I am simply cleaning out my parents' estate. My Dad owned several Accutron watches in his lifetime. I am guessing about the date (It does say M5 on the back of the watch) and I have no idea about the Movement Model because i don't want to take the back of the watch off. Anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated! He passed away last week at the age of 85. As you can see in the pictures, the band was a replacement by Speidel.
Movement model is a 214 and the watch is a 214 Accutron. As to the date, if the movement concides with the case it would be a 1965. The hands don't look quite wright and I don't ever remember black hands being used, they should be silver if I am not mistaken. It will take some looking through the Accutron data base to see what I might come up with.
Thanks for sharing it with us here at mybulova. What you have should be priceless to you since it is a precious heir loom, they are not often found in this condition and it would definitely be worth having it checked out by a good Accutron service tech or watch maker.
Welcome ChardonnayLuvr to myBulova. I like YOUR Bulova a lot. I'm a big fan of heirloom watches so I think you have a marvelous keepsake from your father. John's right on the movement, the 214 was the first Accutron movement, Bulova started producing it in 1960. I'm not sure if the hands are black or if they just appear that way in the photo. Normally a stainless steel case like this will also have stainless hands. That stainless and black twist-o-flex was very popular in the 60's so I'm not surprised that's the one dad chose when the original one gave out. In fact is wouldn't surprise me if he had it installed new, they were that popular. Here's a link to an advert from 1965 that shows a similar watch (upper right) although the dial and hands are slightly different. It's likely that your watch is all original but I just haven't found an exact match yet.
http://www.mybulova.com/sites/default/files/vintage_ads/Bulova_AD_1965_…
Bulova didn't 'name' very many Accutrons, so this one will most likely be ID'd as just "Accutron". I've seen some folks refer to this one as a 'bow tie' model but that is not an official Bulova designation. Thanks for sharing it!
Wow! You guys are good! Yes, the hands are actually silver. It was just the lighting in the photo that made them look black. My dad was a very big believer in Accutron watches but toward the end of his life he allowed my mom to purchase him "cheapies" much to my dismay! This is the only Accutron I've come across as I go thru their estate. What would you estimate this is worth? eBay has this model selling for around $75 - $100. I want to let my siblings know. Thanks!
In reply to Wow! You guys are good! by ChardonnayLuvr
We really can't do an appraisal ChardonnayLuvr, there are just too many factors involved. EBay is a place to see what things sell for but know that sometimes things sell for less than they should /could (which is a very good thing for watch collectors).
Dad's favorite watch? Priceless!!