Watchmaking enthusiasts can rejoice: for the sixtieth anniversary of the birth, the Bulova Accutron Spaceview returns in a limited edition of only 300 numbered pieces destined, at least in intentions, to innovate the world of watchmaking as much as the legendary tuning fork, which has become an icon and symbol of the historic American group (now owned by Japanese), belonged to. It took Citizen's engineers ten years of research, as well as a huge financial investment, to develop a proprietary technology that exploits the principles of electrostatic energy. But how does the Bulova Accutron Spaceview 2020 work? Let's find out together.
- Accutron Spaceview 2020 watch: how it works
- Accutron, a cult object
- Bulova Accutron watch: history
- The present: Accutron Spaceview 2020 limited edition
Accutron Spaceview 2020 watch: how it works
The basis of the operation of the new Spaceview 2020 is the Accutron patented electrostatic technology. Let's explain: the accumulation of energy generated by the movements of the human body is transformed by two twin turbines and stored in an accumulator that powers two motors. One of these is the world's first electrostatic motor that powers the second hand, the other is in charge of moving the hour and minute hands.
Well, thanks to this innovative technology, the margin of error of the Accutron Spaceview 2020 was rated in 5 seconds per month.
Accutron, a cult object
The Accutron Spaceview 2020 has all the features to be snapped up by collectors of exclusive watches: the legendary name, the refined technology, the limited edition and the luxury packaging, which also includes a beautiful illustrated book on the history of the Bulova Accutron, “From the space age to the digital age”.
The price of the Accutron Spaceview 2020 is 3600 euros. Much. But not very much, considering that in the blink of an eye the only 300 copies worldwide will make the prices skyrocket among collectors. Even today, any model of Bulova Accutron vintage which counts over fifty years of age is highly sought after on online auctions.
Accutron: the brand becomes autonomous
And for the commercial operation around the Accutron Spaceview 2020 in limited edition to be even more incisive, the Citizen Group - owner of Bulova since 2008 - has decided to make the Accutron brand autonomous. Here in this way the whole personality of a model that returns to the market to play a leading role.
Bulova Accutron watch: history
It is now worthwhile to do a brief retrospective, to discover together when and how the myth of Accutron was born.
In 'October 1960, ten years before the quartz revolution initiated by Seiko Astron in the XNUMXs, Bulova amazed the world launching the Accutron on the market, the first electronic watch: its movement was based on the oscillations of a tuning fork, and its accuracy soon became legendary.
At school we were taught, and perhaps a lesson was never more important, that the etymology says a lot of a word: well, the Bulova that in the autumn of 1960 left the world speechless was called Accutron for a happy stunt. Linguists, their goodness, call Macedonian words those formed by the union of the initial segment of one with the final segment of another: in this case Accu-tron sta per accuracy trough electronics.
Thanks to the admirable intuition of Max Hetzel, in fact, for the first time a wristwatch was able to exploit the oscillations of a tuning fork, which through a battery converted its vibrations into circular motion for the benefit of the gears of the instrument.
Bulova Men's Analogue Automatic Watch with ...
- This high quality classic watch gives you a comfortable feeling with its leather strap, it's perfect for every occasion
- High quality 21 cm length, 18 mm wide Black Leather strap with a Buckle
- Case diameter: 41 mm, Case height: 12 mm and Case color: Silver/Dial color: Black
And that, gears. The extreme precision of the Accutron by Bulova was an anthology of technological primates: the index wheel (precisely the one that has the precious task of converting the motion of the tuning fork) is still today the smallest gear ever mounted on a clock. ; and on the two coils that covered the small vibrating magnets, two very thin copper wires, each 8100 meters long, were wound in 80 turns. One came out extremely reliable and precise watch: Right from the start, in its advertising campaigns, Bulova proudly reported the Accutrons as 99,9977% accurate.
Bulova Accutron e costume
The myth of the most precise clock on the market, which when placed close to the ear produces a continuous sound (just like that of the tuning fork), soon created a virtuous circle, for which bizarre buying races were instituted: own an Accutron, produced in hundreds of thousands of pieces both in Switzerland and in the USA, meant belonging to theelite of those who care about precision. Just think that the model was chosen by several railway management companies, which thanks to the very symbol of being on time would thus have guaranteed the absolute punctuality of the trains. Then there was a, indeed the, qualitative leap.
Tuning fork watches for astronauts
This time the intuition was advertising. Bulova made history by creating the Spaceview line, a skeletonized Accutron (i.e. with the mechanics on sight) that it would have been used by NASA astronauts in space missions. In the era of the so-called space race, producing the first on-board watch for missions beyond our atmosphere - a watch, therefore, extremely reliable even in the absence of gravity and with other disturbing factors - meant making sure unrivaled visibility and credibility.
Imagine what happened after July 20, 1969, when Neil Amstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission (also branded Accutron Spaceview, we would say today), wore one of the Bulova jewels on his wrist. The advertisers gloated; and with them, we imagine, also the top management.
The present: Accutron Spaceview 2020 limited edition
And here we are today. The Accutron Spaceview 2020 limited edition seems destined to reinvigorate the myth that was born sixty years ago in the Bulova house. And this thanks to the coexistence of some characteristics that will easily make it a cult object: the fascination of a proprietary technology based on electrostatic energy; a classic charm that is difficult to equal, despite the future of watches will hold us who knows what surprises; consumers' desire to grab a vintage item that has made school; and finally, we add, the view of the internal mechanisms, an explicit declaration of… transparency, which potential buyers like so much.
And speaking of potential buyers, we close with a figure that will tempt our readers, and which testifies to the importance of our country for the Swiss company: of the 300 Accutron Spaceview 2020 limited editions distributed worldwide, 100 are destined for Italy.
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