the first number on the seven-digit case serial gives us the year, and we can work out the decade by the model.
OK, that listing i've seen, but there are still some questions......For instance:
7507619
1938
Biarritz
First digit "7" but dated as 1938... No known indication about movement-code.
Why has the panel decided for 1938 ?
There are no others movements for comparing with a 7-digit code starting with "8".
So, isn't the movement-mark '47' more deciding?
I'm the last to question the expertise of this impressing panel, but I like to understand the ins-and-outs of the verdict.
Sorry to trouble you and greetings from Amsterdam,
Wim
In reply to OK, that listing i've seen, by wfj_j
Hi Wim, no trouble.
I think I have not explained clearly. T he date is marked by the case serial number, not the movement serial number.
The Biarritz in question had neither a case serial number or movement datemark, so those guys were making an educated guess at the date.
Hope this clears any misunderstanding,
Bob.
In reply to OK, that listing i've seen, by wfj_j
Hi Wim
The listing you linked above it to a older record entered by William (Scott). He often found photos of watches online and posted them in records while we were building our database. The information was often incomplete, and without the watch in hand, hard to update. I'm guessing that he entered the date of 1938 as a best guess. This record was entered before FifthAvenueRestoration discovered the first digit of case serial number to year of manufacture correlation, so Scott didn't have that to go on. The panel wasn't in existence at that time, so there was nobody to double-check his entry.
Hope that helps explain Scott's incorrectly dated watch record. I'll update now to 1937 based on what little info we do have in the pictures.
In reply to Hi Wim The listing you linked by William Smith
That's clear, Bobbee, so:
Even if the movement is marked '47' (=1947) but the case s.n. starts with '8', than the watch dates from 1948.
Movement made in 1947, but assembled in 1948 with the case and therefore stamped as 1948.
It needs a real expert to determine a watch.....!
I just have six Bulova's, but I've learned a lot on this site.
Wim
In reply to That's clear, Bobbee, by wfj_j
Hi Wim, you are correct. The goal of myBulova is to identify watches. As that generally means dating a case and then associating that case with name we tend to give a bit more credence to the case. As you know movements were and still are changed. Often we will assign the newest date between the two as the year of the watch. Understand that there is a point in Bulova history that the case date becomes irrelevant or more random, I recall that time to be mid to late 1950's.
You only have six Bulovas? That's six more than most and a fine collection. I just checked them out (again), they are six very nice ones I would say. Thanks for being a member of myBulova!