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Paul Delury wrote

This is not actually a Bulova watch...> Oct 27, 2009 - 06:34 AM Go to previous messageGo to next message
...but rather the result of recasing which was reasonably common in the past. This watch will contain a Bulova movement but did not issue from Bulova in this case or with this dial. I would estimate the watch as is dates from the late-1940's/1950's. The movement could well be a little older. It will be a manual-wind movement. (Note that Caravelle was Bulova's economy line of watches - this watch is not a Caravelle).

Below is a post I made concerning a similar watch I have.

There was quite a significant industry in the past in casing-up movements from well-known brands such as Hamilton, Bulova, etc. The one below, as you can see, states "Hamilton 17 Jewel Movement" on the dial, not just "Hamilton" as would be found on a true Hamilton-issued watch. This watch has a 1940's Hamilton Grade 987 movement housed in a French TK brand stainless steel case with a dial that didn't come from Hamilton.




This practice was fairly widespread after WWII when the US domestic wristwatch production took some time to get back up and running. The major US watch companies had turned over much of their production to war materiel, such as bomb timers/fuses and navigation watches and clocks. The dials of these recased watches stated the brand of movement in the watch, and in such a manner that it should not be confused with a genuine issue watch. Thus the "XXXX Movement" (Hamilton, Bulova, Elgin or whatever) or sometimes "Rebuilt" text found on such dials. There were dial and case sets available for various brands that specified the calibre reference for the movement needed. These came with the dial in the case with crystal and springbars, hands, etc. All that was needed was a suitable movement, and strap.

I have seen other such watches carrying "Bulova Movement" on the dial. The recasing (or just "casing-up" where the movement was unused) seems to have lasted into the 1960s, perhaps 1970s on a smaller scale, but it seems the majority were made-up in the more immediate post-WWII years.

[This post was edited on Oct 27, 2009 - 06:54 AM]

          
Paul.

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