Bulova Reference 48, early 1930s

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

One of the most rewarding parts of working in the vintage watch business are the rare occasions that we come across something truly unusual that we have never seen before. This doesn't happen nearly often as we'd like, but when it does - and when that truly unusual watch turns out to be something downright brilliant, it makes it all the sweeter! When this piece - an incredibly rare Bulova from the early 1930s - walked into our offices a few weeks ago, our jaws dropped. A local collector has had this in his possession for many years, and pulled it out to show us on a recent visit. Needless to say, he didn't leave with it! You are looking at a true marvel of horological design. Outwardly, it is simply a handsome steel gentleman's dress watch, fitted with a clean silver dial bearing applied gold Arabic numerals and featuring a mechanical movement with subsidiary seconds displayed by blued steel "Lozenge" hands. The only thing that seems a little out of place is the apparent lack of a crown. But the front of the watch only tells a small part of its story - the backside is something incredible unto its own. Flipping the watch over in your hand, you will notice that there is a hinged case back attached to the top portion of the backside of the case. At first glance it appears this is an outer covering for the internal case, something you'd need to pop out of place to adjust or service the movement. However, beneath that hinged cover is where the real brilliance of this timepiece lies. Fitted to the "inner" case back is a crown for adjusting the time displayed on the front side. Positioned next to it is a small plunger, which, when depressed, serves to wind the Calibre 7AP movement inside. Here's how it works: When worn on the wrist, the hinged case back is gently pressed and released by the motion of your forearm. This, in turn, depresses the plunger, winding the movement internally. Known by some collectors as a "Back Wind" wristwatch, this is essentially a manually-wound movement which is drawing its power from perpetual motion of the wrist. The movement has been fitted with a clutch mechanism to prevent overwinding, and the whole thing works like a charm. And its from NINETEEN THIRTY TWO! If this watch said "Patek Philippe" on the dial instead of "Bulova," we'd be talking about a seriously valuable timepiece here... Alas, American ingenuity doesn't add up to a whole lot of dollar value in this instance, but this is a tremendous piece of history and deserves to go into the hands of someone who will truly appreciate it for the technical marvel that it is. Drop us a line if you'd like to discuss! To see a high-res video of this piece, click on over to our Vimeo channel, HERE .