Just a non-conforming project I thought was looking good, we can delete this afterward, I just wanted to show this to everybody. This is a 1971 Bulova Pocket watch being re-purposed as a wristwatch. The watch comes out a tad large, similar to the size of Panerais, (44mm) which used the same type of movement and layout at one point. (they are now using in house movements. The earlier ones used Rolex modified Cortebert movements, as well as the rarer Angelus) I mention Panerai because they started out being lepine pocket watch movements in a wristwatch, which is why the sub seconds are at the 9. Anyway, this is a 16AC, which is a 6497. The finished watch will use a 6498, (16AB) because of the layout of the wristwatch being a Hunter type. I just wanted to do a mockup to show what it will look like when it's all done. I wanted to use an actual Bulova branded movement with a see-through back as opposed to a generic Swiss one, like they did with the Accutron-Swiss watches , which I believe were called 'Gemini,' if memory serves.
Thanks, guys. Pardon the fingermarks on the piece, I assembled it quickly just to show what it would look like, the 6497 is 90 degrees off for the crown position. I have several Bulova pocket watches that may end up like this.
I can't take credit for the idea, they do this all the time in the Ukraine. (online auction has many examples of pocket watch movts in custom wristwatch cases with custom dials and even engraving)
The original 'pocket watch movt as a wristwatch' idea probably goes to Panerai, back in the beginning. I was at Tourneau in Las Vegas some years ago, and when I examined a Panerai closely, I could not help but notice the ETA 6497 through the display case back. It was the first time I had really examined one of these up close, so I didn't see spending $4K US at the time on it. As I mentioned, PAM has now been using in house calibres for a while now, but like many manufacturers (even Rolex) they once used ebauches like everybody else.