Why We Love It

Military issued wristwatches are one of the coolest sub genres in vintage watch collecting, if for no other reason than that they were literally made to kick butts as gracefully as Chuck Norris!

Sometimes, when purchasing military-issued watches, one can require the sale of multiple vital organs, or even soul. But thankfully there are more affordable and less complicated ways to enter into the realm of military watch ownership, such as with this beautiful Bulova Field Watch.

The particular example was supplied to the US military in the 1950s and 60’s. With its diminutive but robust 32mm scratch resistant case, luminous syringe hands, and hallmarks of a life served in the field, it checks all the right boxes. The black dial is adorned with white Arabic numerals that have developed a gorgeous patina. 

For under $1000, its a storied piece that simply can't be beat!

The Story

Bulova produced watches for general purpose use by the US Army, Navy and Air Force (it was too early yet for Space Force...). The inscription “WATCH NAVIG” on the case back signifies that this watch was produced specifically for use by pilots or navigators.

For all Bulova Military watches you can find plenty information engraved on the case back such as  the Serial Number, Federal Stock number and the contract number. A17As such as this example were produced with the MIL-W-6433A specification number which aids in identifying them from being produced starting in 1956.

In October 1962, Bulova submitted the watch for testing on a series of new requirements, and unfortunately, didn’t meet the revised standards. All watches produced from October 1962 are engraved MIL-W-6433B, making this particular example a marvel of a Military watch only issued for 6 years before upgrades were made.