Bulova 1961 Accutron Astronaut

Submitted by prontouk on
D
Manufacture Year
1961
Movement Model
214H
Case Serial No.
D75654
Case shape
Round
Case color
Yellow
Case Manufacturer
Bulova
Gender
Mens
Watch Description

18k gold Astronaut  -  Swiss movement

Bought at auction in UK - Jan 2015

Astronaut C 18K gold
Bulova watch
Bulova watch
Bulova Watch
Bulova Watch
1955mercury
Posted February 13, 2015 - 8:35pm

Hi Prontouk. I don't know a thing about Accutrons, but it sure is a fine time piece you have. !8K gold! The panel members can tell you more about it, I'm sure. I've been admiring it for 20 minutes and was wondering what the 4th hand is used for. I thought maybe it was a stop watch function but I don't see a way to start and stop it.

William Smith
Posted February 14, 2015 - 1:44am

Great Accutron and great question.  I don't' know what that forth hand does, nor do I see any way to set or actuate it.  

prontouk
Posted February 14, 2015 - 5:10am

The 4th hand is for a second time zone, commonly known as a GMT hand. On this watch it takes 24hrs to do a full dial rotation. You use the rotating bezel to set the time for the second zone. I'm not too good at describing the exact way to do it but I think I have the info downloaded somewhere.

It is truly wonderful to hold. Just need to get it serviced and find a nice strap to suit it.

 

Geoff Baker
Posted February 14, 2015 - 6:38am

Hello prontouk, welcome to myBulova. I don't think there's any question that you have an Accutron Astronaut. It's a thing of beauty in 18k. You're spot on describing the GMT hand operation. I think the GMT hand postilion also determines ante or post meridiem for the local time zone ( between 12 and 6 on the dial is AM local, between 6 and 12 is PM local).

Andersok
Posted February 14, 2015 - 10:52am

Nice find, agree with Accutron Astronaut

prontouk
Posted February 14, 2015 - 1:16pm

Thanks for kind welcome. I started using Google after buying this last week and came across your site.  I've also posted it on the Bulova section of Watch Talk Forum and received some great information from the members there. No point hiding a beauty like this in my watch box ! It also provides another bit of information that may have been missing for some. Mind you it's also thrown up a bit of a duststorm with a Swiss movement in a a USA case.  

Now the hunt for a strap, I've already had heaps of advice to start off. 

 

mybulova_admin
Posted February 14, 2015 - 10:36pm

 

Duststorm about a Swiss movement in a US case.... That pretty the norm for Bulova :-)

Bulova Accutron Astronaut. I love that this is a 18K solid gold version as we don't see to many of these.

 

Accutronitis
Posted April 22, 2015 - 11:23am

[quote=mybulova_admin]

 

Duststorm about a Swiss movement in a US case.... That pretty the norm for Bulova :-)

 

[/quote]Not really with the Accutron 214 line, very rarely you might see it but only rarely is Bulova responsible for it.....

bobbee
Posted April 22, 2015 - 12:37pm

Especially with a 1964 movement in a case with a 1961 case back.

Reverend Rob
Posted April 22, 2015 - 2:01pm

The movt is possibly a replacement, I say possibly, because solid gold cases don't follow the same production logic, but this is only my opinion. Depending on who Bulova was getting the gold cases from, and when, this might be a normal assembly, but three years is stretching it..