Bulova is an American luxury watch manufacturing company first founded way back in 1875 and over the years, they have released some amazing pieces that vary in style and material.
The result is that the market is flooded with vintage Bulova watches, some of which are over a hundred years old, and each reflects the best styles and technology of each time period.
If you are looking for a vintage watch to enhance your style, then Bulova is a great brand to go with.
They are known for their quality and luxury, and thanks to their many years of business, there are plenty of different styles from different eras waiting out there.
So, without further ado, here are our top picks for the best vintage Bulova watches for women. Check them out below, and find the best vintage watch for you!
History Of Bulova
Bulova is one of the oldest American timepiece manufacturers still in business today. The company was first established back in 1875 by Bohemian immigrant Joseph Bulova.
The company was one of the first to standardize mass production in watch matching and the company became well-known for its advertising, which helped push its watches toward success.
Not only that but Bulova watches were upheld for their original style and precise technology. Over time, quality and technology became the company’s main focus and in 1923, Bulova officially became a renowned watch company.
Over the years, Bulova made watch after watch, dedicating their company focus to quality and design.
They made complex watches with ground-breaking technology and were always pushing the boundaries of what a simple timepiece could do. Bulova even established a rivalry with Omega to be selected as ‘the first watch on the moon’.
Although Omega won, one astronaut’s government-issued Omega watch was damaged so he wore his own Bulova watch instead – and it became the only privately owned watch to be worn on the surface of the moon.
In 2008, Bulova was bought by the Japanese company Citizen and currently continues designing high-quality watches.
Caravelle By Bulova
During the 1960s, Bulova launched a line of women’s watches under the name ‘Caravelle’.
These watches were designed to look elegant and stylish, with encrusted jewels, while staying relatively affordable for the time.
Caravelle watches were designed to sell between $10 to $30 throughout the decade which is equivalent to the purchasing power of $100 to $300 today.
Meanwhile, some of Bulova’s biggest competitors were selling non-jeweled watches for a similar price – and female audiences were immediately drawn to the sparkle and glamor of the dazzling Caravelle.
The Caravella watch was important for its affordability. More women than ever could now purchase high-quality watches of their own that were beautiful and great for all kinds of fancy occasions.
This gave Bulova an edge over its competitors and contributed to the company’s overall success during the decade.
Bulova Accutron
The Bulova Accutron is easily one of the most unusual watches in the world, yet alone in Bulova’s extensive collections.
What makes the Accutron so important is how it took a completely different approach to how a watch worked. Instead of using a balance wheel, it used a tuning fork and became a piece of innovative technology.
This also made it the first ‘tickless’ watch. The original Accutron also became one of the most instantly recognizable watches in history thanks to its design. The Accutron Spaceview had an open dial so you could see into the technology of the watch.
Other vintage versions of the Accutron do not feature this open dial but still have a retro but futuristic look to them.
Despite this, a lot of collectors and lovers of vintage watches want the original open dial Accutron for its cool design and place in timepiece history.
Bulova Debutante
Bulova’s Debutante watches are some of the earliest women’s watches in the company’s history.
They were first released during the 1930s (and some models during the 1940s) and designed for young women.
As a result, the design of these watches took a lot of inspiration from the Art Deco trend of the time and used geometric shapes and rich materials.
This is why the Bulova Debutante watches stand out from all the rest.
Instead of small round faces that were common before and after the Art Deco movement, Bulova Debutante watches had long rectangular-shaped faces instead.
If you lined up all the women’s watches Bulova released in the decades before and after their Debutante range, the Debutante range sticks out immediately due to its creative shape.
As a result, the Bulova Debutante vintage watches are a great unique watch to get if you want a Bulova watch that stands out from all the others. It has a look that’s all it’s own and completely captures the cool characteristics of the Art Deco movement.
Bulova American Girl
Bulova was considered a trailblazer in the early 1900s as it was one of the few watch manufacturers that had its own women’s watches range.
Over the years, women’s watches were completely adorned with diamonds and jewels as they were treated more as ‘accessories’ rather than as pieces of technology.
However, there was one watch that stood out against the others – Bulova’s American Girl.
This watch became its own range as it completely refused to use any diamonds or jewels in its design. It was still a stylish, golden watch with a diamond-like texture that could scatter light, giving it a shinier appearance without the necessity of jewels.
It was a sophisticated, beloved watch that was popular with American women – hence the name. Now, it’s a classic timepiece that is a popular vintage watch still worn by women around the world.
Bulova Dior
During the 1970s, Bulova teamed up with Dior to make a range of mid-century-themed watches for women. These watches captured all the classic trends of women’s fashion during this iconic era in history.
This included using lots of gold with palettes of black, brown, and creams, oval watch faces, and slim designs.
As another high-quality premium brand, Dior brought a whole new audience of women to Bulova watches.
As both are still considered very popular brands today, a lot of collectors want a Bulova Dior to watch in their possession as it marks an important shift in Bulova’s history.
It was around this time Bulova began to do more collaborations with other companies, creating amazing watches under different labels. Bulova still does this today so Dior watches the start of a whole new chapter in Bulova’s history.
Final Thoughts
So, those were our top 5 vintage Bulova watches for ladies.
As you can see from the list above, Bulova has a ton of different vintage watches out there and each one is uniquely designed to suit your style and needs.
They range from authentic and informal, to sophisticated and elegant. There are styles from the art deco movement of the 1940s, and the mid-century look of the 1970s.
So, you have a lot of Bulova vintage watches to choose from and you are bound to find one that best suits your tastes and styles.
Check out the options above, browse through the numerous options open to you online, and find the right vintage Bulova watch for you out there! Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Tell What Year My Bulova Watch Is?
If you want to work out just how vintage your Bulova watch is, then you will find it imprinted on the watch.
This is the date code and will show you what year your Bulova watch was manufactured.
If you cannot find a date but instead a symbol, then it’s likely your Bulova watch was made between 1924 and 1949, and instead of a date code, was marked with a date symbol instead.
There are lots of great guides available online to help you translate these symbols and find the right corresponding date for your Bulova watch.
Why Are Bulova Watches So Special?
Bulova is a high-end manufacturer of premium watches, but they also focus on bringing new technology to watches for improved performance and more accurate results.
So, not only are Bulova watches very highly desired due to their amazing designs, but they also boast some of the best technology in watchmaking.
Bulova is also one of the oldest luxury watchmakers in the world as they have been in business for over a century. As a result, there are lots of them out there and collectors are desperate to get as many models as possible.
Are Bulova Watches Made Of Real Gold?
Bulova watches are made using high-quality materials and some models also include real diamonds and gold in their designs. However, you need to carefully choose the right model that features this material as not all Bulova watches use real gold.
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