Caravelle identification

AveConscientia · Dec 4, 2016

I am aware a lot of people make posts on identification, but that is for the reason vast pool of knowledge here. I got this from a market(picka delliy). I have not opened it up yet got it cheap and was wondering a bit more it.

redpcar · Dec 4, 2016

Looks like 1975 with an "N5" on the back. Probably a 17 jewel Japanese 11DP manual wind inside. They also came in 7 jewel versions.
What does the writing say on the very bottom of the dial?

AveConscientia · Dec 4, 2016

redpcar
Looks like 1975 with an "N5" on the back. Probably a 17 jewel Japanese 11DP manual wind inside. They also came in 7 jewel versions.
What does the writing say on the very bottom of the dial?

6? What do you mean?

redpcar · Dec 4, 2016

Below the six. Very small writing.

Bumper · Dec 4, 2016

I can make out ".APAN" so most likely "JAPAN"

http://www.mybulova.com/bulova-date-codes

redpcar · Dec 4, 2016

Ok. Japanese 11DP inside.

AveConscientia · Dec 4, 2016

redpcar
Looks like 1975 with an "N5" on the back. Probably a 17 jewel Japanese 11DP manual wind inside. They also came in 7 jewel versions.
What does the writing say on the very bottom of the dial?

put the loop to it it says Japan

Egatdagi · Dec 4, 2016

AveConscientia
6? What do you mean?

Best answer ever

AveConscientia · Dec 4, 2016

redpcar
Ok. Japanese 11DP inside.

The question is was it worth 13$?

Canuck · Dec 4, 2016

I think that movement is a Japanese copy of the very popular ETA 1080 movement.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&ETA_1080

Image from Dr. Roland Ranfft's movement archive.

AveConscientia · Dec 5, 2016

Canuck
I think that movement is a Japanese copy of the very popular ETA 1080 movement.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&ETA_1080

Image from Dr. Roland Ranfft's movement archive.

did not expect Bulova to source from Japan

Canuck · Dec 5, 2016

If the movement is the one I suspect it is, Bulova used a lot of them in their popular priced lines. They were cheaper than the Swiss equivalent. I have one with ARDAY on the dial. Also from Bulova, late 1950s or early 1960s.

gatorcpa · Dec 5, 2016

Here's a very similar watch along with a picture of the movement:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/78440/thread/1174060957/another+vintage+Citizen+Caravelle+for+Friday

I think these movements were made in Japan by Citizen for Bulova/Caravelle.

Better question is why is the watch shown with the box from a clarinet mouthpiece ligature?
gatorcpa

Canuck · Dec 5, 2016

There's no surprise to me that Bulova marketed Japanese copies of Swiss movements in their lower end lines. The one Caravelle movement actually shown thus far in this thread, is actually a copy of the Swiss ETA 1080 movement. And I linked to the Swiss made ETA 1080 earlier in this thread. But Bulova was doing this sort of thing 50 to 60 years ago, before the Caravelle name was introduced. In the mid 1950s, Bulova introduced a line of watches with the ARDAY name on the dial. The line was named after the son of Joseph Bulova, Arde, who probably had more to do with the success of the Bulova Watch company, than Joseph did. I have shown a picture of an ARDAY watch. It too has a Japanese copy of a Swiss movement. But this one has a Japanese copy of a Swiss made Font (FHF) 72 movement. The Bulova caliber of this one is 11NX. These watches sold for $12.95, with a composition faux leather strap.

.

AveConscientia · Dec 5, 2016

gatorcpa
Here's a very similar watch along with a picture of the movement:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/78440/thread/1174060957/another vintage Citizen Caravelle for Friday

I think these movements were made in Japan by Citizen for Bulova/Caravelle.

Better question is why is the watch shown with the box from a clarinet mouthpiece ligature?
gatorcpa

dougiedude · Dec 5, 2016

My very first EVER vintage watch (well, it wasn't vintage when my parents gave it to me 48 years ago, in 1968!) was a Caravelle.

I still have it, found it recently, deep in a drawer:

AveConscientia · Dec 6, 2016

dougiedude
My very first EVER vintage watch (well, it wasn't vintage when my parents gave it to me 48 years ago, in 1968!) was a Caravelle.

I still have it, found it recently, deep in a drawer:

grandpa got a Seiko while in Vietnam

Caravelle identification

AveConscientia

redpcar

AveConscientia

redpcar

Bumper

redpcar

AveConscientia

Egatdagi

AveConscientia

Canuck

AveConscientia

Canuck

gatorcpa

Canuck

AveConscientia

dougiedude

AveConscientia

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