Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Bulova Oversized Supercompressor, 1960s
- Maker / attribution
- Bulova (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- United States
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 36 mm
- Stock no.
- Product 1994240819287
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, S.Song Watches (product 1994240819287)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Bulova Oversized Supercompressor (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle (stock number Product 1994240819287), 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 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 — S.Song Watches
The supercompressor case. Most recognisable through the use of double crowns at 2 and 4 o’clock, these are quintessentially 60’s/70’s in its design. Produced by a single company, Ervin Piquerez EPSA, compressor cases used a new technology at the time where it used pressure to guarantee a watch’s water resistance. As you go deeper, the pressure gets higher, in theory, creating a tighter seal. Because of the iconic design and overall wearability, there is a real cult following for supercompressor watches as many brands used EPSA cases. As a result, you are able to find a whole variety of supercompressor watches with many different dial and hand designs. Most supercompressors you will find are 36mm in size, but the aforementioned watches are significantly larger at 42mm. The 42mms are huge watches and have a real presence on the wrist. Even by today’s standard, they are considered large! What many do not know, is that other than those brands, there was one more that made these larger Supercompressors and yes, you’ve guessed it- Bulova.
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
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
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.
Related records
Wristwatches · c. 1969
Bulova 'Accutron' tuning-fork wristwatch by Bulova
Royal Museums Greenwich
Wristwatches · c. 1965
Wristwatch Accutron by Knud Geelmuyden Bull
Royal Museums Greenwich
Clocks · c. 1960s
Bulova wall clock, Lighted Advertising Wall Clock for Robert Schenck Jeweler, circa 1960s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · 1963
Bulova wristwatch, ref. 314, Diver Super Compressor, 1963
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1957
Wristwatch by Richard H. Arbib, United States, c. 1957
German Clock Museum
Wristwatches · 1959
Wristwatch by Josef Bulova, United States, 1959
German Clock Museum
Wristwatches · 1960–1963
Bulova Accutron tuning-fork wristwatch on a demonstration stand, designed by Max Hetzel, United States, 1960–1963
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 1964
Tornek-Rayville wristwatch, ref. TR 900, 1964
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva