One of the Bulova 23's? Very unique dial, so hopefully a variant can be found for case style and dial style. Dial should "pop out" in any ad we may have. Checking now.
By 1964, Bruce Shakey published there were 107 unique "variants" of this Bulova 23's, based on price lists he used. We have those price lists on site, and they are a great tool to help narrow down possible groups of variants when we cannot figure out a spicific variant based on available vintage ads. He also reported that some of the Duplicate style letters (variants) after “I” (variant) probably signify band choice. So for an unknown group of these latter 23's, we may only be able to ID'ed to a group of possible variants without information onoriginal bands. ...and we don't have many ads indicating these Point Of Sale (POS) variants w/ POS bands.
When I search our watch database for Bulova 23's, I see no returns for any models in database after 1961. By 1961 or 1962, some of the 23 Jewel watches, similar to subject watch, may be other model names by this time.
In the 1964 fair trade price lists, there were still 107 Bulova 23 variants available for sale in 1964. Was Bulova still producing some of the early variants by this time? Maybe not, but with them listed in price lists, they were either still available from Bulova (perhaps older inventory still in stock), or there were enough of them in various dealers stock that they warranted Bulova listing them in the price lists.
Maybe a '23, maybe a Regatta? Characteristics of both. Similar to this 1963 Regatta. No matching ad that I could find. I didn't check the entire decades forum post (1960's) newspaper ads found in the last year or so.
We have a lot of Regatta variants around this time.
Well we don't have an ad match for the Regatta 23 or the Bulova 23. The dial in the Regatta ad I used above is close, and the case is stainless, however its not the same shapped lugs. I can't find an ad for subject case/lugs for either a Bulova 23, or a Regatta 23. I was throwing out some good possibilities, but its unknown to me which of those two possibilities may be the best guess.
The Regatta watch example to which I linked is a good match to the ad. I compared the case backs for the subject watch, that linked Regatta 23, and some Bulova 23 examples. The Regatta and Bulva 23 model case backs were more similar to each other than to subject watch case back.
Top photo is subject watch case back, center is Linked Regatta case back, and bottom is a typical 1961 Bulova 23 case back.
Now I gotta figure out if I can justify two ticks for either a Bulova 23 unknown variant, or a Regatta 23 unknown variant.....or just vote unknown.
This 1960 Bulova 23 variant is darn close in case/lugs, but not stainless. (and don't even look at its case back LOL- not even close to subject watch). Here's the ad used in this 1960 ID.
And both the Regatta and Bulova 23 examples may have recessed crowns?
OK I found this ad used in Plains 1964 Regatta 23 watch record. At least its got the same lugs, but there's still the issue with recessed crown.
ad Dated 1964
What is our earliest Regatta 23 watch example in databae, or earliest ad for Regatta?
So if we just play the odds, there were 107 variants of Bulova 23 in 1964, and about 40 variants of Regatta 23. We don't have ads for most variants of either models. With similar dial in that one Regatta ad, and similar case in the other Regatta ad, I start to think maybe Regatta.....but with so many more unknow variants of Bulova 23's, the odds may be for Bulova 23.
Maybe Unknown is my best call while we keep up the ad search.