Bulova Tonneau Manual Wind

Overall Condition: Very good condition overall. Case shows light wear consistent with gentle handling as well as oxidation. Dial and matching handset show even patination. Pitting present on perimeter of dial.

The story of Bulova is deeply entwined with American manufacturing.

Its founder, a Czech immigrant named Joseph Bulova, was inspired by the advances that Ford made in his factory in Highland Park, Michigan. Starting in 1912, Bulova built a factory in Biel, Switzerland, using Ford's principles of mass production.

The brand was among the first to offer a wide range of wristwatches for men, with a distinctive visual style that—thanks to its innovative adoption of advertising and relocation to Astoria, Queens—became firmly established in the American imagination. Bulova took over offices in the Empire State Building and installed an observatory on the roof to help measure universal time.

In the workshop down below, watchmakers timed the watches they were working on to readings taken in the observatory. The watches that Bulova produced were varied, from handsome three-handers to divers and even chronographs.

This interesting gold-plated Bulova dress watch from the 1950s is a prime example. Measuring at 28mm diameter in a tonneau or turtle-shaped housing, bearing a cool electroplated bezel (as marked on the caseback), an acrylic crystal, and a signed crown, it features a minimalist gold-tone dial with linear indices and a gold 'baton' handset.

Powered by a hand-wound movement and paired to one of our cervo leather straps with a steel pin buckle, this lovely little dress watch is perfect for both men and women. A vestige of a more elegant time, it's sure to put a smile on your face!