Bulova's history reads like a timeline of American firsts: the first watch worn on the moon, the first television commercial, the first electronic watch, and the most accurate quartz movement ever produced. This Czech-immigrant-founded brand has been pushing timekeeping technology for nearly 150 years.
New York Beginnings (1875)
Joseph Bulova, a 23-year-old Czech immigrant, opened a small jewelry shop on Maiden Lane in Lower Manhattan in 1875. He began importing watches and soon started manufacturing his own—first in a small New York factory, then in a Swiss facility in Biel.
By the early 1900s, Bulova had established a reputation for quality and innovation, introducing standardized watch production methods that made reliable timepieces accessible to ordinary Americans.
Marketing Pioneer
Bulova understood the power of media better than any watchmaker of its era:
• 1926: First nationally broadcast radio advertisement
• 1927: Official timekeeper for Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight
• 1941: First television commercial (aired before a baseball game, costing $9)
• 1952: First coast-to-coast television sponsorship
These weren't just advertisements—they were cultural moments that associated Bulova with American progress and achievement.
That First TV Commercial: On July 1, 1941, before a Brooklyn Dodgers game, a Bulova clock appeared on screen with the announcement: "America runs on Bulova time." The 10-second spot cost $9. Television advertising—and its transformation of consumer culture—had begun.
The Accutron Revolution (1960)
Bulova's most significant technological achievement came in 1960: the Accutron, the first fully electronic watch. Instead of a mechanical balance wheel or quartz crystal, Accutron used a tiny tuning fork vibrating at 360 Hz to regulate time.
The tuning fork movement was remarkably accurate—within one minute per month, far surpassing mechanical watches. It also produced a distinctive hum rather than a tick. The Accutron became a symbol of space-age technology and American innovation.
On the Moon (1971)
Bulova's space credentials are legitimate: the Accutron tuning fork technology was used in NASA equipment, and during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971, astronaut Dave Scott wore a Bulova chronograph on the lunar surface after his Omega Speedmaster's crystal popped off.
That watch—a prototype Bulova chronograph never sold to the public—became the first private watch worn on the moon, and sold at auction in 2015 for $1.6 million.
Quartz and Decline
Ironically, Bulova's Accutron technology was superseded by quartz—a technology Bulova had helped pioneer but failed to commercialize quickly enough. The quartz crisis of the 1970s devastated the American watch industry, and Bulova changed hands multiple times before being acquired by Citizen in 2008.
Joseph Bulova opens shop in New York City
First factory observatory built for timing standardization
First television commercial airs
Accutron tuning fork watch launched
Bulova chronograph worn on the moon
Acquired by Citizen Watch Company
Precisionist movement debuts—262 kHz
Precisionist: Reviving Innovation (2010)
Under Citizen ownership, Bulova returned to its innovative roots with Precisionist—a quartz movement vibrating at 262,144 Hz, eight times higher than standard quartz. This frequency enables a continuously sweeping second hand (no ticking) and accuracy within 10 seconds per year.
Precisionist represented something new: the most accurate quartz watch ever produced, at accessible prices. The technology proved that innovation could continue even in "mature" quartz technology.
The Collections Today
Modern Bulova offers watches across multiple price points and styles:
• Precisionist: High-frequency quartz with sweeping seconds
• Marine Star: Sport and dive watches
• Classic: Traditional dress watches
• Curv: World's first curved chronograph movement
• Archive Series: Reissues of historic designs
• Lunar Pilot: Recreation of the moon watch
Today's Bulova
Bulova occupies an interesting niche: a heritage American brand with genuine innovation credentials, now backed by Citizen's technological resources. Prices remain accessible—most models under $1,000—while quality and technology have improved under Japanese ownership.
For those who appreciate American watchmaking history and technological achievement over Swiss prestige, Bulova offers compelling value—watches that helped define modern timekeeping, at prices that honor Joseph Bulova's original mission of quality for ordinary people.