Bulova Accutron II Alpha Test Drive

I wanted something fun and different (and cheap) to tie me over till the next proper watch purchase and decided on a thought experiment. Namely, to test out the waters if I was ready for taking the plunge and purchasing one of the originals, or one of the very limited series of completely remade new ones - it took the new company owner quite a bit of effort to re-engineer the technology (as it has not been in production for decades). As I knew I was going to be picking up the package today, I suited up with matching cufflinks in the morning



After a short drive from the post office to the office, here it was - the box in all its mystery

And voila - the unveiling! Decided to try out the modern day recreation of the tuning fork legend, the Bulova Accutron, in the most Space Age version, namely the Spaceview. In modern parlance it is the Accutron II, and the model is called Alpha.

So let's see. The original case shape, check, gliding seconds hand, check, the tuning fork symbol on the seconds hand counterweight, check, the brand and model name etched onto the crystal, check, absence of date - this is for you, Nico - check

The absence of the locust sound is of course a downside - this version uses a version of the Citizen sourced (Citizen having taken over Bulova some time ago) Precisionist movement, which while being high frequency and reasonably precise is still a quartz movement, hence silent. While the early Precisionist movements actually display an impressive accuracy - 10-15 seconds a year deviation - they are also very large and require 47mm cases to fit into, hence this is a lower end version with most of the benefits but not quite such a high power consumption, allowing it to be packed together with the battery into a smaller space. You still get the 262 kHz frequency movement for better precision, and a gliding seconds hand, which is probably closest to that of a Spring Drive.

The finishing is decent at the price point and there are alternate brushed and polished surfaces on the relatively complex case shape but nothing hand touched - that much is certain. I was quite surprised at the complexity and intricacy of the deployant clasp design - certainly much more complex than my Chopard one, with quite some moving bits, a secure lock and a much better quality feel than expected. The leather is real but the cow it came from never actually saw an alligator, much less mated with one

As said, not a completely faithful one-to-one recreation but it will hopefully provide me enough of a feel to be able to decide if one of the newly built original spec Accutron Spaceviews with the Accutron 214 movement (of which Citizen produced a limited series), or one of the vintage pieces is likely to appeal after all. Let's call it a test drive

And given that they are not sold in most parts of Europe, I guess it will not be something frequently encountered on the streets, either. So for the days, when both the 1960s, Mad Men and the space age are calling, it should prove a willing companion (I hope). Will keep you posted on where the thought experiment leads, as I gather more experience with it. And finally a watch to go with these cufflinks