
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Bulova Wrist Alarm (Ref. 445-1) "Gold Plated", 1965
- Maker / attribution
- Bulova (maker)
- Date
- 1965
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- United States
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- gold
- Stock no.
- BLVAWA4451
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (BLVAWA4451)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1965 Bulova Wrist Alarm (Ref. 445-1) "Gold Plated" (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 BLVAWA4451), this is a wristwatch by Bulova, made in United States, dated 1965. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. 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 here to stay! The unique and funky watches that Bulova made from the 60s-80s are always a cause for conversation. Ranging from colorful diving chronographs and eccentric electric watches like the famous Accutron, to complex feats of mechanical engineering like this alarm watch! While most collectors think of brands like Vulcain and Jaeger-LeCoultre when thinking of alarm watches, Bulova was also a major player, producing a number of alarmed variants beginning in the 1950s. The one we have for you here was produced in 1965 and is powered by Bulova's in-house Cal. 11 AERC alarm movement. SPECS Stock # BLVAWA4451 Brand Bulova Style Wrist Alarm Model 445-1 Serial M5 Size Men's Material Gold Plated Dial Silver Millimeters 34 Bracelet 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The case of this beautiful Wrist Alarm Is gold plated, giving off a gorgeous warmth that adds miles to the sophistication of the watch. The lugs are long and sharply angled, they shoot off the case to create an aggressive look. The watch also features two gold plated crowns for the time and the alarm as well as a stainless steel screw-down caseback. Included is a 2pc black suede strap, perfect for this piece. DIAL & HANDS Saying the dial is gorgeous feels nearly unnecessary. The soft off-white surface picks up the warmth of the gold around it and shines it back out in a soft glow. The dial features beautifully applied gold hour markers, matching gold dauphine style hands and an inner minute track made entirely of golden dots. In a shock of fantastic design Bulova opted for a slithering black alarm hand, finally tipping it in bright red because, why not? ACCESSORIES None. The watch is operating perfectly and keeping excellent time, previous service history is unknown.
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.
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