Four Vintage Bulova Watches That Should Be On Your Radar
Vintage Bulova is on the rise, and there are a bunch of great pieces in their archives, past the well-known models. And yes, we’ve got a few in the shop. It’s a shameless shill article, baby!
Classic small-name models often hover below the surface of sought-after models, but as big-name vintage references soar in price and rarity, smaller brands have some opportunities to shine. One brand that remains a bit hidden in the shadows at least for the casual vintage watch fan is Bulova — but boy, do they have some gems.
Super Compressors
A Super Compressor is a type of watch case designed by Ervin Piquerez S.A., from the late 1950s into the 1970s, a case manufacturer famous for diving technology. These cases used water pressure to increase the water-resistance of the watch, and swapped a traditional outer bezel (like the Rolex Submariner or Blancpain Fifty-Fathoms) for an internal bezel controlled by a second crown.
This particular piece is surprisingly rare, and its syringe hands and Rolex Explorer-style numerals speak to a long-lost early dive watch aesthetic with a stunning and unique patina. This one is luckily in the shop.
Aerojets
The Bulova Aerojet is a crisp take on an age-old category: the midcentury silver dial sports watch. This was an era before the modern sports watch, defined by jetsetting and the pioneering of new fashions (yes, and egregious social issues, political disarray and wealth disparity — remind you of anything?). Home to many watches from this category we now consider classics like the Oyster Perpetual and Omega Seamaster.
The Aerojet exudes midcentury design language, with sharp lines and geometric details that make it a solid under-the-radar affordable contender for an everyday dress watch that can be beaten around.
Snorkel and Devil Divers
I have spoken about these watches at, well, great length. After this long, I remain firmly in the camp that this watch is the ultimate value proposition in the vintage dive watch category — it has the pure tool watch aesthetic we’re all craving, a mysterious 666-foot depth rating, ratcheting bezel technology that technically predates Rolex and those sexy Explorer-style numerals.
I don’t just throw this around lightly: this is a world-class watch. We’ve got one in the shop if you want in.
Sea Whales
Is there a diver theme here? Maybe I’ve been preoccupied as I dream of future grail divers — maybe it’s just where Bulova’s vintage offering really shines. Moving forward a few years into the 1970s, a secret sleeper hit lies in the Bulova Sea Whale. The colors of these pieces feel somewhat reminiscent of colourful late-60s Zodiac Sea Wolf models (which we’ve also spoken at length about) but with a very strong 1970s design language.
The red seconds hand and simple whale motif pairs surprisingly well with a no-text dial and matching red seconds track and printed logo, with bold markers and odd applied 5-minute blocks and wrapped in a beefy cushion case.
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