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VINTAGE BULOVA Divers 666ft. ... the devil diver ...

  1. hmmmcamu Jan 1, 2018

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    Bulova Oceanographer Snorkel 666ft.
    1970
    variant " G "
     
    DSCN9569.jpg
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  2. hmmmcamu Jan 5, 2018

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    1970 Bulova Oceanographer Snorkel 666ft. variant " G "
     
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    Edited Jan 6, 2018
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  3. Flatfoot Jan 5, 2018

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    The Oceanographer with its vertical peg indices and crosshairs is a cool design. Hope any reissue uses a mechanical movement. The Bulova website was not clear as to proposed movement from what I found

    I've had this triple six for a while now.
    Question: Can anyone explain how to tell its date of manufacture? Case back external serial is 3-690XXX.
     
    Bulova 666.JPG
  4. hmmmcamu Jan 6, 2018

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    is there a ..... " M " ... or .... " N " ....... printed on the case back of ur watch ?
     
  5. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Jan 6, 2018

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    Bulova used a series of date codes...

    [​IMG]

    Cheers, Al
     
  6. Skyjack Jan 6, 2018

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    My old 1972 Snorkel:
     
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    Edited Jan 6, 2018
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  7. hmmmcamu Jan 6, 2018

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    Accutron Deep Sea 666ft.
     
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  8. Flatfoot Jan 6, 2018

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    Question: Can anyone explain how to tell its date of manufacture?

    Hmmmcamu wrote >>> is there a ..... " M " ... or .... " N " ....... printed on the case back of ur watch ?
    Yes, faintly stamped below the serial number is N4. I missed it at first look.

    Archer wrote>>>> Bulova used a series of date codes...
    Excellent table and data- thanks Al. The table indicates my watch was made in 1974.

    Thanks.
     
  9. hmmmcamu Jan 17, 2018

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    Accutron Deep Sea Diver 666ft. [1970]
    Case Ref# 702-1
    2181 mvmnt. [day window]

    The Bulova Accutron was in the 60s the most popular $100+ timepiece in America, President Johnson declares it the White House’s official Gift of State.
    Accutron is the first watch to keep time through electronics, it was a revolutionary timekeeping concept of a watch without springs or escapement operated by an electronically activated tuning fork. The movement was so accurate that the US Government asked Bulova to delay the release of the revolutionary movement for fear the technology may fall into the hands of the Russians, at the time US would be launching new satellites timed by the Accutron and they simply did not want the Russians to benefit from the same precision.
    In 1960 NASA incorporate the Accutron into its computers for the space program which become an integral part of 46 missions of the U.S. Space Program.

    In 1965, Bulova released the 218, a slimmer movement than the 214 (4.4mm vs 5.5mm), with a more traditional side-exiting setting stem. The 218 was released in a range of complications not seen in the 214, including calendar functions and a jump-hour secondary timezone variant. While the 218 was a reliable, widely adopted caliber, it was never offered in a true Spaceview variant, and never achieved the enduring popularity of the 214.

    Bulova is the most successful American watch manufacturer. Established in 1875 in New York by an immigrant named Joseph Bulova, it was acquired by the Loews Corporation in 1979 and then again by Citizen in 2008, but continues to operate independently from the same New York location.

    The first ever specialized diving watches were the Panerai, used by the Italian frogmen in the Second World War. Actually they were Rolex 3646s with special dials made by Panerai.

    Right after WWII, two French combat diving corps started to search for a military grade diving watch, big and easy to read underwater, hermetically sealed and capable to absorb shocks – this helped Blancpain to develop the legendary Fifty Fathoms introduced in 1953. The transformation of the simple water resistant watch to the tool diver watch happened at that exact point. The next year Rolex launched perhaps the most famous diver watch of them all, the Rolex Submariner; from that point most of the Swiss companies started to shift their attention towards the sea, trying to produce reliable underwater-capable wristwatches.
     
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  10. hmmmcamu Jan 23, 2018

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    Bulova Oceanographer Snorkel 666ft.
     
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  11. hmmmcamu Feb 12, 2018

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    Bulova Oceanographer Snorkel 666ft.
     
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  12. hmmmcamu Mar 13, 2018

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    Bulova 666
     
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  13. hmmmcamu Mar 14, 2018

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    Bulova Oceanographer Snorkel 666ft.
    on a 18mm vintage JB Champion Beads of Rice Bracelet ....
     
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  14. JimJupiter Mar 14, 2018

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    I‘d like to show my devils diver, build by Record, the entree level brand of Longines in the 60s.
    Since it seems to use the same case and bezel (not inlay), does anyone know about the connection to Bulova?

    5B1F3EEC-C900-4735-834C-931845DAEC6C.jpeg

    Thanks Nico
     
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  15. hmmmcamu Mar 14, 2018

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    Jim jupiter ... can u share photos of the case back and perhaps the movement .... of ur RECORD vintage watch ?
     
  16. hmmmcamu Mar 14, 2018

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    1960's Benrus Ultra-Deep 666
    [images borrowed from cyber space]
    Case Diameter:
    41 mm
    Case Height: 11.5 mm
    Case length: 43 mm
    Lug Width: 18 mm
    Movement: Benrus GO2D (ETA
    2472), Benrus signed rotor, 17j
    automatic, 18,000 bph, 42 hr
    power reserve
    Case material: Stainless steel
    Crown: Non-screw down
    Bezel: Bi-directional, not indexed
    Water resistance: 666 feet
     
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  17. JimJupiter Mar 14, 2018

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    Pics as requested :)

    BC98D2DA-6ADE-4381-9597-DD0E7C33A03F.jpeg DA30DA6E-6C9A-4B3F-B449-AEAFE0D88F33.jpeg
     
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  18. hmmmcamu Mar 16, 2018

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    the hunt continues for the original JB Champion bracelet for ...
     
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  19. hmmmcamu Mar 17, 2018

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    options ...
     
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  20. hmmmcamu Mar 29, 2018

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    Jubilee " Diver 666 "
    by: Longines Wittnauer
    Diameter: 38mm [minus crown]
     
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