Bulova 'Devil Diver' Day-Date, c. 1979

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

Why We Love It When we think of watches from the 1970's one thing comes to mind: Funky case shapes! Brands from all over the world experimented with obtuse, asymmetric, and innovative case designs around this time, for both sport and dress watches alike. Many watches featured integrated bracelets, something that is coming back in a big way right now as we enter the 2020s. Bulova was one such brand. Thriving in the 1970s, the American company had a seemingly endless catalog of funky sports watches, particularly in the dive and chronograph categories. Diver's featuring a "666 Feet" depth reading on the dial have colloquially become known as 'Devil Divers' and have developed a cult-following. This particular piece, a Reference Q518, dates to circa 1979 and remains in outstanding condition throughout - with virtually no signs of wear to speak of. It features a glossy black Tritium dial, a day-date complication, a rotating red and black 'Coke' dive timing bezel, an acrylic crystal, and and tonneau case with a flat-link integrated bracelet with signed clasp. With all of these details, features and designs, it is easy to see why these 'Devil Divers' are quickly developing the following that they have in the past few years. Whether you're a seasoned collector or just getting started, it's hard to go wrong with a stylish, automatic-winding dive watch that suits for any occasion. The Story The story of Bulova is deeply entwined with American manufacturing. Its founder, a Czech immigrant named Joseph Bulova, was inspired by the advances that Ford made in his factory in Highland Park, Michigan. Starting in 1912, Bulova built a factory in Biel, Switzerland, using Ford’s principles of mass production. The brand was among the first to offer a wide range of wristwatches for men, with a distinctive visual style that—thanks to its innovative adoption of advertising and a relocation to Astoria, Queens—became fixed in the American imagination. Bulova took over offices in the Empire State Building and installed an observatory on the roof, in order to measure universal time. In the workshop down below, watchmakers timed the watches they were working on to readings taken in the observatory. The watches that Bulova produced were varied, from handsome three-handers to divers and even chronographs. Bulova produced its first chronographs in the 1940s—single-button affairs with screw-on bezels. Throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70's, Bulova honed its mastery of chronographs.