Bulova Accutron Ladies Watch

Overall Condition: Near mint condition throughout.

“Are you ready? Because I want you to pay attention. This is the beginning of something.”

So opens Season 7 of AMC's Mad Men, with Sterling Cooper copywriter Freddie Rumsen pitching the new Accutron watch from Bulova. “Accutron,” he intones. “It’s not a timepiece — it’s a conversation piece."

In 1960, this thought-provoking electronic watch offered state of the art technology and design. But in order to fully understand its significance, we need to turn back the proverbial clock for a moment — all the way back to 1875. Nearly 150 years ago, Joseph Bulova established a small jewelry shop in Queens, no doubt unaware of its vast potential. In 1912, the firm opened a movement manufacture in Biel, Switzerland, carting over American mass-production methods. Within a few decades, Bulova had grown into one of the most important watchmaking manufactures in the United States.

By the 1950s, progress was being made within the realm of electronic watches as an alternative to traditional mechanical watchmaking. But it was the Bulova Accutron that brought a degree of hitherto unheard-of accuracy and robustness to the scene in 1960. Its tuning fork oscillator, beating at a consistent 360 Hz, swept a seconds hand smoothly around the dial periphery, while a dry cell battery provided a constant flow of power via an electromagnetic coil. This technology, developed by Swiss engineer Max Hetzel, was inspired by a tuning-fork clock built in the 19th century by Abraham-Louis Breguet, grandson of perhaps the most important watchmaker in history.

The Accutron — especially in its futuristic, transparent Spaceview guise — quickly found its way onto the wrists of test pilots, astronauts, and everyday people searching for a reliable, handsome timepiece. And though its movement technology would later be eclipsed by more inexpensive, quartz-powered systems, its legacy has endured all the way into the 21st century. In 2020, Accutron was spun off from Bulova into its own distinct entity, charged with the caretaking of a legendary development that has come to define horological ingenuity in the 20th century.

This particular Accutron is something a bit out of the ordinary. Intended for the ladies market, this piece has a lovely brushed silver dial with an integrated bracelet. It features a day date complication, and notably comes with its factory ephemera, including its original "Bulova Accutron for Women" box, and its original affixed hangtags.

If you love American watchmaking, this piece is an incredible offering!