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Bulova Accutron Deep Sea (Ref. 702-1), 1970 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Bulova Accutron Deep Sea (Ref. 702-1), 1970

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Bulova (maker)
Date
1970
Country of origin
United States
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 36 mm
Stock no.
BLVA702-1
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (BLVA702-1)
Catalogue title (original)
1970 Bulova Accutron Deep Sea (Ref. 702-1) (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number BLVA702-1), this is a wristwatch by Bulova, made in United States, dated 1970. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 36 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

The vintage Bulova obsession in the watch community is very real and here to stay! The unique and funky watches that Bulova made from the 60s-80s are always a cause for conversation. Ranging from colorful diving chronographs to eccentric electric watches like the famous Accutron. SPECS Stock # BLVA702-1 Brand Bulova Accutron Style Deep-Sea Model 702-1 Serial N0 Size Men's Material SS Dial Black Millimeters 36mm Bracelet CASE & BRACELET The strong, broad lug case has been lightly polished in the past and retains its original chamfers through the lugs with light, honest signs of use. The original "Coke" bakelite bezel is in very presentable condition and shows some honest wear, there is a surface crack in the top triangle and a crack next to the "30". The case retains its original "Accutron" offset crown. The case back retains all of its original factory engravings in deep and legible condition. The original Bulova Accutron beads of rice bracelet is in excellent shape and shows normal stretch for its age and retains 21 links. DIAL & HANDS The matte black Accutron dial is in wonderful condition, there are some light marks near the center of the hand stack, but they're not visible to the naked eye. The tritium lume plots have achieved an excellent creamy patina, under U.V. light inspection the lume plots reveal almost no degradation. The original tritium hands match the dial perfectly and exhibit no degradation. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is operating perfectly and keeping excellent time, and just received a new battery.

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

Atlas type guide

Dive and water-resistant watches

Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.

Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.

What to look for

  • Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
  • Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
  • Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
  • Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.

Dating clues

  • Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
  • Professional dive watches: from 1953.
  • Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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