Bulova

Bulovais an American timepiece manufacturing company that was founded in 1875 and has been owned by Japanese multinational conglomerateCitizen Watch Co.since 2008. The company makeswatches,clocksand accessories, and it is based inNew York City.

Bulova Watch Company

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Watch and clockmaking
Founded	Queens, New York City,United States,1875, as the J. Bulova Company
Founder	Joseph Bulova
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Jeffrey Cohen, president John Wille,chief financial officer
Products	Watches, clocks and accessories
Brands	Accu•Swiss, Accutron, Bulova, Caravelle,Wittnauer
Revenue	US$164 million (2022)
Parent	Citizen Watch
Website	bulova

History

Founding

Bulova was founded and incorporated as theJ. Bulova Companyin 1875 byBohemianimmigrant Joseph Bulova.It was reincorporated under the nameBulova Watch Companyin 1923, became part of theLoews Corporationin 1979,and was sold to Citizen at the end of 2007.

Bulova started a small jewelry shop in New York City around 1875 on Maiden Lane, which specialized in jewelry and the repair of clocks and the occasional pocket watch. Around 1911, Bulova began producing table clocks and pocket watches.In 1912, Joseph Bulova launched his first plant dedicated entirely to the production of watchesinBiel,Switzerlandwhere he began a standardizedmass production.The watches were popular with the American public. In 1927, Bulova set up an observatory on the roof of a skyscraper located at 580Fifth Avenueto determineuniversal timeprecisely.

Bulova established its operations inWoodside, New York,andFlushing, New York,where it made innovations in watchmaking, and developed a number of watchmaking tools.Itshorologicalinnovations included theAccutronwatch that used a resonatingtuning forkas a means of regulating the time-keeping function.

During the 1920s and '30s, Bulova was noted for itsart decowatches, typically either rectangular or square.Models from this period included the Breton, the Banker, and the Commodore. All three of these models were modernized in 2020 as the Joseph Bulova Collection, utilizing swiss madeSellitamechanical movements.From 1922 through 1930, Bulova marketed 350 different ladies’ Art Deco watches, with at least an equal number of models for men.

The Westfield Watch Company, Inc. is listed as a Bulova subsidiary at least as early as 1931, but Bulova had trademarked the Westfield name in 1927. Westfields were considered the lower cost options in the Bulova line, since the movements typically had lower jewel counts than mainstream Bulovas, and cases and straps may also not have been of the same quality as other Bulova models. Like the regular Bulovas, the Westfield movements were Swiss made, but the two lines did not use the same movements. Westfield watches were produced at least through the 1950s, with the Caravelle line introduced in the early 1960s. The Bulova trademark of the Westfield name is reported as cancelled in 1989.

Advertising milestones

December 1942 ad for Bulova watches from Canada

Women working in the pinion department of Bulova Watchc. 1937

Bulova became a renowned watch company in 1922, starting with an advertising campaign in theSaturday Evening Post.Through the 1960s, Bulova led all American watchmakers in marketing expenditures, and it enhanced its distribution chains from jewelry stores and chains to general merchandising outlets, with over 20,000 U.S. distributors by 1968.

Bulova produced the first advertisement broadcast on radio in 1926, announcing the first beep in history: ‘At the tone, it’s eight o’clock, Bulova Watch Time’, an announcement heard by millions of Americans.In 1927,Charles Lindberghbecame the first solo pilot to cross the Atlantic nonstop. His crossing earned him a Bulova Watch and a check for $1000, and it became an emblem for the brand that created the model "Lone Eagle" in his likeness. Bulova claims to have been the first manufacturer to offer electric clocks beginning in 1931, but the WarrenTelechronCompany began selling electric clocks in 1912, 19 years prior to Bulova. In the 1930s and 1940s, the brand was a huge success with its rectangular plated watches whose case was strongly curved to better fit the curve of the wrist. In 1932, Bulova ran a "Name the Watch" contest for its new $24.75 timepiece, with a top prize of $1,000 and total prizes of $10,000.By 1940, Bulova sponsored each of the top 20 radio shows in the US.

Bulova produced the world's firsttelevision advertisement,on July 1, 1941 (the first day that commercial advertising was permitted on television), before a baseball game between theBrooklyn DodgersandPhiladelphia Philliesover New York station WNBT (nowWNBC).The announcement, for which the company paid anywhere from $4.00 (equivalent to $83 in 2023) to $9.00 (equivalent to $186 in 2023), displayed a WNBTtest cardmodified to look like a clock with the hands showing the time. The Bulova logo, with the phrase "Bulova Time", was shown in the lower right-hand quadrant of the test pattern while the second hand swept around the dial for one minute.

In the 1940s, Bulova made a few examples of their complexfour sided, five-dial per side "sports timer"analog game clock

Bulova Watch Co., Exhibit, Waldorf Astoria. 1944

In 1945, Arde Bulova, chairman of the board, founded the Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking to provide training for disabled veterans after theSecond World War.The school later became a full-fledged rehabilitation facility, an advocate for disabled people nationwide, and one of the founders of wheelchair sports in the United States. The school closed in 1993.

In 1949/50, Bulova entered into a contract with theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesfor the right to use the words "Academy Award" and "Oscar", along with the copyrighted image commonly known as the "Oscar".In 1952, Bulova and the Academy accepted aFederal Trade Commissionstipulation that allowed Bulova to continue its use of the trademarked words as long as the company made it clear that such usage was based on a licensing agreement rather than “representative of meritorious award made on the basis of comparative tests with other watches.”From 1950 through 1954, Bulova issued over 25 ladies models and 14 men's models identified with the Academy Awards, paying $154,000 in licensing fees.

In the mid-1950s, Bulova sponsored the televisedFrank Sinatra Show,presenting Sinatra with numerous wristwatches which he, in turn, had engraved with personal notes and gifted to his friends. Bulova later supported theFrank Sinatra School of the Arts.The relationship continued through 2023, with Bulova's release of theRat Packmodel, an entry-level dress watch (limited edition of 5,000 pieces), along with a series of models named after Sinatra hits (e.g.Fly Me to the Moon,My Way,and others).

The ad campaign for Bulova's Accutron watch was profiled in the 7th season of the television seriesMad Men,in which a spokesman utters the line: "It's more than a timepiece, it's a conversation piece".

In 1967, Bulova bought theUniversal GenèveofGeneva,Switzerland,and sold it in December 1977. The factory inBielwas closed in 1983.

In 1973,Gulf and Western Industriesacquired a stake in the company, which it sold to Stelux Manufacturing Company, aHong Kong-based watch components manufacturer, in 1976.

Accutron

Accutron Movement. Thetuning forkprongs are around the twoelectromagnetic coilsat the top of the watch that drive it.

Bulova's "Accutron" watches, first sold in October 1960,use a 360Hztuning forkinstead of abalance wheelas the timekeeping element.The inventor, Max Hetzel, was born inBasel, Switzerland,and joined the Bulova Watch Company in 1950.The tuning fork was powered by a one-transistorelectronic oscillatorcircuit, so the Accutron qualifies as the second "electronic watch",following the Hamilton Electric released in 1957.Instead of the ticking sound made by mechanical watches, the Accutron had a faint, high-pitched hum that came from the vibrating tuning fork. A forerunner of modernquartz watchesthat also keep time with a vibrating resonator, the Accutron was guaranteed to be accurate to one minute per month, or two seconds per day, considerably better thanmechanical watchesof the time.The Accutron was widely advertised in the print media (including magazines likeLifeandEbony)with the tagline "so revolutionary -- so accurate, it's the first timepiece in history that's guaranteed 99.9977 accurate on your wrist."An Accutron was buried in a time capsule at New York's 1964-65 World's Fair.By 1973, over four million Accutrons had been sold.

The Apollo 15 watch

In the 1960s, the company was involved in a rivalry withOmega Watchesto be selected as the 'first watch on the Moon'. In 1971, a Bulova chronograph was carried on boardApollo 15,the fourth mission to land men on the Moon, by mission commanderDavid Scott.All twelve men who walked on the Moon wore standardOmega Speedmasterwatches that had been officially issued byNASA.Those watches are deemed to be government property. Transcripts from the Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Journal attest to the fact that during Scott's second excursion on the Moon's surface, the crystal on his Omega watch had popped off.So, during his third lunar walk, he used his backup Bulova watch. The Bulova Chronograph Model #88510/01 is the only privately owned watch to have been worn on the lunar surface. There are images of Scott wearing the watch, when he saluted the American flag on the Moon, with theHadley Deltaexpanse in the background. The watch shows "significant wear from exposure while on the Moon, and from splashdown and recovery." In 2015, the watch sold for $1.625 million atRR AuctioninBoston,which makes it one of the most expensive astronaut-owned artifacts ever sold at auction andone of the most expensive watches sold at auction.The watch is also a unique timepiece as it seems to have been a prototype, only revealed by Scott to Bulova's fans in 2014.Therefore, the company released an homage edition of the lunar watch in early 2016, using a modern high frequency quartz movement for the watch that took more than 40 years to make its way into production line.

From 1958 to 1973Omar Bradleywas chairman of the board of Bulova and watch historians suggest it’s no coincidence that during his time at Bulova the Accutron was adopted by NASA resulting in approximately 2,000 Accutron timers and timing packages being used in 46 NASA missions.

Computron

During thequartz crisis,Bulova followed the lead of other watchmakers creating electronicquartz watchesby introducing the Computron watch in 1976. The Computron was Bulova's first watch with aLEDdisplay and first digital watch. It featured a distinctive trapezoidal steel case profile, with the display located on the side of the case rather than the main face. It was marketed as a beneficial design for drivers so that they could view the watch without needing to roll their wrists or release the steering wheel, but this was mitigated by the need to press a button on the side of the case to wake the display. In later versions, repeatedly pressing the button cycled the display to the seconds, date, day, and a second timezone. The success of the Computron was a significant factor in keeping Bulova financially viable through the next several years.

21st century

On January 10, 2008,Citizenbought the Bulova Watch Company fromLoews Corporationfor $250 million.

Bulova designs, manufactures, and markets several different brands, including: the signature "Bulova", the stylish "Caravelle" (formerly "Caravelle New York" ), the dressy/formal Swiss-made "WittnauerSwiss ", and the" Marine Star ". In 2014 Bulova ceased the sale of watches under the" Accutron "and" Accutron by Bulova "brand, eliminating some Accutron models and subsuming others under the" Bulova "brand.

In 2010, Bulova introduced the Precisionist, a new type ofquartz watchwith a higher frequency crystal (262144Hz,eight times the industry standard32768Hz) which is claimed to be accurate to ±10 seconds per year (0.32ppm) and has a smooth sweeping seconds hand likeautomatic watchesrather than the typicalquartz watchseconds hand that jumps each second.

From 2012 to 2015, Bulova produced a line ofSwiss-Madewatches known as Accu•Swiss, which took the place of the previously discontinued Accutron line.Accu•Swiss itself was discontinued in 2015 at the direction of Citizen.

In 2019, Bulova reissued the Computron brand, preserving the size and appearance of the originals, but updating the internal electronics. The new Computrons were made available in chrome, gold, and black, the first two colors being what had been used for the originals.

In 2020, the Citizen Group split Accutron off from Bulova and launched it as its own stand-alone brand,highlighting its new electrostatic movement technology and re-introducing vintage inspired "Legacy" models.This continued in 2023 with the re-introduction of the Accutron "Astronaut T".Accutron has stated its intention to continue to develop a new version of the tuning-fork technology, even though industrial equipment used in the 1960s and 1970s to produce the technology no longer exists.

Use by Jewish cantors

The Accutron, along with other tuning fork watches, have recently become popular with OrthodoxChazzanim(Jewish cantors).Most rabbis rule against the use of a conventional tuning fork onShabbat,due to its similarity to a musical instrument.Tuning fork watches are therefore useful as they produce a constant note (360hz being a slightly flat F#) that can be easily heard without breakingthe laws of Shabbat,particularly as producing the note is not the primary function of the watch (that being telling the time).

See also

• Benrus
• Gruen Watch Co.
• Hamilton Watch Company

External links

• Official website
• Bulova Clocks
• World's First Television Advertisement