1937 Bulova Ben Hur Stepped & Chased Case Nebraska Rotary Presentation Inscript

Description: 1937 10AE Ben Hur Presentation Watch About Bulova Joseph Bulova started a small jewelry shop in New York City around 1875. In 1912, he launched his first plant dedicated entirely to the production of watches. At his factory in Biel, Switzerland, he began a mass production new to watchmaking. Think of Joseph Bulova as the “Henry Ford” of watches. Through standardized parts and visually distinctive advertising, Bulova made the wristwatch both popular and widely available to the American public. From 1922 through 1930, Bulova marketed 350 different ladies’ Art Deco watches, with at least an equal number of models for men. Distinguishing between different years and models is best left to—well, people who have the time and passion for that kind of thing. Bulova produced the first radio advertising broadcast in 1926, announcing the first beep in history: At the tone, it’s eight o’clock, Bulova Watch Time, an announcement heard by millions of Americans. By 1940, Bulova sponsored each of the top 20 radio shows in the US. Part showman and part innovator, Bulova built an observatory atop a NYC skyscraper to determine precise time, and the Accuton movement which used a tuning fork to regulate watch function. Perhaps, again, imitating the automakers, Bulova experimented with different “lines” for different price points: Westfield in the 1930s and Caravelle in the 1960s were the more “modest” Bulova lines. The Citizen Watch Company (Japan) bought Bulova in 2008. Both companies are now part of the Swatch Group. About this watch This has been identified as a 1937 "Ben Hur." With the stepped and chased case it is pretty distinctive. But the major feature of this beauty is the presentation inscription:To Governor "Ham"byThe McCook Rotary Club1943 Research indicates that this was Rotary District Governor Frank Hamilton who set a goal to raise $7M in War Bonds sold by Nebraska Rotarians during WWII. That amount of 1943 money would be... the purchase of a new submarine. Can you imagine? A submarine bought and paid for in one month by Nebraska Rotary members! Dating this watch is tricky. The Ben Hur was produced through the 1930s. The 10AE movement was produced from 1929-1940 (so the 30s). If you try real hard you can see a date code for 1937. That seems like a long time before it was engraved and presented. OTOH: It was the Depression; and then there was a war going on; just about all manufacturing was being redirected to equipping WWII. My guess is that this was a new, old stock item at a local jeweler that was inscribed for the presentation in 1943. I've worn it as a dress watch. It is perhaps a tad small by today's standards, so I think it could certainly be a great woman's watch. It comes in a gift box as shown. Model Name: Ben HurCase Serial: 3001497Case signature inside - "Bulova, Fifth Ave, New York"Movement: 10AE, 21 Jewels, AdjustedMovement Date Code: 1937Case Material Description: 10K Gold Filled (yellow with engraving)Case Dimensions: 37mm lug to lug x 25mm without crown (29.5mm without lugs)Case Type Snap back, tonneau with steps If this is not exactly what you are looking for, check out our other watches. About me I buy and sell a few old watches from the mid-1930s through the mid-1960s. I like Hamilton and the occasional Bulova. Sometimes I will venture into British watches (e.g., Ingersoll). I deal in mechanical and automatics. Like a tracker pipe organ (also an interest of mine) they are a combination of history, architecture, and machine: little art works. I confess to owning a Citizen for work use, but I generally eschew battery powered appliances. If the items in my collection seem similar, it is because I like a particular style and function. I prefer real numbers on a watch face and need to tell time at a glance while speaking. I typically wear these watches for weeks, months, or years before selling them—ahh— to make sure everything works as it should. I am not just an eBay flipper. If I tell you a watch runs and keeps time: it runs and keeps time. When I make a buying mistake (oh, it happens) the watch goes to off to a professional watchmaker to be rebuilt and restored and, after my recovering some cost by wearing it, offered as such at a premium. All the watches I sell are intended to be ready to wear and giftable.

Price: 195 USD

Location: Scottsboro, Alabama

End Time: 2025-01-04T00:46:18.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD