Arde Bulova was worried that it could potentially threaten the company’s market share. This launch pushed Arde Bulova, then-president of the Bulova Watch Company, to assign Max Hetzel to research the new tech. Nedless to say, everyone looked forward to this an remarkable advancement. For the past 450 years, the watch industry had not seen such an innovation. It all began in March of 1952 when the Elgin Watch Company introduced a prototype of an electric watch. Bulova Accutron Spaceview | Photo from Timeline Watch Research and Development of the Bulova Accutron While the Accutron was launched in the 1960s, its history traces a decade back when Max Hetzel joined the company in Biel, Switzerland as an engineer. This technology isn’t new to the industry as well but was never used for wristwatches. A century back, in 1856, Louis François Clément Breguet (grandson of Abraham-Louis Breguet, inventor of Tourbillon) patented an electric clock controlled by a 100 Hz tuning fork. The Accutron boasts itself as the first-ever electronic watch regulated by a transistor. Nonetheless, Bulova deserves a fair share of recognition with the invention of Accutron. Moreover, the Ventura established its status as an icon when Elvis Presley wore it in Blue Hawaii, a film released in 1961. That would be three years prior to the release of the Accutron. Birth of Electronic Watchesĭespite what many people believe, Bulova isn’t the first company to produce the first electronic watch. Back in 1957, Hamilton introduced the Ventura collection through a press conference in New York. And yes, the company also produced the world’s first television advertisement in 1941. It cemented the company’s reputation and positive publicity among its consumers. The slogan “At the tone, it’s eight o’clock, Bulova Watch Time” became imperative in the company’s growth. Prior to that, the company successfully became the first brand to air a radio advertisement in 1923. For instance, in 1928, the company launched the first-ever clock radio. In no time, Bulova became an innovation giant with a bunch of firsts to mark its rich history. This gave rise to greater improvements in the accuracy of the company’s products. To precisely determine the universal time, Bulova set up an observatory on the roof of a skyscraper at 580 5th Avenue (New York City) in 1927. However, on top of that, Bulova proved that style, precision, and technology can co-exist in one powerful mechanism. The American public greatly recognised the watches for the brand’s superb advertising efforts. Instead, they were made in small batches or made to order.īy 1919, Bulova launched its first complete line of men’s watches. Back then, watches were not mass-produced. This led the company to open its first manufacturing arm in Bienne in 1912 - mainly focusing on mass production of watches. The shop merely sold jewellery but later grew famous for the sterling quality of their products. Joseph Bulova, a 23-year-old Czech immigrant, opened a modest shop on Maiden Lane, Manhattan in New York City. To learn more about the timepiece, let’s run down its rich history and unravel what makes it such a powerful mechanism. The watch boasts a whole lot of firsts, most notably companioning Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 Space Mission. ![]() Engineer Max Hetzel first devised this innovation and his models remained an iconic timepiece up to this day. ![]() After years and years of determined research and development, the Accutron proves, to this day, as one of the smartest timepieces there is.Īccutron, a portmanteau of the words “accuracy” and “electronic”, used a tuning fork to provide greater accuracy in an electronic watch. While everyone else opted for the traditional timekeeping methods and technology, Bulova innovated and created their own style. When the Accutron emerged back in the 1960s, it literally shook the landscape of horology. Let’s get this straight once and for all: Bulova Accutron revolutionised the watch industry for good measure.
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