Bulova Accutron Spaceview

Bulova Accutron “Spaceview” with the revolutionary 214 tuning fork movement.

Case diameter: 35mm. This measures 38mm lug to lug, 17.5mm lug width and is a 12.8mm in thickness.

This is on an aftermarket ‘Sanyo’ brand SS strap and will accommodate a wrist size of just over 7-3/4”. I will throw in a free black leather strap and buckle with the purchase of this watch.

This is an authentic W214 movement Spaceview that recently underwent a professionally and pain-staking service. This full service/repair included a gasket set, sweep sec pinion, movement ring, crystal, coil lead plate, various screws, and a fresh battery.

It has M3 stamped on the case back indicating the year of production as 1963.

In 1959, William O. Bennett, an American engineer working for Bulova, developed the Caliber 214, the first ever tuning fork movement. The 214 was the first wristwatch to employ a transistor, it lacked a hand-setting crown on the side of the watch, it made a strange humming sound and it was very accurate. The tuning fork had a micro-motor connected to the small side. The movements of the tuning fork were characterized by a tuning fork, a transistor and no mechanical contacts.

The first exhibition models that were delivered to retailers were named ‘Spaceview’ as they did not feature dials, thus revealing the details of the tuning fork movement. They began being sold in 1961. Their advertising campaign at the time praised its ‪99.9977‬% precision along with the slogan “The Watch that hums.” The watch did not feature a crown which was done deliberately to show that the Accutron had such accurate precision that it did not need to be set.

As popularity grew, an Accutron with a 24-hour dial was used in the capsules of the Gemini program. The Apollo spacecraft was also equipped with Accutron watches. In all, the Bulova Accutron clocks were used on the dashboard of 46 spatial missions. In 1962, the Accutron became the first certified watch for American railroads staff. Seventy-five other railroad companies across the globe also adopted the Accutron technology.