Bulova 1956 Bulova 23

Submitted by neetstuf-4-u on July 7, 2021 - 8:04am
R
Manufacture Year
1956
Movement Model
10BPAC
Movement Jewels
23
Case Serial No.
6000320
Case shape
Round
Case color
White
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

Here's a cool one that is really out of the ordinary for the time period. All stainless steel with a flush recessed hidden crown. I'm thinking this one wasn't a big seller, as it's really difficult to set and impossible to hand wind. Nevertheless, I like it and it keeps perfect time. Ad is dated 1958. Serial number appears to be an early one.

Dial appears to have been refinished, as the text style doesn't match ads or other 23's of the time period..

1956 Bulova 23 "R"

23r1
23r2
23r3
23r4
23r5
23rad
Andersok
Posted July 7, 2021 - 1:26pm

That would be a match to the 'R' variant. I've had a couple of these over time and they are definitely hard to wind and set. I agree that the dial is not original, as is that crown.

mybulova_admin
Posted July 7, 2021 - 6:59pm

Gotta love thank wonky 7 indicator :-)

I see what you mean about being hard to set and wind.....could they buried that crown any deeper into the case. At first glance I would have put money on that the crown was missing.

Otherwise though, seems to be a good match for a 1956 Bulova 23 "R"

neetstuf-4-u
Posted July 7, 2021 - 9:20pm

"Drunken 7". Don't know what's up with that; haven't broken it down yet to see if it moves or is fixed in that position. I suspect it's a victim of the dial re-finish. When the crown is pulled out, less than 1/2 of it is outside the bezel..........

JimDon5822
Posted July 8, 2021 - 5:56pm

It is like that on vintage Seiko.  I have a few with recessed crowns.  They usually are on non-manual wind watches and are for only setting the date.   Makes me wonder if this was not a manual wind movement or just wasn't considered that important on a self wind.

Geoff Baker
Posted July 8, 2021 - 9:32pm

1956 Bulova 23 R is a good match