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Bulova Military-Themed Watches of the 1940s

Not to be confused with actual military-issue models, which were commissioned by the United States Government, Bulova's military-themed models were commercial watches that made good use of the popularity of things military, particularly surrounding times of war. The military-themed models were produced for both men and women and included medical motifs as well as names for military personnel, such as Air Warden and General. While Bulova made watches with military-derived names throughout its history, this article will focus on the highly-prized models surrounding World War II.

World War II era para-military watch models not only have service-oriented names--a practice that Bulova had long followed--but also often had characteristics typical of true military-issue models, such as a center-sweep seconds hand vs the usual subseconds dial; and, quite often luminous numbers and hands rather than the typical gilt or black. Some of the models also came on leather straps rather than the gold filled or plated bracelets popular at the time. The advertising pertaining to these watches also quite clearly announced them as "military" or "service" models, though we know them to not be actual military-issue watches.

The limited number of these models, the short timeframe for production, and their unusual characteristics make these some of the most sought-after models by collectors. The ads shown below do not likely exhibit all the military-themed models that Bulova produced. Crystal catalogs reveal other names not represented below--such as Flight Nurse A, Flight Nurse B, Air Nurse, Aviator, Red Cross A, Red Cross B, Trained Nurse, etc. It is possible that those, and other, models were also produced during World War II as part of this collection. So, if you have a watch that fits the time period and the description of a Bulova military-themed model, don't assume it isn't one just because it is not shown in one of the ads below. We don't yet have all the advertisements.