I love Bulova watches. I make no secret of that. I think that they are amazingly beautiful and extremely high quality timepieces. They fit right into the mid-range combining quality and affordability. Timeless pieces that anyone can proudly add to their wardrobe and leave to their estate.
That said, did you know that when you put on a Bulova watch you’re not only adding the finishing touch to your outfit, but you’re also putting on a little piece of history? Here are a few things you may not have known about Bulova.
Bulova’s first shop was in NYC which opened in 1875.
In the 1920’s Bulova created the first wristwatch for women.
In the 1970's Bulova ran ads pushing for equal pay for equal work for women.
The first radio commercial was Bulova.
They also ran the first television commercial.
You can thank Bulova for the Phototimer - enabling “photo finishes” in races.
They collaborated with Charles Lindbergh.
Bulova was on 46 NASA missions.
On the first moonwalk a Bulova timer was placed on the Sea of Tranquility.
They developed the first fully electronic watch using proprietary technology that made it the most accurate watch in the world.
They developed the first curved chronograph movement.
They developed the Joseph Bulova School of Watch Making which provided training and job placement for disabled WWII veterans.
In WWII, because of its high precision, the Bulova A-11 “Hack Watch” was used by the US military to synchronize troop movements to the second.
In the 1940’s they were the official watch and official timekeeper of American Airlines.
In 1966 Bulova earned the nickname “Devil Diver” by being the first to push diving limits to 666 feet.
In 1956 a Bulova wristwatch survived the Niagara Falls test.
Bulova time clock was displayed above the stage for the Beatles first US concert in 1964.
Bulova was on the A-12 high-altitude Blackhawk reconnaissance aircraft with the CIA in the 1960’s.
Explorers who knew they could die due to the slightest mistakes exploring the six month arctic night of northern Greenland relied on Bulova accuracy to calculate longitude. An error of only seconds in calculations could have put them off by as much as a mile.
Frank Sinatra wasn’t the only famous personality to wear Bulova watches. When you wear a Bulova you’re in good company. Other big names who went out with a Bulova on their wrist included Walter Chronkite, Betty Grable, Elvis Presley, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, astronauts John Glenn and Gordon “Gordo” Cooper, Paul Newman, gangster Bugsy Siegel, Joe DiMaggio and many others.
When you wear a Bulova you’re not only wearing an elegant timepiece from a leader and innovator in the world of timekeeping, you’re wearing history.
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