Contents
Bulova Accutron
Kirkwood
Introduced in the early sixties, Bulova Accutron once occupied the forefront of time keeping technology, and was employed by NASA and U.S. Military for important missions. With the arrival of an even more accurate and simpler quartz, the innovation was rendered obsolete in less than twenty years.
Today the original Accutron is largely a collector’s item – a precursor of quartz with unique humming sound and historical flavor. To learn more about the movement we recommend reading this detailed timezone.com article.
Back to our time: dropping the tuning fork movement from production, Bulova stuck with the trademark and logo, as every watch hailing from the Accutron collection exhibits these symbols of the brand’s heritage.
Contemporary descendant evolved into a large Bulova division that contains about a dozen separate lines of watches; housing different Swiss movements, quartz, but mostly automatic, it continues to showcase micro-mechanics in its various forms.
Compared to Marine Star and Caravelle, two other large brand departments, Accutron stands out as the horologically inclined segment that balances between sports and dress styles.
Design
Corvara
Such chronographs as Corvara, Stratford, and Kirkwood exhibit the most dynamic, architecturally textured aesthetic. Less complicated watches from those same collections, followed by Exeter, Amerigo, and others retain the texture, but trade some of the dynamism for elegant-dressy features – sleeker profile and stately dial organization. Some of the models, discussed further in our review, opt for a middle of the road design that can be construed as either sporty, dressy, or casual, depending on the setting and the wearer.
Accutron dials become a busy laboratory of patterns and templates. Several distinct traits that rule the dials eventually crystallize into a consistently recognizable scheme: first, all timepieces wear the tuning fork logo, either as a twelve o’clock marker or a classic central blazon; second, a type of guilloche, engraving, delineation, or tier-partition introduce luxury-boding sophistication; third, various sets of hours and minutes hands, all seemingly just a little on the long side, act as final coalescing agents.
Overall, Bulova Accutron emerges as a carefully refined collection that values nuance, and whose attention to detail elevates some of the timepieces to luxury category, bringing others very close. Good taste emerges as the definitive guideline.
Movements
Today Bulova offer four types of movements: quartz, automatic, mechanical, and Precisionist, the latest enhanced quartz mechanism that the company hopes will help the brand to regain their status of an engineering innovator. Broadly speaking, Precisionist is the successor of Accutron.
Curacao
Bulova deploy Sellita and ETA mechanical and automatic movements: Sellita SW200, ETA 6498-1, ETA 2893-2, the classic ETA Valjoux 7750, and others. The brand does not specify the origin of all movements they use.
Prices
Prices are largely a function of the type of movement and materials. Watches containing prestigious ETA calibers, as well as automatic Sellitas, will cost between 500$ and 1000$. The price may rise considerably if the timepiece hosts a chronograph complication, or features sapphire crystal glass or/and anthracite dial. Overall, the Accutron is one of Bulova’s priciest collections.
Bulova vs Citizen
Although Bulova is a subsidiary of Citizen, it retains its unique spirit, and in many ways contrasts with rather than resembles its corporate holder. That one is originally American, and another Japanese only accentuates the differences. One notable exception is the value Caravelle collection, which manifests properties common not only with dress Citizen, but also with Seiko‘s subsidiary Pulsar.
Most eminently, Citizen use their own, Japanese movements, whereas Bulova keep mechanism production mostly in Switzerland. Citizen Signature, a very interesting branch of high-end luxury timepieces, exhibits more common traits with the Swiss made counterpart.
Collections
Kirkwood
Gemini
The most versatile Accutron collection, Kirkwood offers over twenty dress, fashion, and sports-fashion watch designs. The highlight of this line becomes its dial architecture: skeletonized, semi-skeletonized, and cut-out dials reveal parts of the movement; patterned faces – sunburst, wave, perlee – complete the complex picture.
Some of the sports-fashion pieces may appear to drift towards eclectic areas that may not be to everyone’s taste. Dressy timepieces incorporate mother-of-pearl, and rose gold finish; screw-down crowns and polyurethane straps appear in the sports-oriented items.
Gemini
Gemini collection divides into two categories: pure class analog mechanical or automatic GMT timers, and chronographs. First category epitomizes elegance with sunburst dials, a pair of lance hands and classic Arabic numerals; crisp triangular lugs, leather straps/stainless steel bracelets compliment the almost single-tone, noble color scheme. Inner GMT rings slot in smoothly in dual time pieces.
Gemini chronographs contain the iconic ETA 7750 and, opting for Roman numerals with an outer tachymeter scale, intend to blend sports and dress purposes. Powerful black-and-white contrast between the subdials and the main dial generates a hefty dose of visual tension.
Stratford
Curacao and Corvara
These collections take a sharp turn towards sleek, sports-inspired design that’s sufficiently versatile to wear well in casual and dress settings. Both feature indexes instead of numerals, a prominent face embossing, and strong, tapering lugs.
Rubber straps in Curacao watches repeat the pattern of the anthracite dial, while the ruled bezel overlooks the whole composition almost like an umpire. Corvara is even sharper visually: the two tone versions begin to resemble the stabbing Tissot T-Tracx. Eagle Pilot, especially in the ion-plated mode, presents a more casual, military-inspired alternative to this stylish pair.
Stratford
A well defined dress collection, Stratford enriches the Accutron selection with tonneau shapes, and thick, generous case profiles. An impressive business-corporate watch, the Stratford works especially well with chronograph functions – the subdials accord with the undulating contours. Though mostly outfitted with quartz, some Valjoux 7750 (25 jewels) models exist. Ladies timers arrive with diamond markers.
Masella
Amerigo and Exeter
In these two sections Bulova continue to exploit the aristocratic vein discovered in Gemini and Kirkwood. Refined lines – particularly evident in the thin bezels, the decorative lugs, and the leaf-shaped hands – reoccur everywhere on the dials, creating delicious visual interplays. Both combine Arabic and Roman numerals and, in the most luxurious versions, sport a gold finish.
Ladies: Masella, Saleya, Mirador
Women’s Accutron injects the collection with fresh designs, expanding design geometry and materials assortment. Round, tonneau, and square cases and bezels carry diamonds, mother-of-pearl, and various golden finishes; dial patterns continue to play a supporting decorative role. Mirador ceramic clearly echoes the haute couture Chanel J12.
