Watch came in a Dolly Madison cardboard box - as well as the blue & white display box with tag....
However, the markings on the inside don't match a Dolly Madison....not to mention the face of the watch is oval, and the case is square....
And the markings on the back of the case don't either.
All this, as well as an "S" marking on the band is incredibly confusing.
Can anyone help identify these things? I've gotten it narrowed down to, 5AD=1952, M3=1963.
Case is 1963.
how are You dating the 5AD Movement? I see something stamped by the stem that looks as if it may be M3 (1963) also?
In reply to Case is 1963. how are You by FifthAvenueRes…
Damn. I knew I shoud have taken typing in high school.
You are correct, M3 = 1963. So we know to look in the early to mid '60's ads for the model.
But 5AD isn't the movement date it is the movement model. The movement should be dated similarly to the case with an M? if it is original to the case. Look on the back of the movement near the winding stem/crown.
Can you post pics of the dial removed from the case, and of the inside of the case back?
Darren
In reply to You are correct, M3 = 1963. by DarHin
Sorry about the confusion. I've never researched a Bulova before...
The marking next to the stem is either 'MO' or 'OW'. I guess I figured it wasn't really a match to the case because the front of the watch is square, yet the face and back are different.
ad Dated 1962.
the DM box is early 1950's
What you have is what someone pieced together and stuck in a mid 50's Dolly Madison box. A 1963 Leading Lady "D" case, and a 60's 23 jewel movement or is it just the dial??
It is defiantly a cobble job, but at least it may have some parts value... : )
The mvt and Dial were most likely a set Greg.
: )
The 'LEADING LADY' "D" is definately advertised as 21 J's.
So it's close to a 1963? On the back of the watch (on the inside) it says "23 Jewels", so the face and the guts match, right?
Sorry that it's so confusing! I would've thought it'd be as easy as 1, 2, 3.....
Candid It's often confusing with Bulova....especially the ladies watches. Like others above said, a 23 Jewel 5AD movement date coded to MO (1960) in a M3 (1963) case. Case looks like the Leading Lady "D" in ad. So although it may be "cobbled", you can say it looks similar the Leading Lady D but w/ an oval dial, and you know more about the constituent parts. If that means anything other than "cobbled"
In reply to Candid It's often by William Smith
Thank you! Looking closely at others...and just from an artist's point-of-view, I could tell that the face didn't match the crystal (face oval, crystal square). I was looking through some of the ads and it could be a First Lady movement? Only saying that because it's one of the only women's watches that has 23 jewels, oval face, and date.
Wouldn't know which First Lady, though...since they are only coded that way because of case color (although, the stem is gold)...
I guess another question would be, where to get it looked at/fixed? Any jeweler, or do I ship it to a "specialist"?
I wouldn't use the Jeweler at the mall.
If Your local Jeweler is a Watchmaker then by all means, if not there are severel very competant Wachmakers on the boards.