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A TIMEKEEPING TRADITION

Since 1875, when 23-year-old Joseph Bulova opened a small jewelry store in New York City, the name Bulova has symbolized a unique blend of old-world craftsmanship and new-world innovation.

Determined to explore every emerging possibility in the world of timekeeping, Joseph Bulova forged an enduring legacy of creativity and excellence, becoming an industry leader by constant experimentation with new products, untried technologies and imaginative marketing techniques.

In 1911, the company began manufacturing boudoir and desk clocks, along with fine pocket watches that sold in unprecedented numbers. Wristwatches had been viewed as luxury items, available only to the elite. As the greater convenience of this unusual product became apparent, Joseph Bulova decided to develop and manufacture the finest quality wristwatches, selling them at a reasonable price to the largest number of people through qualified retailers. By the mid-1920s, Bulova had transformed the industry by introducing the first full lines of men’s and ladies’ wristwatches, in the process solidifying an international reputation for accuracy and innovation.

Among the company’s most devoted fans – Charles A. Lindbergh, who was awarded a Bulova wristwatch after his historic 1927 trans-Atlantic solo flight and appeared in Bulova advertising during the late ’20s.

Bulova has even been to the moon – courtesy of its breakthrough Accutron timer mechanism, an integral feature of NASA technology from the late ’50s through the first moon walk in 1969 and the 1973 launch of Skylab.

Forging new paths in media history as well, Bulova heralded a marketing revolution with America’s first national radio spot commercials – reminding listeners from 1926 on, that: “At the tone it’s 8 PM, B-U-L-O-V-A, Bulova watch time” – a feat topped just fifteen years later with the world’s first television commercial, aired during a major league baseball game on July 1, 1941.

Today, Bulova’s print advertising reaches over 50 million consumers. Advertising is also broadcast on television and radio, and appears on billboards, railway station posters and shopping mall light boxes.

Joseph Bulova, speaking at the 1930 sales meeting, explained the principles that had made his company a worldwide success: “When I started, I made up my mind that quality would be the foundation upon which I would build. I can only say that I have always tried with my whole heart and soul to make everything I made as perfect as honest human effort could possibly make it…this same principle upon which I founded the business is still the foundation upon which we build.”

With an unwavering dedication to excellence, Bulova continues in the 21st century with the same imagination and energy that defined its pioneering spirit in the 19th and 20th – each Bulova timepiece is still precision-engineered and crafted with the finest materials to deliver years of dependable service. Quality remains the foundation upon which the Bulova Corporation is built.