INSANE Technology For Its Time! The Bulova Accutron Spaceview 214!
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- Опубликовано: 12 окт 2024
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You forgot to mention the high pitched hum the tuning forks make, it's one of the coolest things about the Accutron
Do you have one you would like to sell?
Half awake, it sounds like a mosquito! ;-)
@@Dragonfire3194 I have one from '86 that used to be my dad's, he gifted it to me a few years back so it's a part of the permanent collection.
@@markbyrum4743 it really does, Ive had to place it in a watch box on my nightstand so it doesn't keep me up at night xD
Don't put them on a wooden window sill, at night.
They reverberate.....
Deafening, is a not far, but it's LOUD enough to wake you up...
Welcome to the world in of Accutron! I purchased my Spaceview new with high school graduation money in the early 1970's. The N2 below the serial number is the year of manufacture: "N" is the 1970's decade. The numeral is the year of manufacture. Mine is an N1 and I purchased it from the Coast Guard base Exchange in Yorktown, Virginia in 1973 (it sat in the display case for a long time because I saw and lusted over it for a long time). Yours would have been produced in 1972. The 214 model didn't change much after the initial mods in the 1950's, introduced commercially in 1960, and ran until it ceased production on the 1970's. Great watch. Can't wear mine in the water any more. Good vid. Keep at it!
Was going to reply the same. Spaceview unite! :)
@@jeffreyerb8458 yeah, my battery just died on the past couple of days. It's a great watch - the one I've had the longest (since 1973!). As you said: Accutron-ers unite!
Very cool! Thanks for the info
Man I just bought an accutron spaceview and I'm just so happy to have a grail watch in the collection. That hum and how it's an electrical mechanical movement is just inspired design
I have this exact model and I absolutely love it! Legendary watch
What batteries do you use ?
to save "time" go straight to review at 4:10 and you're welcome!
“Accutron, it’s not a time piece, it’s a conversation piece.”
Both.. yw
@@oscarosullivan4513 Don Draper actually, but I wouldn't be surprised if TGV used the quote too.
@@michaelbest5505 Thats freddie's line i guess
Grabbed a 1965 gold filled (like this one) off EBay a couple of years ago. Was surprised at how small and lite it was...put it on wrist - MAGIC 🔥
Fun Fact: this movement powered the clocks on the Lunar Landing Module and Rover - used in 46 NASA missions!
This Accutron is LEGEND! Love the NEW Accutron but wish it was smaller at 40mm. YOUR INTROS BRO!!!
Is the new Accutron company run by Bulova or is it a separate company?
@@Mustyplatypus06 It's separate it's own beast for the moment.
Wearing my Accutron Railroad Approved powered with the same movement but with a dial atop while watching this episode. Such a nice watch!
Every watch collector should have an accutron, its history ! I own a squarish 38mm n3 so 1973. An n2 is 1972. M references is for the 60's models. They are just stunning, and its the one that gets the most attention, by far !
I love mine. I never get tired of hearing that electrical hmmm. Mine is a birth year watch from 63. Love your channel
I was going to get one of these, hopefully a 1963, for my dad. He got me into watches and it’s the year he came to America
Can't believe I made it all the way to the point the lack of crown was pointed out without noticing the lack of crown.
Either I'm that aloof, or the watch is just that interesting and mesmerizing...
I have one from the 70s that my father’s friend found in an antique shop in the 90s, and gave to my father. And Dad recently gave it to me!
By design, it’s clearly from the 1970’s with yellow brushed metal watch face, a thick silver brim on the face with white pip lines, and a large gold-plated case. The crown is at the right hand side of the case, and has a two piece screw back.
It currently doesn’t work, as supposedly the tuning fork is broken, so here’s hoping I can get that fixed someday soon!
Same here and similar story.
I found a shop online that can allegedly repair mine for $200 starting. Haven't got in touch with them yet though.
have two myself. Ones a gold model, and came from my grandfather who was a NASA founder and pioneer of supersonic research. There’s a whole story about how my grandmother arranged a clandestine drop with the liaison from Bulova so she could give it to him for their anniversary, but the Bulova Man not only left the watch as instructed, but also left her money. He said later he’d found the whole deal white fun, and far be it from him or Bulova to put a price on love. A year before he died, he asked me what if his I might want when he passed away. He was well-off, and there were plenty of things to choose from. He was essentially giving me first dibs. But I idolized my grandfather… i told him the only thing i’d be heartbroken not to have… was his watch. He and that watch were synonymous. My dad, on the other hand came with a LIST, when asked… and so got a lawnmower (he lives in an apartment on the side of a mountain 😂) So this watch has huge sentimental and historical relevance to me and I’m glad to see appreciation shown to it.
The other one literally came to me from a homeless man I’d stop in to see sometimes. Make sure he was eating, you know? I was moving and so stopped through one last time to bid him goodbye and he’d run back into his shack and came back out with a Spaceview, of all things! A stainless steel version with yellow screen printing on the glass. The “turtle B”. he said he’d found it in the trash and noticed the one on my wrist. thanked me for my friendship and kindness and wanted me to have it. Touched, i’ve kept it as my fault driver to protect Grandpas.
what goes around comes around, eh?
This is an amazing comment
I bought the steel case model 214 at the Navy Exchange in Norfolk, VA in 1970. Wore it many years as a young man, loved it, but now bringing it out of retirement by getting it refurbished. Expensive fix but worth it....can't wait to get it back.
Awesome look at the watch, another fun thing about these 214's specifically is how nicely they were designed from a watch repairer's perspective. The service manual is generally easy to follow and specific components of the watch are actually pretty easy to replace. For example that tuning fork and the coils can be redone quickly and almost without disrupting the gear train! Lovely.
Now this is my kind aesthetic. Love the intro!!!
I just picked up a spaceview and it was a grail for me, and I absolutely adore it. Your advice of buying what you love very true and accurate
Bro, I didn’t think you’d review the spaceview. I like your content. But I love your sense of humor.
I was searching for a watch from my birth year for my 50th... and learned all about the significance of Bulova watches in the '60's. Previously wasn't really interested in the brand but these 214/218 watches are special and seriously under rated in my opinion. I didn't get a Spaceview but a 'normal' dial 218 - and the hum is undoubtedly its unique party piece.
Great video and an interesting subject. As others have pointed out the N2 is a 72 model watch. I have a passion for these early electronic watches and have seven in my collection: a Buolva 214 Spaceview, a Bulova 2182 model, Omega Constellation F300 (ESA 9162 tuning fork movement), Eterna Kontiki Sonic (ESA 9162), Eterna SevenDay (ESA 9164 day date movement), Univeral Geneve Unisonic (UG branded Buolva 2182 movement) and, finally, a Benrus Electric with the LIP R148 movement (which appears to use a "balance wheel" which is reversed using tiny electro-magnets charged by the power cell (similar to Hamilton's electric movement used in the early Ventura). All super cool technologies. Superb engineering for the time, even today some parts, like the 320 tooth 2.4mm diameter indexing wheel are a staggering achievement. It should also be noted that the quartz oscillators used in today's quartz watches are actually formed into the shape of a tuning fork so, ironically, Bulova's Accutron movement was all but the blue print for the technology that would usurp it and go on the dominate the watch industry for the last five decades.
I would 100% get one of these if they re-released this.
Hey Jori, saw the note in the package of my Elgin auto and thought I’d let you know that it’s perfect and I appreciate the effort put into wrapping it and making sure it’s as safe as it could be! The dial is spectacular in person and have no regrets in this purchase.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!! Thanks so much for supporting the shop, Lewis!
I love these watches and their history in the early space programs. I own two Accutrons, one M5 1965 asymmetrical case version with a spaceview crystal and a gold N4 1974 218 with date complication and Arabic numeral dial. I inherited a 1972 Omega DeVille F300 from my Grandfather in gold. I also have a second F300 Omega from 1973 in a stainless steal cushion style case. Omega licensed Bulova's technology, called them F300's, but made them better and had them certified as chronometers. Currently, my cushion case Omega is running a second fast after over 6 months, amazing accuracy. These watches aren't the most expensive, but I'm glad to have four examples in my collection. Great watch Jory, keep up the great videos.
Jory... You are strong... you are amiable... you are buff! Don’t let the “little haters” get you down... Just flex yourself to success!!!!!
Small correction/addition. it's more than an electric watch. It is in fact, the first mass produced electronic watch. I am not going to get into the details here for time reasons but you might find it fun to read more about it. I could nerd out all day about this watch. It is, in my opinion, just about the coolest watch one can own, but there are issues with maintenance because of the lack of replacement parts. Specifically the indexing wheel.
As a side note: my wife has a 1961 alpha case with the coin edge dial and man am I jealous. I bought it for her and it was so difficult to actually hand it off.
N2 is 1972. The factory made only 42 models of the Spaceview, which are determined by the numbers on the inside of the case back. Unfortunately, there are way more "converted Spaceviews out there, made easier by the availability of repro parts. Real factory built models are worth much more, of course. Also, the factory models are easy to spot because of their internal chapter rings. Though it is best to check the case number to be sure what you are looking at is real or a conversion. The list of factory case numbers is available online.
Do you know where to buy one!
@@Dragonfire3194 They can be found on Ebay, but the case numbers must be checked before buying.
I have my dad's 1971 Accutron. It was dead and I had is serviced. That was far more involved (and expensive) than I would have thought. It is up and running, though not as accurate as it was 50 years ago. The original ran on a battery that contained mercury and they are no longer available. My watch guy said he could he could get it close and it is about 15 seconds slow per day. It is a gold filled case with day/date and makes for a great dress watch.
Thanks for the review. The only thing lacking was to hold the watch to your mic and let everyone hear the
"hum".
More watches should try this "Electronic/PCB" aesthetic, it has a lot of potential
Agreed, even a modern re-creation of this with solar or a rotor+generator (like a Quartz Kinetic).
Something like that would deffinitly be a favorite in my tiny collection, even if I had to save for quite a while to get it, as it stands the "modern" space view with it's new mechanics is still interesting and at the top of my list
Makes me miss my old 14k Accutron Spaceview. It bit the dust hard in the late 90’s. Tried to get it repaired, but was impossible to find a movement, so I melted down and refine the gold case, crown and buckle.
There’s a dozen repair shops around the country. You shouldn’t of done it.
I believe n2 is 1972. I have an original m3 stands for 1963. The early sixties models have built in indices under the dial and the crystals only had the accutron symbol on the dial. Also, the older sixties accutron had the older style resistors.
I concur! I have an n2 as well. I absolutely love it!
You did not mention the nice humming of this beautiful watch.
The Accutron Spaceview is a top tier grail watch for me. My local watch store has two different references in stock (and does in house repair), and I'm way too tempted to act on one.
I also acted... Now I own three different Accutrons haha
Did you get one? I just pulled the trigger on an m7 spaceview and it's just amazing to have a grail on my wrist and it's such a neat piece
@@12pagani unfortunately I did not. I recently got a major raise but when I was fully ready to buy they had both been sold... Not giving up yet though!
@@12pagani Congrats on the score though, enjoy it!
@@manoflego123 man heck Ebay, I bought mine out of action California from an enthusiast who rebuilds them. He has 7 more available. I paid 386 for mine with 3 new accutron batteries included! It's a lovely thing to wear and it wears light but solid feeling. Mines a 67 year build and has some lovely patina.
I have a spaceview cushion T model. Absolutely love it. No one at the office will ever have it. Well, they all have Apple watches anyway like a bunch of clones, so I will win even with my Orient open heart auto.
Hearing the intro song and watching the Game Boy for a moment I thought that I was watching a TGV video…
Wish Bulova would remake these and make them affordable!
They couldn’t make them affordable back then. That’s why they stopped making them.
@@DanaTheInsane They made millions of them, but they were never exactly cheap ($175 in 60 it seems, or 1500-1600 today). Quartz watches ended them.
Bulova originally released the spaceview for demonstration pieces at jewelry stores and folks liked it more than the ones with dials. I think these are much cooler, on my list
This beauty is on my list of Bulova to buy I already got my Bulova 98A186 moon watch before my bday and I'm wearing a Bulova 96B304 chronograph
@Bad Matt yeah that's the best part is the hunt. Thanks man
My God, this new video format is 👌
3.33 ClASSIC : 'I DON'T HAVE ANY HAIR TO CUT' LOL....
You should do an episode on the Omega Megasonic... which makes the Accutron seem rather "simple", ha.
I would be happy to write a quick synopsis on functional differences between the two of them... as that is actually the most interesting part of these watches.
I have always liked and admired that watch. Thanks for showcasing it.
I don't find them boring if anything they are more interesting than the average watch!
I was able to get my hands on a couple of 214's, but I never was able to win a bid on Ebay for a Space View. There was always someone with a stupid level of fanaticism, so they bid far more than they were worth at the time. Still, I have 4 accutrons, and they've been my favorite for decades. Great watches!
I remember these from when I was a kid. So cool. Would love to have one.
The nostalgia feeling of the beginning..... blowing the cartridge... not gunna lie thought u was on the bog initially 😂
The production quality just keeps getting better and better!!
I have a lovely 1970s calibre 218 day / date, just a wonderful thing.
When I started watching this video I had to take off the watch I had on and put on my Accutron. 1969 Accutron Railroad Approved 218 movement. Looking at the sweeping second hand. Putting up to my ear, hummmmm....
That watch is amazing and ultra cool.
YOU DIDN'T MENTION THE AMAZING OSCILLATING HUM FROM THE TUNING FORK
Not surprising for the guy who forgot Indiglo on a Timex watch.
Awesome! So you reviewed that as well. N2 means it's from 1972 btw, N stands for the 70s, an M would be the 60s. So you got a really late one, the first came out in 1961.
You're content is good. The jokes are good too!
FANTASTIC watch!
To any new Accutron fans out there: get an original one, or even a conversion, but get the 214/218 movement. None of this re-edition/electrostatic nonsense.
The cushion-case Spaceviews are a bit chunkier if that’s what you want.
Top tip: for removing the battery cover use the handle of a pair of tweezers rather than a screwdriver or coin.
I got one and it's so special, one of my favourite !
Love that second hand ✋😍👌
Any suggestions for having one of these watches repaired? Are there any companies that are regarded more highly than others?
This is a first for me , I've never seen or heard of a bulova watch that looks like this wow love the review jory crazy watch... hey we learn every day 🤙⌚🖖✌
That sweep is insane! And from the 60s?!? Why are we paying 5 k for grand Seiko spring drives when they could just do something like this way less.
Such a cool ass watch , looks like a robot's face staring at me trying to find my soul
Cool watch, cool episode 👏🏼👏🏼👍🏴
You can get accutrons w tuning forks that aren't spaceviews a lot cheaper. I have one. I think they were made until 77, 218 model
My watch guy says if you accidently drop it, its broken so I only wear it once in a while.
Actually that watch was made by Bulova, but was advertised and sold as an Accutron. Later models were sold as Bulova Accutrons, and they had crowns, but the first were just Accutron. I had both, and they both died hard.
I have one, my dad gifted it to me years ago and I'm trying to figure out where to get it serviced.
The entire bulova precisionist line is based on same concept right ? Coz accutron is hard to get now .. m planning to buy precisionist plz guide me
Fantastic video and great technology! Proto spring drive isn't a bad description!
That raw metal segway 😂😂well done
Got one not spaceview but a cushion case dress hideously 70s and I love it
Got the same model just mine has the brass parts. Only problem is the battery life and battery price 😬
Same - the gold colored internal accents look fantastic 👌
3:39, actually, I thought you spilt ink on your shirt at one time. And as a guy, if the shirt doesn't have holes in it, just ignored it. 🤣
It's a bizzare watch, always loved them....not attractive by any stretch of the imagination, however, one of those you just can't stop looking at....remarkable....🏴⌚🏴⌚
I mean, I beg to differ, to a tech nerd this is distractingly attractive because it has no shame showing how it works
"Fashion sweetie...look it up" +1
If your Accutron is an N2, it’s from 1972 (or at least the caseback is)
You should also do a review of the first electric watch Hamilton Electric 500, 500A, and 505
This might just be me, but the color grading seems different from your normal videos... a little more blue? Maybe it's a temperature difference... Anyhow, these are neat watches!
Hi time teller, My name is Jose I have my grandfather wich is that same type and looking for some place they can restore it
To get off subject .what do you think of Yashahime?
I like to have old things original. But I guess you can polish all the metal parts and screws in there.
Another Parts Bin Fakeview. The dial was removed from that mid '60s model. A later (N2 = 1972) case back was installed. An after market repop crystal (that lacks the correct lume... or any lume at all!) and hand set was added to make another fake "Spaceview." To quote you... "it's in not right condition."
You're not wrong (totally correct on the years/parts), but a conversion can have the heart/guts of what counts at significantly less money. It's still a 214 after all. They shouldn't be represented as original spaceviews, but even that has some irony IMO, as the first spaceviews were literally conversions (with bulova crystals and hands). I bought one like this knowing it, at an appropriate 'not original' price, and I love it. Buyer beware.
Good job keeping them honest Robert!
I have both the Spaceview and the Astronaut and i dare say the Astronaut is waaaaay cooler (it has a gmt :P + space history). Regardless, i do believe the Spaceview is a must have for any collector. Got mine 12 years ago, and i still include it the weekly rotation ever since ^_^
Does the N0 or N1 or N2 come with an orange hand or not?
I have five of those they are awesome.
Not the same class as this, but have you got a Casio tough solar in your collection? I've seen your videos on the G shock, but I find the tough solar to be an easier daily watch
Any suggestions for a repair shop on one of these?
One you see the missing crown you cannot unsee that it's missing.
Where can I buy one like this one
Why is there not more quartz watches with these kind of movements?
I love my Accutrons but I don’t wear them. The humming gets annoying the longer you wear it and I just don’t know how much wear it has running constantly for decades…will it ever be possible to get replacement parts for the delicate fingers, the tiny gears….
How do I find a trustworthy place to fix mine?
You forgot to mention:
- the vast majority of "space view" models are just "fakes", conversions from regular models via removing dial, replacing hands and swapping cristals.
- the modern batteries with 1.5v drive the tunning fork faster, i.e your watch sensibly gains time.
- the batteries only last 1 year, which makes owning one quite annoying.
- if the watch is not properly maintained... you can destroy completely the watch just by setting the time in reverse direction, which btw everybody does since the direction of the crown rotation does not necessarily match the direction of the hands (Ripping off the teeth of the indexer wheel if the cannon pinion is gummed with old oils, no spares available btw).
- the green plastic is by now mostly deteriorated by its age.
- the watch is very very very sensible to being exposed to water/moist ingress by the multitude of gaskets and the placement of the crown on the back lid.
In essence: an unwearable money pit. Better avoiding it unless you want to have one in a drawer.
Great episode again. Thank you for including important past pieces
I’d like to buy one.
¡& how! I say, Jory: your taste in watches mirrors my own. You are, therefore, NOT an asshole but a discerning gentleman of refined taste & comportment. That Spaceview? One of the few examples with a movement that's not spring driven & wholly mechanical, nevertheless distinguished on it's own merit as an important timepiece. The original Hamilton Ventura comes to mind as well. Methinks I'll have an Accutron Spaceview to call my own. & soon! I've been a subscriber for some time (right? Get it? TIME!) & the time was well nigh to've commented. Stay down in the watch game, my good man...
-M
i love this watch 😍
a watch I am still looking to find/buy
These guys must be shaving their arms😲
Is it easy to regulate?
Thought that was a kettlebell at the start, not a coffee.
Only rub against the 214s, they love to eat through batteries. I change the battery in my 214 yearly.
With how cool it still is, I wager that's a fair trade