Bulova Accutron 'Dynamic'

"Are you ready? Because I want you to pay attention. This is the beginning of something."

So begins Season 7 of Mad Men, with Freddie Rumsen pitching the new Bulova Accutron: "It's not a timepiece — it's a conversation piece." When the real Accutron debuted in 1960, it wasn't hyperbole. It was a revolution.

To understand why, we turn back nearly a century. Joseph Bulova founded his company in 1875, later establishing a modern movement manufacture in Biel, Switzerland, in 1912 and applying American mass-production techniques to watchmaking. By mid-century, Bulova had become one of the most influential horological manufacturers in the United States—known as much for its technical ambition as for its forward-thinking design and advertising.

That ambition culminated in the Accutron. As the world's first fully electronic watch, it offered accuracy and reliability far surpassing those of traditional mechanical watches. Its tuning-fork oscillator, humming at 360 Hz, produced a perfectly smooth sweep of the seconds hand, powered by a dry-cell battery and electromagnetic coil. Conceived by Max Hetzel and inspired by 19th-century tuning-fork experiments by the Breguet family, the Accutron became a technological milestone worn by astronauts, engineers, and professionals who needed unwavering precision. Although quartz would later surpass it, the Accutron's legacy remains foundational; in 2020, it was reborn as a standalone brand dedicated to preserving that heritage.

The present watch features a sharp white crosshair dial—long favored by medical professionals for quick, quadrant-based time reading—along with applied indices, a baton handset, crown at four, and the tuning-fork emblem at 12 o'clock. Paired with a brown leather strap and stainless steel pin buckle, it even carries a personal touch: a 25-years of service engraving on the caseback, dating the watch to 1973.

A reminder of the moment when the future arrived on the wrist, this Accutron remains as compelling today as it was in its humming, space-age prime.

The story of Bulova is deeply entwined with American manufacturing. Its founder, a Czech immigrant named Joseph Bulova, was inspired by the advances that Ford made in his factory in Highland Park, Michigan. In 1912, Bulova built a factory in Biel, Switzerland, using Ford’s principles of mass production.

The brand was among the first to offer a wide range of wristwatches for men, with a distinctive visual style that — thanks to its innovative adoption of advertising and a relocation to Astoria, Queens — became fixed in the American imagination. Bulova took over offices in a skyscraper on 5th Avenue in Manhattan and installed an observatory on the roof in order to measure universal time. In the workshop down below, watchmakers timed the watches they were working on against readings taken in the observatory.

The watches that Bulova produced were varied, from handsome three-handers to divers and even chronographs. Bulova produced its first chronographs in the 1940s — single-button affairs with screw-on bezels. Throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70's, Bulova honed its mastery of such watches.

However, perhaps the brand’s single most important innovation was 1960’s Accutron, a timepiece that used an electric tuning fork in place of a traditional balance wheel. Following on the heels of the Hamilton Electric of 1957, the Accutron featured a guaranteed accuracy of two seconds per day — much better accuracy than that of a contemporary mechanical watch. (The Accutron line was later spun off and relaunched as its own brand in 2020.)

In 1971 a Bulova chronograph accompanied the crew of Apollo 15 into space. When the crystal on astronaut David Scott’s Speedmaster popped off, he strapped on his Bulova, making it the only privately worn watch to ever have been worn on the Moon. (It was subsequently auctioned off for more than $1.625M.)

Currently owned by Citizen Group and headquartered in New York City, Bulova continues to make watches inspired by its long American heritage.

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Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.