Bulova Date Codes

 

Pre-1950 Movements

From 1924 through 1949, the year of the movement can be determined from the symbol stamped on the movement.  Those symbols, and the year(s) to which they correspond, are shown below.  The decade must be determined by the style of the case, dial, and hands.  For example, a 1930s style watch with an arrow symbol on the movement dates the movement to 1937.  Movements dating prior to approx. 1933 have a serial number on the movement.  Thus, the presence or absence of a movement serial number, in conjunction with the date symbol on the movement, also helps narrow down the date.   Occassionally, a movement will not have a date code, and movement codes are not seen prior to 1924.  In such cases, other factors and information must be used to determine the date.  For more information, see Dating a Bulova.

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  A9 is also a valid symbol for 1949 and has been seen numerous times on both movements and the back of cases.  A8 is also a valid symbol for 1948 and has been seen on watch movements.

 

Pre-1950 Cases

From 1926 through 1949 (in most cases), the year of the case can be determined from the first digit of the case serial number.  The decade must be determined by the style of the case, dial, and hands.  For example, a 1930s style case, etc., with a serial number that begins with "1" dates to 1931.  Prior to 1926, the use of case serial numbers was inconsistent, with many early model serial numbers beginning with "1" or "2" regardless of the date of manufacture.  Dating Bulova watches that appear to pre-date 1926 is far more complicated and uncertain.

 

1950 - 2009 Cases and Movements

Starting in 1950 (with a few examples even earlier), the case and movement have a two-digit code that identifies both the decade and year within that decade according to the table below.

 

EXAMPLE:  L2 = 1952

 

L

M

N

P

T

A

0

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

1

1951

1961

1971

1981

1991

2001

2

1952

1962

1972

1982

1992

2002

3

1953

1963

1973

1983

1993

2003

4

1954

1964

1974

1984

1994

2004

5

1955

1965

1975

1985

1995

2005

6

1956

1966

1976

1986

1996

2006

7

1957

1967

1977

1987

1997

2007

8

1958

1968

1978

1988

1998

2008

9

1959

1969

1979

1989

1999

2009