Description: 1945 Aviator |
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Model Name |
Aviator |
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Case Date |
1945 |
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Case Serial |
6161862 |
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Signature Locations |
Inside case, outside case, movement, dial |
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Case Signature Format |
Inside - "Bulova, New York" Outside - "Bulova" |
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Movement |
10BC, 15 Jewels, Unadjusted |
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Movement Date Code |
1945 |
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Case Material Description |
14K Rolled Gold Plate Bezel (rose) Stainless Back |
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Case Dimensions |
38mm lug to lug x 25.5mm without crown (28.3mm without lugs) |
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Case Type |
Snap back, tonneau with raised bezel |
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Crystal Specifications |
22.3mm x 20.3mm, tonneau (G-S CMT293) |
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Other Details |
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NOTES: I used to have this watch labeled the Alderman based on the ad below, which mentions--but does not show--the Alderman as part of an ad for the similar Stamford. The two cases do look almost identical in shape, but their dimensions differ slightly, and the Alderman is rose gold, while the Stamford is yellow gold. After further consideration and the discovery of a new advertisement for the Aviator B, I have changed this identification to the Aviator. I am not using the "B" variant designation, because price lists tell us there were a number of variants, and the one ad for the "B" does not describe the color. Thus, I cannot confirm a match with the "B" variant. The Aviator appears identical to the Stamford and the Alderman, but the ads indicate they have different jewel counts: the Stamford and Alderman have 17 jewels, while the Aviator has 15 jewels. Thus, I have renamed this watch the Aviator.
I did a review of the ads that we have to-date for all three of these models--the Stamford, Alderman, and Aviator--as well as the available crystal data for all three models. The following is the result of that research, followed by conclusions about what it all means.
Vintage Advertisements
- 1942 - Stamford (with Alderman discussed but not shown) - 17 jewels; Stamford yellow gold, Alderman red gold
- 1943 - Stamford - 17 jewels, no color description
- 1944 - Stamford - 17 jewels, no color description
- 1946 - Aviator - 15 jewels, no color description
- 1948 - Aviator - 15 jewels, no color description (note that this ad shows a different Aviator model that does not look like the models discussed here, but the jewel count is worth noting)
- 1948 - Aviator "B" - 15 jewels, no color description
Crystal Data
- Stamford
- possible listing in G-S 1943, but called "Stanford" instead of "Stamford"; listed as taking MT293--same as Aviator (22.1mm x 20.6mm)
- Alderman
- listed in G-S 1943 as taking MT298 (22.3mm x 20.3mm)
- listed in G-S 1960 as taking MT298 (22.3mm x 20.3mm)
- Aviator
- listed in G-S 1943 as taking MT293 (same as "Stanford" in first bullet above; 22.1mm x 20.6mm)
- listed in BB 1950 as taking CMT2247/203 (22.47mm x 20.3mm)
- listed in Rocket #9 as taking RMU103-15 (22.4mm x 20.3mm)
- listed in WatchCraft 1957 as taking P11MC224 (22.4mm x 20.3mm)
- listed in SUC 1960 as taking RUM103-15 (22.4mm x 20.3mm)
So what do the advertisements and crystal data tell us about these watches? In terms of color, we know the Stamford was offered in yellow gold, and the Alderman was red gold. We do not know what color(s) the Aviator was offered in, because the ads currently avaiable are in black and white and do not provide a color description. So, we cannot distinguish the Aviator from the Alderman or the Stamford based on color.
In regard to crystal size, we know that there's a difference in size between the Stamford and the Alderman, and we know that there was an Aviator variant that matched the size of the Stamford, as well as one that matched the size of the Aviator (and there's at least one more entirely different Aviator, but we're not focusing on that one here). So, while we can distinguish the Stamford and the Alderman from each other based on crystal size, we cannot use that factor to distinguish either of those models from the Aviator.
That brings us to the jewel count. We know that the Stamford and the Alderman had 17-jewel movements, while the Aviator came with a 15-jewel movement. The jewel count is the only way that we can, at this point, separate the Aviator from the Stamford and Alderman.
1945 Aviator
