Bulova Academy Award Series Watches
In 1949/50, Bulova entered into a contract, believed to be four years in duration, with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Hollywood, California, for the right to use, in connection with the sale of watches, the words "Academy Award" and "Oscar", along with the copyrighted image commonly known as the "Oscar". Thereafter, Bulova produced an extensive line of very successful watches known under the name "Academy Award". The watches were produced in a variety of styles, with each model bearing a unique variant designation, such as Academy Award "B", "Z", "WW", etc. There are believed to be at least 40 models in the Academy Award line, which began in 1950.
It has been commonly believed that the popular Academy Award line of watches was discontinued in 1952 as the result of either a lawsuit between Bulova and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or action taken by the Federal Trade Commission at the request of the Academy. One story posits that the Academy successfully sued Bulova for overstepping its bounds in its advertisements by implying a link between the watches and the actual award presented by the Academy, thereby diminishing the value of the award. The story continues that, as a result of that lawsuit, the contract allowing Bulova to use the trademarked names was cancelled in 1952. The similar story involving the FTC alleges that the FTC cancelled the contract between the Academy and Bulova in 1952 for the same reasons. However, the truth is quite different from those stories, and we now know through multiple vintage advertisements that Academy Award watches continued to be sold under that name through 1954 and beyond.
The lawsuit routinely cited in support of the theory that the contract between the Academy and Bulova was terminated in 1952 actually involved an entirely different entity, unrelated to the real Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 1946 that company changed its name from Champion Play Corporation to Academy Award Products Inc. and then filed 17 trademark applications for the words “Academy Award” used in conjunction with a wide variety of products, including watches and clocks, which the company did not even sell. Subsequently, in 1950, the company sued Bulova for trademark infringement based on its use of those words. After filing the lawsuit, the company’s trademarks of “Academy Award” were cancelled by the Patent Office on the basis that they were falsely obtained “with the purpose of harassing others who were then making or might thereafter make legitimate use of those words in business." Thereafter, the company’s complaint against Bulova was dismissed with prejudice, leaving Bulova’s counterclaim for damages to be decided. In 1955 Bulova won its damages claim. That decision was later affirmed on appeal.
In the midst of that pending lawsuit, but unrelated to it, Bulova and the actual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences entered into a 1952 Federal Trade Commission stipulation concerning the manner in which Bulova would, henceforth, be permitted to advertise its “Academy Award” watches. That stipulation, rather than the unrelated lawsuit, may be the leading source of the popular rumor that Bulova could not use the Academy Award name after 1952. However, in point of fact, the FTC stipulation did not prevent Bulova from using the words “Academy Award” or “Oscar” or from selling watches under those names. Rather, the stipulation required Bulova to disclose in advertisements that its use of the trademarked words was based on a licensing agreement rather than “representative of meritorious award made on the basis of comparative tests with other watches.”
Recently discovered vintage advertisements from a number of different sources (shown below) have made it crystal clear that Academy Award watches continued to be sold under that name, not only through the orginal contract period ending in 1954, but well beyond, as retailers cleared out old inventory. Below are three listings for remaindered Academy Award models being sold on clearance as late as 1960.
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1956 Advertisement |
1958 Advertisement |
1960 Advertisement |
The exact date when Bulova stopped manufacturing the Academy Award models--as opposed to retailers selling existing stock--remains unknown.
AA Characteristics
While crystal catalogs tell us the many different variants of the "Academy Award" series, to date only a relatively small number of those models have been identified through vintage advertisements. Thus, there is still much to learn about these watches. The following information represents the characteristics of the known AAs, which have been confirmed via vintage advertisements up to this point in time. As new ads are discovered, this list will change, if necessary, to include any new characterstics of these models revealed in those advertisements.
- The following movements have been found in AAs: 7AA, 7AK, 10BM, 6BC
- All AAs have 21 jewel movements
- All men's AAs have all gold cases, 10k Gold Filled, with no stainless backs
- Ladies' AAs have been seen with stainless backs
- AAs have been seen in advertisements ranging in date from 1950 to 1953
- Some of the AAs have movements that date to 1949, with cases dating to 1950
- Confirmed men's AAs have either a curtain, a two-tone "X" dial (also known as a "shadow dial"), a Butler finish (light silver) dial, or a "checkered" dial
- Ladies' models may have a curtain, shadow, or plain dial
- At least some of the AAs were produced in both white and yellow gold (though the color change may indicate a different variant designation)
I am pleased to feature below images of mint Academy Award models owned by friend and fellow collector Shawn Bourget (eBay seller Bourg01). Each watch is shown beside the corresponding vintage advertisement(s).
Vintage Advertisements and Images of Academy Award Models
Academy Award "W" |
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Academy Award "B" and "W'
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Academy Award "W", "Y", "B", "D" |
Academy Award "W"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "T" |
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Academy Award "Z", "T", and "B" |
Academy Award "T" in yellow goldImage Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "T" |
Academy Award "T" in yellow goldImage Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "T" in white goldImage Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01)
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Academy Award "X" |
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Academy Award "X" |
Academy Award "X"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "X"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01)
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Academy Award "Q" |
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Academy Award "Q" |
Academy Award "Q"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "Q" |
Academy Award "Q"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "Q" in white goldImage Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "Q" in white goldImage Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01)
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Academy Award "R" |
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Academy Award "R"
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Academy Award "R"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "R"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01)
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Academy Award "ZZ" |
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Academy Award "ZZ"
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Academy Award "ZZ"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "ZZ"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "S" |
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Academy Award "S" |
Academy Award "S"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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 Academy Award "S"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
 Academy Award "S"
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Academy Award "P" |
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Academy Award "P" |
Academy Award "P"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "P"
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Academy Award "P"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
Academy Award "Z" |
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Academy Award "Z" and "B" |
Academy Award "Z"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "Z", shown in the famous Academy Award box
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Academy Award "Z"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
Academy Award "C" |
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Academy Award "C"
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Academy Award "Y" |
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Academy Award "Y"
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Academy Award "O" |
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Academy Award "O"
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Academy Award (Unknown Variant) |
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Academy Award - Unknown Variant
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Academy Award "A" |
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Academy Award "A"
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Academy Award "B" |
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Academy Award "B"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "B" |
Academy Award "B"Image Courtesy of Shawn Bourget(eBay seller Bourg01) |
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Academy Award "B"
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Academy Award "D" |
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Academy Award "D"
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Academy Award "H" |
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Academy Award "H"
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Academy Award "J" |
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Academy Award "J"
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Academy Award "K" |
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Academy Award "K"
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Academy Award "L" |
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Academy Award "L"
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Academy Award "M" |
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Academy Award "M"
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Academy Award "BB" |
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Academy Award "BB"
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Academy Award "DD" |
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 Academy Award "DD"
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Academy Award "FF" |
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Academy Award "FF"
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Academy Award "MM" |
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Academy Award "MM"
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Academy Award "NN" and "OO" |
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Academy Award "OO" and "NN"
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Academy Award "OO" and "NN"
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Academy Awards - Unnamed Variants |
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant |
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant
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Academy Award - Unnamed Variant |
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