As a man who appreciates the finer aspects of luxury, I am constantly and consistently asked which designer watch company is my favorite. Whether it’s friends, family, or random acquaintances, it’s the question I get more often than any other. And my answer, each and every time, is exactly the same.
The Bulova wristwatch.
People find my answer ironic, in a way. That’s because when I’m asked about a designer watch, whether it’s a white dial Impresario Concord lady’s watch or a Ballon Bleu Cartier watch, I’m usually able to mention every detail of the watch. But when asked what is my absolute favourite, my true first choice, the watch I would wear if I could only wear one watch for the rest of my existence, my answer is short, sweet and unmistakably delivered. . And when asked why, my explanation is just as quick:
Because they were the first.
Yes, a Bulova wristwatch was the first watch I ever put around my wrist (that wasn’t $5 and had Mickey Mouse on the cover). But that’s not what I mean when I tell people that the Bulova collection of wristwatches is and always will remain my first choice.
Simply put, the Bulova wristwatch was the first with… well, everything.
In 1912, Bulova became the first company to build a watchmaking plant dedicated exclusively to the production of watch components.
In 1919, as pocket watches began to decline in popularity, Bulova became the first to introduce a complete line of jeweled men’s wristwatches.
In 1924, the Bulova line of women’s wristwatches was introduced; the first line of luxury watches designed for women.
Two years later, in 1926, Bulova had the first radio advertisement.
In 1928, Bulova introduced us to the first clock radio. And while it’s not technically a Bulvoa wristwatch, it’s still another example of Bulova leading the charge.
Have you got the point, or should I continue? In 1931, Bulova became the first company to mass-produce electric watches. That same year they became the first luxury watch designers to spend more than $1 million on marketing each year. In 1941, Bulova aired the first American television advertisement during a baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1968 they completed construction of the Bulova Satellite Clock, which was the first public clock to keep the correct time for satellites orbiting in space.
And as if all of that wasn’t enough, the Bulova watch company was actually used as part of NASA’s Apollo 11, which of course was the first human-piloted shuttle to land on the moon. That’s right: Bulova was first on radio, first on TV, and first on the Moon.
And of course, first in my opinion.