Westfield by Bulova
Information regarding the Westfield line of watches is rather scarce. We do know that Westfield Watch Company, Inc. is listed as a Bulova subsidiary at least as early as 1931 per the published annual report for that year. We also know that Bulova trademarked the Westfield name in 1927 and reported first use of the name in 1917 (excerpt below from the Bulova section of the horological trademark listings; copyrighted material).
Based on that information, it is reasonable to conclude that Westfield watches that we see from the 1920s and beyond were Bulova-made. Why Bulova sold watches under the Westfield name can only be speculated, but the most plausible explanation is that the Westfields provided a lower cost option. While the Westfields are fine, attractive watches, the movements typically had lower jewel counts than mainstream Bulovas. The cases and straps may also not have been of the same quality as other Bulova models. It does seem that the vintage Westfield watches seen today have not held up quite as well as comparably aged models from the Bulova line, as they are usually seen with noticeably more case wear. Also, the Westfield cases tend to not specify a gold content, as do the mainstream Bulovas. For example, the two Westfield cases shown below simply state "Rolled Gold", rather than "10k Rolled Gold", as would commonly be seen on a Bulova branded model from the same time period. All such modifications would have allowed Bulova to sell a quality watch with a Swiss movement at a lower price point.
Westfields typically bear the Westfield Watch Co. signature on the dial, movement, and case. There are, however, some observed exceptions to that rule. Namely, quite a few early Westfields have been seen in cases produced by the Providence Watch Case Co. Use of cases made by Providence is not surprising, as during this same time Bulova used American Standard marked cases for their mainstream collection, with the Bulova signature mixing in and then taking over altogether by the end of the 1920s. The name "Providence" was trademarked by the J. Bulova Co, Inc. (predecessor to the Bulova Watch Company, Inc.) in 1920. That use of the name may or may not be related to the Providence Watch Case Co. Interestingly, the Horological Trademark Index contains no separate listings for Providence Watch Case Co. Examples of Westfield and Providence case signatures, both housing Westfield movements and dials, are shown below.
Also, some Westfields bear the model name on the dial, rather than the company name, as seen in the Westfield Trojan shown below.
Westfields have been seen bearing the same date symbol on the movement as those seen on mainstream Bulova watches (see Bulova Date Codes for more information). Below are examples of a marked movement from 1930 (left) and a movement from 1952 (right). Like the regular Bulovas, the Westfield movements were Swiss made, but it appears that the same movements were not used in both Westfields and regular Bulovas, as no Westfield movement I've seen to-date has also been seen in a mainstream Bulova, nor are the Westfield movements reported on any of the various online movement lists under Bulova.
Westfield watches were produced at least through the 1950s. The Caravelle line was introduced in the early 1960s, so that event may signify the end of the Westfield era. The Bulova trademark of the Westfield name is reported as cancelled in 1989.
I recently came across a few Westfield advertisements that I thought might be of interest. The ad from 1952 announcing new models for 1953--which is a large-scale, multiple page brochure provided by Bulova to retailers, kindly contributed by Bruce Shawkey--is particularly interesting in that it shows the similarity in styling between the Westfield and Bulova lines. The two lines also shared many of the same watch names. I don't currently own any Westfields, but I do often see Westies that I think are quite desireable. Maybe I'll starting picking up one or two and posting them here for your consideration.
If you have a Westfield advertisement and/or watch image that you would like to share, please email them to me, along with how you would like to be credited for the contribution. I would love to display some of these beautiful watches for all to see and enjoy.
1920
Ad courtesy of Bob Butler
1928
1929
1930
Ad courtesy of Bob Butler
1931
Ad courtesy of Bob Butler
1937
1939
Ad courtesy of Bob Butler
1939 - Sears
1940
Ad courtesy of Bob Butler
1940
Ad courtesy of Bob Butler
1941
Ad courtesy of Bob Butler
1947
1951
Ad courtesy of Bob Butler
1952
The following images were all taken from a single, large-scale, multiple page brochure published by Bulova and provided to retailers for use in their marketing campaigns. The brochure is dated 1952 and announces 21 new models for 1953. The ad is broken up below for easier viewing of the individual watches. Duplicate images have been omitted. The ad was provided courtesy of Bruce Shawkey.
