Got it! Bulova Accutron Spaceview from a barbershop

Thank you all again for your guidance with this spaceview. Before I picked it up, I had only seen a YouTube review of one, and had certainly not been expecting to find one in the wild. Hats off to TGV at the Urban Gentry for his review. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what I was looking at. Special thanks to Canuck, otherwise I would still be looking at a non-functioning watch!

This watch began its journey at the Bulova factory as an Accutron Spaceview in 1973, then I think it went into someone’s sock drawer for 40 some-odd years before sitting for some time in a charming barber/clock repair shop in Ontario. The owner, Paul, is a clock guy. Paul has the wisdom to not try and mess around with Accutrons. This is where I picked it up and soon sent it along to Canuck for him to breathe life back into it. Aside from it not working (a minor problem, no? 😗 ), it had a shallow crack in the crystal. I think that everything else remained in pristine condition because it malfunctioned early in life. The hack mechanism was not coming off of the tuning fork - requiring a small adjustment by Canuck - and a correct battery that was rightly installed sdrawkcab. This is the way with batteries in Accutrons. I was very lucky to find this in near-new condition, it has the original (I believe) band, but is now on green faux-croc, and a black buffalo strap for its winter wardrobe. A new crystal was installed, with the original stored for posterity.

What is fascinating about these tuning fork watches is the smooth second hand sweeeeep...


...and the hum. The hum is only noticeable when it is close to your ear, but it is higher-pitched and less pleasant than I was expecting. It could, perhaps, attract or repel teenagers, bats or mosquitoes. At the end of the day though, the hum is fun. This watch IS FUN. Once you see one, little else feels as fascinating. I hope you all get a chance to own or wear one someday.

Ladies and gentlemen, a 46 year old Bulova Accutron Spaceview N3 with 214 movement. It brings nice memories of a vacation with my parents, and it is an honour to share the final results with you here.



This was an unexpected find...lume!



And finally on my wrist



Seeing the photos I now realize I could have cleaned the watch a bit more . Apologies. Anyway, I am looking forward to your thoughts!

WOW! A review that would be a credit to a professional in the craft! Excellent photography. As to the sound the Accutron makes. If you ever have an opportunity to listen to an Omega mega-sonic, or a tuning fork Accu-Quartz, you’ll find the sound of the tuning fork on your Spaceview mellow and pleasant. Then there is the Omega tuning fork model (ESA 9162). Different sound again. These tuning forks vibrate at 300 hertz, and are certainly less piercing.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&2&2uswk&Certina_29_151

I hope you didn’t buy that steel Accutron 219 you were looking at!

Anyway, you were indeed very fortunate to have uncovered your Spaceview. Lightning is far more likely to strike a second time in the same place, than for you to get so lucky a second time. Enjoy (and I know you will!) I was pleased to be able to help.

Over the process of resuscitating DaveK’s Spaceview, I decided I needed one as well. I went to my stash and put together basically the same watch. The bezel and chapter ring came to me in a lot of parts from a deceased collector (came with no movement or case back). When I sent DaveK’s case and the one from my Accutron to my supplier for a crystal, I provided them with a style number from DaveK’s watch (unknown to me because of no case back on my case), and they were able to supply two crystals. I have lots of Accutron parts and parts movements, but I didn’t have a pawl jewel assembly that was complete. So I re-purposed a 214 movement from an Accutron in my collection, fitted a pair of Spaceview hands (they don’t match, but I’ll work on that). Next, I fitted the case back from the donor Accutron, and voila! My very own Accutron 214 Spaceview, two days after the 50th anniversary of Apollo XI.

You are probably correct. The bezel and case came to me separately in a bunch of Accutron parts, but there was no case back. When DaveK sent me his for repair, I had a case style number to work with. Both cases needed crystals which my supplier (Perrins in Toronto) was able to supply. Next, I’ll see if they can supply a pair of matching Spaceview hands. The movement is from a donor watch from my collection, and the case back from that one was transferred to this one. There is a chance I may have a case back with the correct style number in my stash. I’ll wear it the way it is for a few days.

Thank you for the heads up on the eBay hands. I’ll see if my material supplier can provide a genuine white Spaceview hour hand, since the seconds and minute hands are correct.

I have a lot of some parts, but I am short on pawl assemblies and tuning forks with the springs in good condition, and with the microscopic jewels intact, for both the 214 and the 218 models. However, I currently am short on decent cases, and with two dozen operational Accutrons in my collection, I wonder how many one needs. Thanks for the heads up.

What a charming place that must be! Great find!

Sorry I missed your post five weeks ago. In about 1962, when the Accutron was introduced, Bulova guaranteed the Accutron to run within one minute per month. Factors such as wearing patterns can affect the rate of an Accutron, as they can with mechanical watches. Parts can deteriorate over time (index wheels), and circuits can develop problems. Same goes with quartz watches. Accutrons are transistorized, but they are not quartz (aside from the Accuquartz models). The tuning forks in any tuning fork model of watch can be affected by magnetic fields although I have not found this to be a problem. A very powerful magnetic field might have a permanent effect on the tuning fork, I suppose.

Could you expect a recently serviced one to keep going with a high degree of accuracy for say 20 years? What has been your experience with watches, generally. Have you had a watch that has run reliably and with a high degree of accuracy, for 20 years? The answer is, it depends! It is a rare watch that can give the kind of performance you might be expecting. Accutrons haven’t been made for almost 45 years. Parts can be hard to find. And finding people that can work on them is becoming difficult. The simple act of changing a cell on a modern quartz watch is generally fairly simple. The part timer in the watch repair department of your local big box store can often do that. But trust that part timer with your Accutron? Not a chance. Changing the cell on an Accutron is a specialist job! If you are expecting 100% accuracy, absolute reliability, no maintenance, inexpensive maintenance, ease of repair, ease of finding parts etc etc., then an Accutron is not for you. Tothat end, finding an excellent one in excellent shape that is ready to wear? Let us know if you find one!

All in all, a quite amazing thread to read through