![]() Īs a NASA partner, Bulova assisted in outfitting numerous space missions with Accutron timekeeping technology, starting in 1958 with the Vanguard 1, the first Earth-orbiting satellite successfully launched since the USSR’s Sputnik 1, and the first equipped with solar electric power. and Soviet Union gave rise to the so-called Space Race in the 1960s, Bulova played a key role, establishing a decades-long partnership with the recently founded National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Under the leadership of Bradley (above), Bulova’s ties to the United States government and its military branches strengthened, and as the Cold War between the U.S. This unprecedented precision level, distinguished by the telltale humming of the tuning fork in place of the usual ticking, inspired the name Accutron, for “Accuracy through Electronic.” Accutron and the U.S. The Accutron, by contrast, ran on a revolutionary new technology that utilized a tiny, 360-Hertz tuning fork, powered by an electronic oscillator, to drive the timekeeping functions rather than a traditional balance wheel.Īs detailed in the vintage ad above, The Accutron’s groundbreaking movement, Caliber 214, achieved an oscillation rate of 360 times per second - nearly 150 times faster than that of a mechanical movement - and guaranteed an accuracy to just one minute per month. Envisioned by Swiss-born Bulova engineer Max Hetzel, the original Accutron, aka the Accutron Spaceview 214, was the world’s first fully electronic watch - distinguished from Hamilton’s invention by the small but significant fact that the latter incorporated mechanical elements like a balance wheel in addition to the battery’s electrical current to drive the movement. Hamilton’s competitor, Bulova, at the time headed by World War II hero General Omar Bradley, who served as Chairman of the Board from 1958 to 1973, upped the ante in 1960. The Ventura, which first gained fame when it was worn by Elvis Presley (below) in his 1961 film Blue Hawaii, remains a staple of Hamilton’s lineup, but its original movement has long been rendered obsolete, replaced by mechanical or quartz-driven counterparts. It was the first battery-powered watch and the first watch to use electric power in its movement. ![]() That watch’s movement, Caliber 500, used a battery, magnets, and an electronic coil rather than a mainspring to drive the gear train and balance wheel. It was Hamilton, an American watchmaker, that led the way with the original Ventura in 1957. The 1950s were an era of bold experimentation in the science of timekeeping as watch manufacturers began shifting their focus - from the traditional, all-mechanical style of watchmaking that had dominated since the 19th Century, to new inventions that would incorporate the electronic technology that was increasingly finding its way into people’s daily lives. In the postwar decades of the 1950s and 1960s, with the dawning of a new technological era of timekeeping, the company put forth some of its most memorable and influential efforts. Throughout this history, Bulova had developed a well-earned reputation for innovating and for adapting to the changing needs of its customers and the evolving trends of the market. One of the most important historical watch brands with roots in the United States, the company is today part of the Japanese Citizen Group and can look back upon a history littered with milestones: the first full line of ladies’ watches, the first television commercial, some of the earliest wristwatches produced for American troops during World War II, and one of the earliest celebrity watch endorsements - by none other than legendary aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, for its Lone Eagle watch - to name just a few. ![]() ![]() The history of the Accutron brand begins with the Bulova Watch Company, f ounded by Bohemian immigrant Joseph Bulova (above) in New York City in 1875. Read on to familiarize yourself with Accutron and its pioneering role in watchmaking, from its early days to its most recent releases on the market now. When one considers how ahead of its time the original Accutron watches were - back when they were still called Bulova Accutron, part of that company's sprawling portfolio - their success in the 21st Century under a newly independent Accutron brand should surprise no one. Learn more here.Īccutron watches have been around since the 1960s, and yet the brand has become one of the freshest faces in the watch industry in the 2020s, anchored by its combination of uniquely innovative movement technology and a defiantly retro design language. 0% interest for up to 24 months available on select brands. ![]()
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