
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Bulova Marine Star Aviator Type XX, 1960s
- Maker / attribution
- Bulova (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- United States
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 43 mm
- Stock no.
- BVMSA60
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (BVMSA60)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1960s Bulova Marine Star Aviator Type XX (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number BVMSA60), this is a wristwatch by Bulova, made in United States, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 43 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 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 eclectic watches like the famous Accutron. The Bulova Marine Star Type XX is truly an uncommon sight to behold and has close relations to the very collectible Zenith A. Cairelli chronographs made for the Italian Air Force during the same time period. Featuring a large case size for the era at 43mm, a screw-down "waterproof" crown, unidirectional rotating bezel, and large Arabic numerals, the Marine Star is a force to be reckoned with and perfectly fits into the military watch aesthetic. SPECS Stock # BVMSA60 Brand Bulova Style Pilot Chronograph Model Marine Star Serial N/A Size Men's Material SS Dial Matte Black Millimeters 43mm Bracelet 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The wonderful Marine Star case appears to have been lightly polished in the past, showing light signs of use and retaining its large chamfer down the lugs. The unidirectional click spring bezel is in excellent condition. The bezel insert is in near flawless condition and has achieved a perfectly even grey fade. The case retains its original pushers and unsigned crown. The case back clearly displays all of the factory engravings. The watch will come supplied on a 2pc handmade leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The beautiful matte black dial is exceptionally well preserved. The original dial printing, including the classic "Marine Star" logo with 10 stars remains perfectly intact. The tritium Arabic numerals have aged to a charming yellow coloration and exhibit no lume degradation when inspected under U.V. light. The original tritium hands match the dial nicely, under U.V. light inspection the minute hand shows some minor degradation, the hour hand remains fully intact, the chronograph hands appears to have been restored with tritium prior to our acquisition. ACCESSORIES
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
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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