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Bulova (MIL-W-3818A) U.S Military Watch, 1962 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Bulova (MIL-W-3818A) U.S Military Watch, 1962

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Bulova (maker)
Date
1962
Country of origin
United States
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
BLV3818A
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (BLV3818A)
Catalogue title (original)
1962 Bulova (MIL-W-3818A) U.S Military Watch (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 BLV3818A), this is a wristwatch by Bulova, made in United States, dated 1962. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. 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 Bulova MIL-W-3818A was created for the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force, under the purpose of "general use". The MIL-W-3818A resembles very closely to the Bulova A17A that was in production for the same period of time, however, the A17A was designed specifically for the United States military pilots, the MIL-W-3818A was designed more for the boots on the ground. Both watches feature the specialized 10BNCH hacking seconds hand movement and feature high visibility dials. The only major differences between the watches appear on the dial and in the hands. The dial on the MIL-W-3818A doesn't have a minute designation on the outer portion of the dial and features a more ornate handset, whereas the A17A has an outer minute designation and features much simpler hands. The practical dial layout and no-nonsense design give the wearer the perfect utilitarian feeling that makes these early military watches so sought after. Although this is a smaller watch in nature, the dial layout was designed for fast legibility. Stock # BLV3818A Brand Bulova Style Military Model MIL-W-3818A Serial M2 Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Matte Black Millimeters 32 Strap 2pc Canvas Strap CASE & BRACELET The sharp case is believed to remain unpolished, retaining crisp and strong factory brushing throughout with only very minimal signs of use. The original brushed bezel is unpolished and shows minimal signs of use as well. The case retains its original large unsigned crown. The case back retains all of its factory military contract numbers and markings. The watch will come supplied on a 2ps canvas strap. DIAL & HANDS The matte black dial is in very well preserved vintage condition, showing only light signs of age. The radium lume plots all remain fully intact when inspected under U.V. light, and have achieved a handsome golden coloration. The original radium hands are in great condition and have aged a shade darker than the dial, under U.V. light inspection the hands exhibit no lume degradation. 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

Military, pilot and travel watches

The wristwatch owes much of its adoption by men to warfare and aviation. Wristlets — small pocket watches soldered with lugs and worn on a strap — were used in colonial campaigns and became standard equipment in the First World War, with protective grilles over the crystal ('shrapnel guards'). Louis Cartier's Santos (1904), designed for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, is often cited as an early purpose-made pilot's watch.

In the Second World War governments specified watches in detail: the German B-Uhr observation watches, the American A-11, and the British 'W.W.W.' (the 'Dirty Dozen' set of 1945). After the war, jet travel brought GMT and world-time watches, which show two or more time zones at once — Louis Cottier's world-time mechanism and the Rolex GMT-Master (1955) are examples.

What to look for

  • Military markings on the case back: broad arrow, issue numbers, 'W.W.W.', 'A.T.P.'
  • High-legibility black dials with luminous Arabic numerals; oversized crowns for gloved hands.
  • 24-hour hands and rotating 24-hour bezels or city rings on GMT/world-time watches.
  • Wire lugs on early wristlets converted from pocket watches.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug wristlets: c. 1900–1925.
  • Military specifications of the Second World War: 1939–1945.
  • GMT and world-time wristwatches: mainly after 1950.

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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