Ladies’ 1963 Bulova Automatic Cocktail Watch

In 1875, Joseph Bulova set off on the bold experiment of a wholesale jewelry business. It was not until the '20s, realizing the potential of the newly popularized "wristlet," that he began to use his jewelry expertise to make wristwatches. His factories in Switzerland would go on to produce millions of movements for watches, then ship them to the states where each watch would be hand-assembled and tested. One can look at the early Bulova timepieces and see the clear influence of Joseph Bulova the jeweler and craftsman.

Measuring 28mm long by 21mm wide, this solid stainless steel rarity is as classic a mid-century timepiece as one could possibly hope for. An extraordinary platinum-tone dial looks like the day it was fitted at the factory, with silver-tone applied bar-and-dot markers and center-sweep with date function. Its brilliant "baton" hands and "Bulova" marked reeded crown also are perfect. The unengraved back snaps open nicely to an extraordinary machine: a freshly cleaned, oiled and regulated factory automatic movement – one of the smallest of its kind – fitted with 17 ruby jewels and marked "Bulova/17 jewels/unadjusted."

The case is an obvious triumph of design by the house of Bulova. Minimalist, classic and complemented by its new-old stock period leather strap and matching “Bulova” buckle, it is, quite frankly, an airy little masterpiece.

We invite you to take a moment and double-click on the images to see the expanded view, so you may admire the watch for its triumph of design. Then, if you feel you'd like to floor someone with your sense of excellent taste, have us wrap it up for you.