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HI Kathy,

Thank you for your expert input. I am new at all this, so I’m glad to receive your thoughts and consideration of my watch. I can see now that it is clearly a Minute Man. Thank you!

However, I’m not certain that it’s 1944 and would appreciate your comments and further clarification considering the following information:

As mentioned in my information I recorded with posting the watch, I recall being told that my mother got this for my father before they were married. My IMPRESSION was that it was shortly before they married and perhaps as a wedding gift from her to him. They married 6/2/48. BTW, I was born 6/2/51!~  In any event, if my impression is incorrect,  I am more certain that they did not meet until he got discharged from the Navy in May 1946 although I’m not completely certain of that either. There’s always the possibility that they met while he was in the service, or even before, and she purchased the watch for him then. More possibly complicating is that the watch was probably worked on once or more before they gave it to me in the early 1990’s; although my father had not worn it in MANY years. It was not operational when they gave it to me so I can’t be sure if it was ever worked on before I received it.

Of course, I would assume that just because a watch was made in a certain year doesn’t preclude a retailer from selling it new along with a current year’s models. Would you agree?

After I received the watch I took the watch to the family jeweler who had rented his original store for many years from my grandfather prior to when this watch came into existence. He/his son did the necessary repairs. I’m very certain that the back plate with the serial number was the plate as I received the watch but have no way of knowing if that plate was original to the watch, or not. It’s not too difficult to imagine that the watch may have been damaged or the back plate had come loose and was lost previously and another plate was used to solve the matter. The jeweler was well adept at restoring watches with spare parts he kept.

In looking at the advertisements shown on my Bulova.com for 1944, I see no Minute Man in the limited selection there. However, I see a number of matches for Minute Man watches in adverts from 1947 and 1948 which would sync with my memory of when my mother bought this for my father. There are not adverts for Minute Man watches in the shape of my watch from 1942 -1948 other than these two years.

I realize that the collection of adverts online is probably just a small sample from those years; but it’s most interesting that it is only 1947 and 1948 that show my Minute Man watch; while matching my understanding for when this was purchased and given to my father.

Also, I note that the link you provided for the 1944 Minute Man reference watch is one of those advertisements in 1947.

Last, the movement for that reference watch shows a circle for the date code which is for 1944. However, my movement has no such circle and no date code at all; which if it was a 1947 or 1948 it should have 47 or 48 inscribed according to myBulova’s date table for movements.

So, I’m left perplexed about the date. For me personally, it’s more about being certain of the date as a way of verifying the accuracy of my memory of the watch being given post war, shortly before they were married. It’s a touching story to me and I hold it dear, especially when I tell people about the watch.

Any comments you can make would be most appreciated.

Thank you!

Larry Boerio