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Help with Bulova crown ID, please

3K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  YuriyV 
#1 ·
Well, it's finally here, the crown I ordered from the unresponsive eBayer (wouldn't confirm if crown was signed "Bulova") and about which I started the thread "Death to eBay GSP" a while back.

Is this crown a Bulova crown, or just a crown with a "B" cast into it? I seem to recall some other mention made recently about this, but can't see the thread. I asked bobbee about it, too, and he sent me a picture of his Bulova Bruce with a Bulova signed crown on it (shown here, hope that's ok, B). But his crown profile (flat top, straight sided, a #142, I think) and mine (stepped, #139) are different. I'm showing the Bulova catalog page, too, but this only shows the side-on view.

So a definitive answer please: are Bulova crowns either: 1. signed with the full name or no name - or 2. are there those with just the "B," like this one? Many thanks, all.

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#2 ·
Been discussing this with a good friend of mine and as far as we can tell, not all Bulova crowns were signed but we've never seen one with just a B, I'm wondering, Benrus?

Matt
 
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#4 · (Edited)
Yea I've checked my bulovas also. Either plain crown or bulova spelled out. One's I have shopped for have had either also. Can't be sure if I've never seen just a B but can't remember ever seeing one. I was trying to figure out what this one went to that is on my Eterna.

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#9 ·
Hi

Okay, so the crown on your Eterna is almost certainly a Benrus. Crowns come in all sorts of profiles, sizes and shapes. That mine is a flat top and yours is domed doesn't mean they're not both Benrus. They both have the same raised "B," so I'm pretty sure they're both Benrus, just different profiles.

Your Eterna should have a domed steel (also called white in the watch world) crown with 5 raised dots on it, similar to the logo on the dial. On your model it would be around 5 mm or so in diameter. They're often available on eBay.

Big Ben's watch is not a Bulova crown, I believe. I think he's just popped on a divers style crown and it happened to be… a Benrus crown. I'm enclosing a picture from dealer Style in Time showing a 666 that he's now sold; I have a lot more faith in the overall accuracy of SiT than I do Big Ben, so I'd say that he's right and Ben is wrong, myself, as is the Sarasota dude.

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So here is a crown on a Benrus. Looks more like the one on my Eterna. Doesn't look flat like the one you have.

Then I found this 1967 Bulova with a single B crown. Although it still doesn't look the style of your crown.

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#8 ·
OK, I just got word back from a friend who's big in the watch parts after market who said that a crown marked with a "B" was "probably" for Benrus, as we all have speculated. He also said that some after market crowns made by jobbers could be ordered with various markings on the outside of the crown.

As far a being original, he sent me some old pictures of marked watch crowns (true originals). You be the judge.

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He did say that Bulova did have a crown with only a "B" on it but it was during the "latter" years of Bulova, prior to the sale of the company, but he believes that these were "outsourced" because they would come and have to be re-tapped prior to installation and were of very low quality?
 
#10 · (Edited)
I was typing this as you were posting. Lol Ok then, looks like we have Benrus crowns. Lol

The Bulova and Accutron crowns shown above look to be original with what I have and seen. I'm still curious as to the crown showing on that Bulova 666 I posted. It seems to be rounded on top. The Benrus seems to be distinct with the circled B and rounded also. The OP's crown looks to be flat and the B is a bold letter type.

And thanks for the info on my crown. I have seen some eternas but not sure of the size or threads. I don't have my measuring tools available. I will have to change it out as the Benrus crown has a bent thread shaft.
 
#11 ·
Cheers, simpletreasures. My gut is that Bulova says Bulova and B = Benrus. I'm not completely convinced that "B" crowns are Bulova, myself, it's completely out of step with their corporate style.


UPDATE… the eBay seller has refunded my US$30 (hey, you can see why I'm asking, it's a lotta loot for a 2 buck crown…) and so it will go back into the swamp for another unsuspecting person to be and then write to this forum and ask the same question. He rarely shows the actual item, only the packaging and - as previous - would not answer my emails, which makes me think more and more that he thinks he's being clever with this. Most of his "genuine" Bulova crowns are unsigned (ie Bestfit substitutes) or "signed B." You are hereby warned - these are premium prices for generic or misdescribed goods. It's made more irritating for me, of course, because this has taken 3 tedious weeks to solve.

THANKS to all!
 
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