When Bulova launched this blatant Royal Oak look-a-like we think Audemars Piguet would have had an heart attack!
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
From the serial number on the movement we can accurately date this watch to being made in 1979.
CONDITION
Gerald Genta designed the AP Royal Oak in 1972, and it was not an immediate success – it took years to sell the first 1,000 watches. But after 50 years it is the Royal Oak that AP is best known for, have the longest waiting lists for, and the cheapest used one on Chrono24 is over eight thousand pounds (quartz, 34mm case and short bracelet. A 35mm steel auto start from £18k used!). So in the late 1970’s Bulova released this, and it was withdrawn quite quickly. We don’t know exactly why, but we would expect lawyers to have been involved. The bracelet is very similar to the AP, The hexagonal bezel almost identical (but fitted with screws not bolts) but even the hex crown and raised pattern dial is very similar to the more expensive watch. With that in mind prices for these Bulova watches have risen as they are more and more collectible. This is the steel version, which is a little more desirable as the gold plating on the bezel of other models can show wear (on the AP it is solid gold of course). The dial is very good, and the case and bracelet only have light marks. Some plating is coming off the crown. The automatic movement is stamped Bulova 1432.10 calibre, but it is actually the widely used ETA 2892. This has quick set date and hacking, and also allows a slim profile. The bracelet is quite long, which is very important with these, and our sister website, SpareLinks.com, may have extra links if required.
This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 37.5 mm
Width without crown 34.8 mm
Lug to lug length 45.3 mm
Case Thickness 8.6 mm
Bracelet will fit a maximum wrist size of 186 mm. The bracelet can be sized for you if you give us your wrist size when placing the order.
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon. By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.