Welp, this one has me stumped. Its got a 10 K rolled gold plate bezel with a stainless back. It's marked Bulova New York. It has a 49 date code. The movement also has a 49 date code. Picked it up for a nice price on eBay. It's reasonably clean and it runs.
Cool watch, Tom. I like it. The case matches the Sponsor, but the face does not. Face appears to match the Playboy, but that is a guess. Ad and cited watches are all 1948. It's a possibility the face changed in 1949, but that is pure speculation.
Based on the unusual case and limited references, I would be inclined to call this one a
1949 Sponsor, noting possible face swap and replaced seconds hand.
I might go the other way, that this watch has an original dial and the referenced one is a re-print. Either way it's a nice example of the 1949 Bulova Sponsor
Based on the 1948 Sponsor ad in our database it would appear the dial on this model has been replaced. 1949 Bulova Sponsor noting a possible replacement dial or at least until a 1949 ad confirms the dial was changed to this style..
Very cool case on this one.
1949 Bulova Sponsor
Good call on the replacement dial. I would have never noticed that.
FWIW it's possible the entire movement is a replacement. The jewel count is the same but the the Sponsors in the database are 10BH movements. This one is 10BC. Its a small sample size but I think its worth noting.
Thanks.