Bulova Sea King - No-Date Whale Dial - Faceted Bezel - 1971

In a Bulova advertisement from May 1959, a man stood at the wheel of a boat with a pipe between his teeth. At his cuff was the new Sea King, introduced as the thinnest waterproof watch Bulova had yet offered at its price. The case was slim and the dial formal; the seals were hidden beneath them.

Made in 1971, the Sea King here carries that earlier water-resistant mark in the small black whale above six. Most surviving whale dials from 1970 and 1971 carry a date or day-date window. The uninterrupted no-date layout appears far less often, and the only other Bulova I found with this faceted bezel wears a different dial.

The dial is warm ivory and even in color, held inside a fine black minute track. Applied gold batons stand at every hour, each opened down the middle by a narrow black channel, and the gold hands repeat the same line through their centers. A slender gold seconds hand passes above them. Bulova is printed below twelve, the whale and Automatic sit above six, and Swiss is set at the foot. With no date window, the minute track runs around the dial without interruption. Two rows of small pyramids circle the bezel. One plane catches the light while the next falls dark, so the edge changes as the watch turns. The broad lugs flow directly from the case and bend toward the wrist, giving the watch a more sculpted shape than the round dial first suggests.

Inside is Bulova caliber 11ANAC, a gilt seventeen-jewel automatic. The broad rotor is stamped Bulova Watch Co., with the caliber inside its box and Swiss and Unadjusted below. The N1 code beside the balance is Bulova’s date stamp for 1971. Gold covers the rotor and plates, broken by the steel wheels, screws, and ruby jewels beneath it.

The gold finish is strongest across the faceted bezel and the front of the case. Along both flanks and over the lugs, the plating has lifted and worn through in broad patches to the base metal; the hard edges of that loss are fully visible in the photographs. The back is stamped Bulova, H603211, Heavy 10KT R.G.P. Back, and Heavy Gold Electroplate Bezel. The domed acrylic crystal shows surface scratches but remains clear over the dial.

It comes on a brown Bulova snake-grain strap with a gold-tone buckle signed Bulova. I cannot say whether the strap is original to the watch. The watch runs, and its service history is unknown.

Terms: Please review all photos carefully as they are a part of the listing. This is a vintage timepiece. Accuracy, power reserve, and water resistance are not guaranteed. Vintage watches may require periodic service. Performance can vary with wear, temperature, and position.

All sales final.