I am trying to find out about a watch given to my grandfather upon his retirement. It is a Bulova Accurtron 214 and has a model number 21276. Does it have a name? What was the original strap/bracelet? Where in the uk would be good to have it serviced and hopefully made functional again? What is the best current battery for it? Thank you...

Locate the battery: Check the back or bottom of the clock for the door.
Open the compartment: Use a screwdriver or your fingers to open the compartment door. Remove the old battery: Remove the old battery and dispose of it properly

https://mybob.net/

Guess might be rather hard to find a Bulova watch with that particular serial number. Did you try ebay?


Bulova Precisionist Wristwatches eBay


Vintage Bulova Watch


Relojes eBay Ebay Money Maker Sold Watch 285 00 Update Bulova Accutron Spaceview Watch

http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=chr-greentree_gc&ei=utf-8&ilc=12&type=800236&p=bulova+95u08

jimmy try above

I'd need more info. First, is it a "real" Accutron, made from '60 to '77, or is it one of the things Bulova kept calling Accutrons after they stopped making the tuning fork movement watches? The quartz so-called Accutrons are just a nice old watch, not worth anything special. The self-wind "Accutrons", which Bulova is making now, are just a nice, mid-range aurtomatic watch. On the back of Bulova watches is a date code, usually right under the serial number (SNs themselves really mean nothing where Accutrons are concerned). The code is a letter and a number. If it begins with the letter M, or if it begins with the letter N and is followed with a 0, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. or 6, it is a "real" Accutron, and is collectible. Some with N7 (1977) are also, but it depends on the actual watch. Bulova did make some quartz so-called Accutrons in '77. If it's a '60 thru '76, and SOME '77s, it has value beyond the scrap gold price. SOME Accutrons are even worth thousands of dollars. White gold Accutrons, compared o yellow gold or stainless, are rarer. Next, WHICH Accutron is it? is it a 214, a 218, a 219, a 220, a 224, or a 230? If it's a man's watch, it is very unlikely to be a 220 or 230 series, If it does not have a winding stem on the side, it is a 214. 214s are the most valuable. If it has a setting stem at 3 o'clock or 4 o'clock, it is either a 218 or 219 (I'd have to open the back and look at the movement to say which ine). If it says "Accuquartz" on the face, it's a 224 (NOT a quartz - the 224 Accuquartz is a hybrid of tuning fork and quartz crystal). Once we know the movement series, we need the case type. Certain cases are much more valuable than others. Then there are the Spaceview, the Astronaut, and the Deep Sea, 3 specific models they made, which are more valuable than most (but not all) of the other cases. The best I can say right now is that, being white gold, there's a good chance it's one of the more desireable specific models. If it's a 214, ESPECIALLY if it's a 1960 (M0), it's worth quite a bit more than just the gold content. To be more specific, I'd have to see a picture of the watch, which I don't think can be posted here. Try looking up "Accutron" on Ebay and see if you can find one that, if yours has a stem, has it in the same place as yours, with the exact same case - same shape, and exact same lugs (the things on either end where the band or strap is attached). Read the description. The description will probably say the movement (214, 218, etc - in fact, the movement may even be in the listing title) and if it is niot just a plain round case, probbly will say the case type (Alpha, Asymmetric, Butterfly, etc.). If it's an Astronaut, a Spaceview, or a Deep Sea, it will certainly say that. Also, look at the Accutron section of the Bulova entry in Wikipedia. (Yeah, I wrote it, but it has info that just might help you pin down exactly what you have) When you find out more about which Accutron it is, post another question under Axcutron watches here. I'll check every couple of days for the next week or so, and if I see your post, I'll narrow down the value some more.

The value of your watch depends greatly on the model / style, age, and case composition. It goes without saying, but watches (of any mechanical quality) that have real gold cases right now are worth quite a bit more than watches with gold plated, gold filled, gold-tone, or stainless steel cases. Presentation watches like those given to employees upon retirement were often gold or gold-filled--but there's a world of difference in value between those two types of watches.

In terms of age, it's much easier to date vintage Bulova watches by their "year code" than by their serial number. If you look carefully, usually above or below the serial number, you'll see a little alphanumeric code, like L5, N3, or P6. These can be translated as follows:


Lx = 195x Mx = 196x Nx = 197x Px = 198x Tx = 199x


Pre-1947 Bulova watches used little symbols to show the year of manufacture. A picture of those codes can be found here, as well as elsewhere on the Internet:

http://www.manleyhorlogerie.com/Watch_History/bulova.htm#Bulova%20Date%20Codes

I suggest that you go to their web site http://www.bulova.com/contact/contact.aspx and contact your loca service center. They should be able to advise you.

Bulova Accutron watches were originally designed to use Mercury batteries of 1.35 volts, since they were the only type manufactured then. The pic (left) shows an original 214 all-metal "top hat" cell, before 387 cells with the plastic spacer became available. In most areas of the world, mercury-based batteries are no longer available, due to environmental concerns related to the safe disposal of them. The Tuning Fork watches manufactured by Esa (e.g the f300 Omega) were designed to run on either mercury or silver oxide batteries without any adjustment, provided the last repairer to work on the watch set up the index mechanism according to factory specifications.
It is strongly recommended that you do not replace batteries yourself, as special tools are required to open the watch case without damaging it. The only exception to this is the Accutron 214 model, which has a small battery hatch on the back.

good day,
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