Very Rare Accutron

This is one of the rarest of the Bulova Accutrons, a wristwatch that was a horological revolution, using a tuning fork to regulate the timekeeping, resulting in accuracy and precision never before found in even the most expensive chronometer-certified wristwatches. Some claim it is the very rarest, with the exception of 3 or 4 of the solid gold models and, or course, the platinum model. It is a fully functioning 196o 214, in the Assymetric stainless steel case with 14K gold inlays (chevron shaped inlays at upper right and lower left, the lighting in the photo does not display them very well). In 1960, the first year of Accutron production, there were only about 4 months of production, with the first Accutrons sold in October. Most Accutrons made that first year were solid gold. There was one other stainless steel model, with a 14K bezel, which, while rare, is more common than the inlaid model.

The tuning fork Accutron became extinct after Seiko released the first Quartz watch, which was just as accurate and precise (actually more so than the Accutron, but in increments too small to matter in a wristwatch, only about 15 seconds per month), and much cheaper to manufacture. Bulova made the last tuning fork Accutrons in 1977. At that time they also stopped making parts.

The short (17 year) manufacturing period, combined with several years of high prices for gold (many Accutrons were either solid gold or gold filled, they didn't use the less expensive gold electroplating in the first years, and many were melted down for their gold), together with the difficulty of finding repair parts (which caused many Accutrons to be discarded) has resulted in a dearth of all models of a revolutionary wristwatch. In general, the 214s are the rarest, the earlier the rarer, with any 1960 model being rarer than the same watch from any other year. And any functioning tuning fork Accutron is highly collectible and valuable.

See the Bulova entry in Wikipedia for more information about the Accutron.