Bulova 1932 Lafayette

Submitted by timothywatches on
Manufacture Year
1932
Movement Model
10AN
Movement Date Code
Square Shield
Movement Jewels
15
Movement Serial No.
548217
Case Serial No.
2065394
Case shape
Tonneau
Case color
White
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Watch Description

Tonneau shape  -  With plastic transparent dust cover   -  Sub seconds dial   -  Radium hour markers 

Front of watch with crystal
Lugs
Inside of case
Lugs
Movement inscriptions
mybulova_admin
Posted June 10, 2024 - 7:48am

With Bulova watches there are a number of ways we date watches. Check out this page to see how to best determine the year a watxh was made.

Bulova Date Codes | myBulova.com

In this case we use the first digit in the case serial number '2' and place the watch in a certain time period, again in this case it's the 1930s...thus 1932.

timothywatches
Posted June 10, 2024 - 8:15am

In reply to by mybulova_admin

Thank you for your informative reply sir !! It’s always interesting to find out more about the watch !!

JimDon5822
Posted June 10, 2024 - 9:40pm

1932 Bulova Lafayette looks to be a match.  

JimDon5822
Posted June 10, 2024 - 9:40pm

1932 Bulova Lafayette looks to be a match.  

Geoff Baker
Posted June 10, 2024 - 9:59pm

Am I the only one (other than Bob) who sees the GREEN GOLD bars on this watch? They are almost gone but if you look again they are there, mostly on the lugs.

1932 Bulova DEWEY

Alex
Posted June 10, 2024 - 11:00pm

I see them as white gold, only at the corners there is some brassing, showing a different color.

My take on the discussion. The ridgeless Lafayette was supplied from 1927 until end 1929. The two-tone Dewey was introduced in 1929, so both models overlap in that year. Then, in 1930, the ridgeless Lafayette disappears and a fully white gold model with ridge appears. Question is: is this new model the successor of the ridgeless model with name Lafayette, or a full white gold version of the Dewey baring the same name? For a conclusion, we need to look for an ad of the Lafayette with ridge and from 1930. See below ad of 12 December 1930. I see ridges clearly visible in the bottom right lug. Hence, the full white gold model with ridge is a Lafayette, that succeeded the ridgeless model supplied earlier from 1927 until 1929. This was probably a manufacturing model rationalization. They could now produce just one case with two finishes.

1930 Lafayette ad

timothywatches
Posted June 10, 2024 - 11:44pm

Hi sir would a side image of the watch help ? I would be able to take it once I’m back home . Thank you all for helping me identify this particular model ! 

mybulova_admin
Posted June 11, 2024 - 12:37am

So question from me.

Are we seeing brassing of the white gold layer down to the base metal, or wear on the green gold inlay down to the white gold layer?

My take would be that the green gold inlays would be a thin plate layer and the white gold would be rolled/filled and much thicker.

Maybe having a better photo of the brassing area on the lugs might help us determine this.

timothywatches
Posted June 11, 2024 - 12:50am

In reply to by mybulova_admin

No worries sir , I reach home in about 8 hours haha I will take a clearer picture then ! Thanks nonetheless