Here is my latest acquisition... it just arrived today... my first one! There seems to be an ongoing debate as to whether this dial is correct for an Academy Award. Everything seems original on this watch. In fact, it is in remarkable condition other than a few chips to the glass crystal. Also, is interest in this watch diminishing? I was a bit surprised at what I got it for!
In reply to I have one like this, w/ the by William Smith
Well I dug mine out, and it's a different variant, and no hang tag (:
Is the difference between raised gilt and applied gilt obvious at the photo level, or do you need the watch and a loop?
Also, the black and white ad above displays the gilt hands as near black vs how we would expect them to appear in a color ad- golden. I'm thinking about the AA "Q" Spanish color ad showing black numerals/hands while several examples of this tentative AA "Q" show gilt. http://www.mybulova.com/watches/1951-academy-award-4315 If a color ad without text description depicted a watch known to occur with gilt numerals/hands as black (the Spanish ad), could this be due to the artists using a Black and White ad w/o text as a source for the color ad? I'm trying to come up with some possible justification for the color Spanish ad incorrectly depicting black numerals when all watch examples are gilt. It's a stretch, but if we question an ad, these possible mechanisms for misrepresentation are worthy of thought, if not discussion. IMO we can't just say "one of the four watches in this ad is depicted incorrectly". No one has said this to date, but where are the watches w/ black numerals? We at least need to propose a mechanism, however outlandish. The logic isn't faulty, but the evidence is weak to nonexistent.
'Raised' is an old School method where the numeral was actually stamped through the rear of the Dial to give a 'raised' appearance on the Face.
'Applied' numerals are just that, the numerals are applied (attached) to the Dial typically via a pin.
is the way I understand it.
Black printed numerals and Black Hands are seen fairly often on the 'EXCELLENCY' series Watches which IMO are directly related to the 'AA's.
There are 2 known variants of the 'AA' I can recall, possibly (probably) more that show printed Black numerals with Black Hands. Perhaps the Grey shadow Dial with Black and Black as depicted in the infamous Spanish ad was not a particularly hot seller therefore being a rarer piece and one We as a group have yet to see...?
"The ad is wrong" has been the battlecry before only to be proven to be an incorrect statement.
2c
