Hi, Bulova Friends -- I'd like your opinion on this watch. The case lo oks to me like a 1949 (marked 49) His Excellency, and the movement looks to me like a 1951 (marked L1) 7AA. The dial looks to me like a 1951 HE "D" based on the Models section on this site. But I wouldn't expect to see a two-year difference between the case and the movement/ dial. In fact, the case looks a bit mangled where someone prised the movement from the case or pressed the movement into the case some time ago. Could this watch be a marriage of convenience? (Alternatively, a previous watch collector was as fumble-fingered then as I am now, but had worse handtools!)
Thanks as always -- Michael
Hello Michael, I am not finding an exact match for a variant for your His Excellency. Really nice looking watch with that sharp black dial. This case was a Statesman earlier and I believe in 1949 it was a His Excellency "SS" like this, https://www.mybulova.com/watches/1949-his-excellency-6641
I am not finding a model that has this dial but it is obviously an Excellency dial and matches this one, https://www.mybulova.com/watches/1951-his-excellency-5798 (correction the dial does look like a D as you said per the link in Ken’s comment)
It could be a marriage or a variant yet to be found. At the moment I would vote for a general His Excellency. Because there is more than a year separating the case/movement dates I am going to go with the case date.
1949 Bulova His Excellency
1949 case looks to be from the His Exc SS; and I agree that the 1951 dial may be a marriage from the His Exc 'D'.
Thanks, Bulova friends, for confirming my suspicion this is a 1949 His Excellency SS case and a 1951 His Excellency D dial and movement. (Well, all of you added the variants.) How they were introduced to each other can never be known, but they're wedded now.
I'm not keen on the expandable band, and I'll likely replace it with a black leather strap to complement the black dial.
As always, I appreciate your expertise.