Bulova 1945 Chronograph

Submitted by thewristelier on
Manufacture Year
1945
Movement Jewels
15
Movement Serial No.
58
Case Serial No.
n/a
Case shape
Tonneau
Case color
White
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

Bulova Mono-pusher 'Telemetre' chronograph with a Landeron 11 movement in a tonneau nickel chromed case. It appears to be in totally original condition, near NOS I would say with the exception of some light wear on the case. The movement has been serviced by the previous owner and runs well. The 15 jewel movement is marked with a '58' below the balance wheel.

Front
Back
Side Case (Open)
Movement
Inner Caseback
mybulova_admin
Posted December 20, 2024 - 4:08am

To the panel, should we ID as a generic Bulova Chronograph?

JimDon5822
Posted December 20, 2024 - 8:28pm

I agree Bulova Chronograph, I  just don't know now we can classify this due to the unknown date.   

Geoff Baker
Posted December 20, 2024 - 9:18pm

I suggest 1945 as an appropriate placeholder for the year

Kathy L.
Posted December 21, 2024 - 10:38am

Wow this is extremely interesting and cool!  I tried searching when Swiss nickel-chrome was used in watches and just got a generic AI generated response of early 1920's through the 1940's.  I agree with Bulova Chronograph and would be fine with 1945 as a placeholder.

mybulova_admin
Posted December 21, 2024 - 7:45pm

I do believe I can see a triangle (45) date stamp in the top left corner.

thewristelier
Posted December 22, 2024 - 7:10am

I don't dispute the date, however I believe what you're seeing is just a mark from the lighting/angle - I've taken a closer look and I don't see a triangle or any other date mark. I've seen another marked '25' below the balance like the '58' on mine, so I suppose just a serial number.

Reverend Rob
Posted December 31, 2024 - 7:57pm

Wellll.... This is a rare one indeed. 

If there's one thing I have discovered attending watch shows and Marts with the NAWCC and other groups, it is that there seems to be a lot of very odd Bulovas out there. A few years back, a young collector came to our Chapter 33 meeting and mart in Toronto, and he had the most interesting Bulova watches I have ever seen. In particular, there were very oddball chronographs, among other things. His main focus was solid gold examples, so I could not afford anything he was selling. Until now, I have not seen anything like this one, but I am not that surprised. 

One thing stands out to me- the dial is a bit too crisp for such an old watch, it is likely been re-dialled. In particular, the black is a bit too striking. This is not necessarily bad, I have come across many old chronographs with bad dials, and it is always a shame as this ruins an otherwise working and useful watch. Nowadays it is tricky to find a dial company that can do justice to intricate dials such as this and look period correct. 

Anyway, unknown, but the date seems like a good ballpark one.