I'm guessing about the movement symbol. Even at high magnification, I can't be 100% sure that it is an X. Also, I can find no serial number on the movement.
You might get your answers from First since it has the crystal number inked in it. He was able to find my 55 Minuteman by using tthat date code which is placed there by Bulova and he has a pretty extensive book on those crystal codes from what I gather.
Nice looking watch. Hope this helped.
JP
I like that black enamel around btwn the dial and the outter part of the bezel. At first I thought it was shadow. It looks like the movement has the N0 date symbol just below the word Swiss. Most Bulova movements don't have serial numbers. There is a date range for mvnts that did have SN's on them. I think it's roughly from apx 1920 through about the late 30's? ...and it varies by caliber.
Wow. Thanks for all the advice, guys! What with movements, crystal coding, serial numbers, symbols, etc., it can be a daunting task attempting to date a watch. That's without considering pieces/parts that have been replaced or scavenged!
Looking through a loupe, my best guess is that the symbol under Swiss is N3.
I did look through the ads, at least scanned them, though admittedly I didn't linger. I figured I'd be able to spot a similar watch pretty easily.
One piece of evidence that may not have anything to do with anything is that I have a 1972 Timex that is the virtual twin of this Bulova, down to the size of the case. The only real difference is that the black halo on the case front is deep, deep green and sort of pillow-textured, though that's obvious only upon very close inspection. Put the two side by side on a tabletop and they look identical. Weird.
Thanks again for all the info. I'll keep searching!
