About 95% of watches made about the time yours was made are no longer running. As I mentioned in an email to you, it may be necessary to spend a bunch more money on it to bring it to the time standards Bulova guaranteed 55 years ago. If it gains a bit, hang it 12:00 down for a day and see if it improves the rate. If it loses, hang 12:00 up for a day and see if it improves the rate. These two extreme positions are the fastest and slowest positions in an Accutron 214 or 218. When checking the rate for seconds per day variation, you’ll need to be comparing the Accutron’s rate to a timekeeper that is much more accurate.

 

I’m enjoying this 1967 Bulova I picked up a week ago.. even getting used to the 33mm diameter (but I can’t guarantee the public is).

 

Snorkel J
1967

 

One of my favorite Bulovas for sure.

 

Gorgeous!

 

So many cool vintage Bulovas in this thread. Just put mine on a new strap:

 

Some of mine

 

.
I have had my testpilots' Accutron for a long while in my aviators' collection...
Always wanted to ask here, my 1964 Accutron Astronaut has a red-color number 24 and 12 on the bezel... not original I suppose

 

ur MILITARY accutron seems all parts correct .... it is not far fetched that Bulova would have done this ...

 

I just found this among my dad's things -- he passed away recently, and this was his graduation watch. I gave it a wind, and wore it for an afternoon and not only is it still ticking nicely, it keeps excellent time in an elegant package, complete with pie-pan and crosshair small-seconds, though it can use a clean-up, especially of the old acrylic (I think) crysta I've really enjoyed wearing it and will give it a polish and clean and keep it for (very) special occasion, before handing it on to my budding WIS older son.

 

Sorry about losing your dad, been there myself-
It sucks.
Lovely watch and those lugs are fantastic! And that strap is a perfect match- was that on it or did you put that on?
I don’t see anything too deep in the crystal that a wet sand couldn’t take care of. If you polish it, only use a Cape Cod cloth or something light and only hand rubbed- you will be surprised how much it will shine up with little effort.
It needs to go to a watchmaker (oils are all dried up) so I would limit wearing it- it’s worth the investment.

 

Thanks for the feedback and the advice -- it's the original strap, apparently. I took it off and reconditioned it gently with Venetian leather cream. And yes, I'll be taking this, along with an old gold-capped Tissot and an even older Must de Cartier tank in for a service but this seems the most special for sure. Something about the details of case, lugs and even the rings round the dial seem so timeless.

The watch itself is late 50s -- engraved as of 1958 -- and the movement claims 23 jewels, though I know very little about Bulova calibers. I'll post some pix post-restoration when I get round to it!

 

Lovely. If I can make a reccomendation about the strap/ if it seems at all brittle and you want to keep using it, put a deployant clasp on it. The most wear and tear in a strap is from pulling and tucking the tongue through the buckle and keeper. A deployant can bulk it up at under the wrist a touch which some people don’t like, but I have found it extends the life of a strap by years. Plus I hate fiddling with a buckle at 4am.
I have found these to be the slimmest and my fav

https://www.watchgecko.com/geckota-butterfly-buckle

And if you need gold to match a gold case, these are good too

https://www.esslinger.com/watch-band-clasp-gold-plated-deployant-buckle-with-push-buttons/

 

These are great suggestions -- will check them out. Many thanks!

s

 

SNORKEL J
by: Bulova
circa 1967 [M7]

 

Love these old oceanographers

 

If you didn’t love them I would happily take them off your hands

 

Pepsi is available

 

There ya go @JwRosenthal !! Another Snorkel for your personal collection.

 

I'm using mine to time my new morning commute.