This watch is unknown to me, I put 'Alden' as my best guess, judging from the ads. I found a lookalike in number 27 ad. What is different, however, is the inner chapter index, which I can't recall having seen before. Under magnification, it appears that the sub second index has been darkened by hand. It bears both an engraved Omega type symbol, as well as the star or snowflake, which is struck. This gives two consecutive years of 1940-41.
The movement is a 10BE, which is an ETA 900, 15 jewel with Breguet overcoil. The case is very slightly curved, and crystal dimensions are 17x24.5, with a bulge to 18mm in the middle. The case is marked "Bulova Quality" on the edge of the outside, caseback, and bears no markings other than watchmaker's service marks (now including my own) within. It runs pretty good with a delta of about ten seconds in three positions.
What sayeth you, learned colleagues? Alden?
I would say the dial has been re-done at some point in time as this one. Note the sub seconds is not a match with the ad. 15J 10AX movement shows an asterisk only on this one.
Case is 1941 Alden, re-named the Commodore in 1943. Bezel could be engraved but I can't be sure even when the ad is super sized.
I agree, the dial is a bit odd. The minute track is much older than the darkened sub second track, so I thought it might be original, but it does look weird, upon consideration of your comments. I don't see any Bulova dial with such a minute track. Does anybody know why the two date symbols appear sometimes on these movements? This is the second one I have come across with one engraved, and one struck. Were they using last year's movement stock perhaps?, although I don't know why they would go to the trouble to have to mark each one again.
Thank you for the feedback, much appreciated!
Reverend,
I don't think anyone knows for certain, scenerios include an actual production Date stamp for the part then an additional stamp as to when the Movement was completed (or cased) or possibly the Movement did not 'pass' first time around and was factory reworked / rebuilt.
Notice the earlier stamp appears much cleaner than the second. One is machine stamped and the other hand struck.
The possibility of the Dial / Movement being a swap exists.
In reply to Reverend, I don't think by FifthAvenueRes…
Hey Bob,
Fifth has said it best here. No one knows for sure and another possibility is that Bulova was using up old stock from 1940 and re-stamped the 2nd date code, as Fifth stated, when it was cased. Hard to say but when you see this, use the later date code. I don't think this is a dial/movent swap but I do think the dial was refinished even if it was some time ago.
Not a '41 Alden since case is a '44 as per serial #. Dial has definitely been refinished, poorly.
'43 ad showing Alden with same hour markers:
http://www.mybulova.com/sites/default/files/vintage_ads/1943-Bulova-Sea…
I would say '44 Alden.