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I bought one of these new in 1965 and it still runs.

My dad used to have one when I was very young. I remember slipping it on my wrist and laying down on the bed with it against my ear. It was the neatest sounding watch.

My grandpa, former Division Chief of Aeronautics for NASA passed away last week after another’s 30 years in the private sector designing supersonic aircraft. As the only grandchild, I had my pick of his possessions, but I asked for only one thing: the watch my grandmother gave to him on their anniversary in 1961... his Bulova Accutron Spaceview watch. It still keeps perfect time, but not Due to the tuning fork. It has a heartbeat, I’d swear to it. Got the watch today, and it really is a special piece. I’ll cherish it and hope to pass it on to another generation one day :-)

Regarding the perceived jankiness of the oscillation, I think the diffeent frame rates might be the issue. First, you're sampling a 360 Hz signal with a 1000 Hz sample rate. This gives you 2.8 samples per cycle, which is just barely above the Nyquist requirement. To make matters worse, you're exporting it as 50 Hz, for playback, most likely, on 60 Hz screens. This also gives time domain distorion since in practice, every 5th frame of the original material is duplicated, to produce the higher frame rate. So in essence, that's no grounds to suspect anything wrong with the watch.

You didn't mention the best part of the engineering of this watch, the small wheel driven by the tuning fork... its only a couple of mm in diameter but it has 360 teeth cut into it, still people not sure how they made them so accurate and reliable 50 years ago... there are two jewels that ride on that wheel, some of these watches have had billions of ratchets on that wheel yet still work fine... need a good microscope to see the teeth on the wheel..

I have taken a couple tuning fork watches apart as a kid, but now I get how it works. There are 2 little feeler legs off of the tuning fork that ratchet around the smallest cog wheel. Every time the fork oscillates outwards it advances the cog a little bit. I appreciate this so much more.

I have an Accutron Spaceview. Thanks for the great video. Cheers

I have an M3 (1963) spaceview. I haven't had it running in a while, but it was working perfectly when I last removed the battery. One of my favorite watches by far.

"You can shut the gate on this one Maxie it's the ducks guts!" Beautiful object of desire I was blissfully ignorant of. Now on my list of things I need in my life. Much appreciate all that you do.

Thanks Dave, I have always enjoyed your channel and now we have something else in common. I'm wearing my N1, 214 Spaceview right now. I'm a second generation owner after my father had one in the late '60s. Cheers!

I remember this being shown on "The Secret Life of Machines" when I was 12 or so... The Bulova Accutron was essentially the prototype for all modern crystal oscillator powered timekeeping devices...

That continuous second hand is the reason I chose my Bulova Precisionist watch! I absolutely love the look of it.

LOVING IT! I like watches that have a story or crazy ideas behind the desing choices and this one takes the cake. :D

really big/many thumbs up.. only have a single one to give.That's really beautiful, the design, these pictures, the imagination of the 1960ties era.And this slomo video on the vibrating tuning forks.. Really great cinema!!

As long as you are not running out of time... Very good video, thanks Dave.

Thanks for showing this. I always wondered about the first electronic watch, but never took the time to learn it's history.

My chemistry teacher back in late 1990s used to wear such a watch. The whole class was fascinated by this thing.

"Hope you enjoyed it..." I DID enjoy it! Ya did your homework! Thanks, so much!

I have a couple of these and the most remarkable things is the micro machining of the two 'hairs' that drive the geartrain. You can seem them in a couple of the illustrations, with some pink rubies on the end. Nowdays we'd describe it as nano technology, but it was a remarkable engineering feat for the time.

Ahh Dave, I'm so thankful to you for providing both the sound and high-speed footage of this watch, they are amazing to witness. Quick question though, do those two metal strips to the left of the face provide any function or are they just there to fill up the space?

That's a beautiful piece of engineering. Thanks for showing it off!

Great review, thank you! The super-slo-mo @14:10 is amazing!

I've got my dad's '69 Accutron Astronaut 214. Love the hum.

Never heard of this so thanks for that! Also fully understand why you didn't take this apart but it was nice to see the pictures on how it was constructed. Electronics can be built to last - this amongst some older equipment proves it!

It was the most accurate watch before it's time ran out... LOL

I am glad to you left the lightning stuff at the end of the video.

Dave, The watch that NASA used to go to the moon in 1969 was the Omega Speedmaster, a completely mechanical watch. The reason the Accutron looks like a sweep second hand is that the tuning fork turns a gear (we call them wheels in watchmaking) that has 360 teeth on it. If you look really closely you'll see it does click along. The watches of the world's best watchmaker (George Daniels) were fully mechanical watches accurate to less than one second a month beating the Bulova. Needless to say they cost a lot! When I was in the US military in the late 60's you could by the Bulova in military stores along with Rolex but most people bought the Rolex which was only accurate to 5 seconds a day. The Bulova guys loved to pick on the Rolex guys! Also, it's pronounced: BULL-uh-vuh Enjoy your great watch, Rob

I just bought one and you made a video about it. You made my day sir!!!

I had one for many years, starting as a teenager. But I knew how to pronounce "BUHlova" (not like "Lenovo"). Glad to see that you finally praise an electronic device that I also liked.

Amazing to see the fork at 1000 fps! Hope to see the watch on your wrist next time.

I can remember the illustration of this watch in the first technical encyclopedia my parents brought me when i was a kid ('75-'80s)!!!

Great video, and a really cool watch - been eyeing these up for months; I really should just get one. Thanks for sharing!

06:58 The crowd goes wild: µRuler... µRuler...

You should consider removing the expansion band as it wears the inside of the lugs.

I literally gasped when you showed the high-speed footage of the tuning fork. Had no idea these existed and were used for space missions, even though I thought I knew quite a lot about those. Thank you for sharing this with us!

Excellent video-- As always. Great production quality. Thanks.

The Space View was actually a demonstrator watch, it was not intended to be a model for sale to the public but rather to show how the watch worked. The demand was so high for the demonstrator, Bulova made them in addition to the solid face version.

lols.. my everydaywearer is a 285 acutron. 1976. pretty nice to see someone enjoying theirs.

When listening to the hum, the high harmonic you hear is the pawl ratcheting the index wheel forward. The index wheel spins over 38 million times per year and has 320 teeth that you can't even see well with magnification. Sometimes when you put a battery in, you'll hear just the fork vibrating, but no spinning of the movement til you tap on the side which gets the index wheel spinning.

falling in love by this watch

That is a beautiful watch. The silver oxide battery has open circuit potential of 1,55V, but the typical median operating voltage is 1.2 to 1.5 V depending on the current.

2021 Jan, I have 3 Accutron wrist watch. one is a RailRoad version. THe differance is the RR the 2nd hand stops, so it can be calibrated to the second.

1:30 "Change from Germanium to NPN" I think you meant from Germanium to Silicon.

I'm late to the party, again, but what a great vid ;-). I joined the GPO in the UK in the mid/late 70s and we were trained in electro-mechanical teleprinter refurbishment (total strip-down and rebuild) and I still look back in amazement at the awesomeness of their functionality. However this watch is something else. Extremely impressive

I have a couple of different Bulova watches and they are well made. I love mine.

Thank you for showing the unique design of this watch. You will not meet many people with one. I bought a new one in 1974 for my college graduation. My background and education are in electronics. Component level design and operation, so I had to have it. Guess what watch was worn by our Astronauts? Why?

I want one now.... Awesome video as always!!!

Right about half way between an F sharp and an F (below A440) which is pretty much spot on 360Hz. Didn't expect to use my tuner watching a video about a watch!

I've wanted one of these for soo long!

Brilliant - very educational and interesting...

I think the apparent jumpy tuning fork vibration is the result of the video FPS rate not meshing smoothly with the rate of the tuning fork's vibration. The video frames are catching the fork in different positions.

The original space view watch was only meant as a display piece in the jewellers window to show the fork mech. However they got so many people wanting to purchase one they started producing them for sale.

A very interesting concept. I first remember coming across it on the excellent BBC series "The Secret Life of Machines" by Tim Hunkin and Rex Garrod.

"Dont switch it on - take it APART!!" Dave, I'm disappointed ;-)

Still use one on regular Basis, works like a charm after all that years.

Revolucion en la Historia relojera.Thanks you.

I was 9 years old and use to stare at this watch through the local jewelers window for hours. I found one the other day and I only had to wait 50 years but I now own one. Also the bare face watch was never supposed to be sold. It was used to market the watch and the demand was so high they were forced to build them.

Beauty! Teardown, teardown, teardown! :-)

I haven't worn an analog watch since the mid to late 1970's but I would totally wear one of those or a replica if I could afford it.

M8 is not a model definition but rather a date code. M is the decade and the number is the year in that decade. These are beauties, they also made some official Railroad Approved watches with enamel dials. The movements were also used under license by the likes of Omega.

Unique innovative watch. great vid thnks.

I'm sorry Dave, but the Omega Speedmaster was the first watch on the moon. Bulova time device, not watch is used on the Appollo missions. Omega Speedmaster started its legacy in early 1965 when Nasa approved the watch for piloted missions. It has been part of some of humankind's greatest achievements. Its role in all six lunar landings earned it the nickname “the Moonwatch”. Because it is a chronograph, the watch can be used as a stopwatch. Verry useful when you must time a burn (Appollo 13!). See: www.omegawatches.com/planet-omega/space/, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Speedmaster and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulova#Space for more info.

adding to my collection

Nice high speed footage

continuous second hand movement is just the best. I don't have any clocks in my house that tick. Can't stand it

Don't tape the lavalier mic to the watch. You pick up lots of other mechanical noises transmitted through the watch (well, probably only the fork, but it will sound different due to the direct contact). Have it real close, but physically isolated from the watch and you might well get that sweet sound that you are looking for.

how long can keep the battery the watch running? It seems a power hungry design to me.

now I want one. or something similar. looks so nice and retro. tips for similar ones without the risk of buying a fake is welcome.

Beautiful. How long was battery life of these?

Great thanks now i need to get one. never seen or hear about this nice.

the best way to pick the sound of that hum would have been to use a piezoelectric pickup instead of the aerial microphone, precisely the kind of piezo capsule used as speaker in electronic watches, they catch any structural sound wonderfully and are connectable just like a normal microphone.

Why didn't you use your EMI compliance pickup coils to get a better waveform?

I am so glad you didn't "take it apart". I wish they paid more attention to those solder joints .... yikes!

the most astounding thing about the movement is that tiny gear that drives everything via the pawls set with tiny jewels. the gear is so fragile that the teeth can be smudged off if touched incorrectly

coils don't seam very efficient... how long does the battery last?

I just imagine you saying:"Look at that croc! Crikey"

Hey Max, we need you to turn fork vibration into rotory motion. We need it as soon as you can do it, so... can you please hurry up with that?

Great video. I always wanted to know more. Also the new accutron is Quartz

random bit of trivia - I grew up on the same street as the Bulova corporate center as a kid.

so if you placed the watch on a speaker putting out 360hz would it cancel out the watch and make it stop or put two watches back to back?

To be pedantic, a quartz oscillator *IS* a "tuning fork mechanism" :)

Beautiful

My father had that (white face though) - great watch... He wore it from the 60s to the late 90s

I got a accutron 218D, it has date function, a very nice date function there snap at midnight. Not like my other watches there are about 2 hours to move to next number. 218D is cheaper and the beautiful coils are hidden.

Someone needs to model the watch face for android smart watches. I'd pay a couple bucks for my smart watch to look like that.

Just want to mention that the new Accutron line does not have a tuning fork movement. The one you put up is the Bulova Alpha - a part of the Accutron line. These watches are quartz powered but use a special movement called the "Precisionist" movement. This movement is (as the name suggests) very accurate and offers an incredibly smooth seconds hand - just slightly less smooth than the tuning fork movement. Now Bulova DID in fact make a real anniversary edition Accutron with a tuning fork movement that looks very similar to the Alpha. But this watch goes for $5,000, whereas the Alpha sells for ~$240.

Just as an FYI, the Accutron was the first battery powered transistor watch, however Hamilton produced the first battery powered watch, called Hamilton Electric Model 500, back in January of 1957,,,

I do love the content and have 2 of them love the video!

I inherited one of these (tuning fork but not the see through model.) They eat batteries compared to a quartz, need to replace them 3-4 times a year, and Bulova has now orphaned them so when they break you are out of luck. No spare parts available. Mine had a gear inside which apparently has 300+ teeth on it wear out. But Bulova did give me credit = the original purchase price of the watch ($300) towards the purchase of any new watch I wanted (from any maker, not just from them) which I thought was fair.

That watch was made the same year as I was. I wish I ran that well.

Thank you for this one, Dave. You inspired me to go get my Accutron Astronaut (circa 1969, black dial, with added 24-hr. hand and GMT / 2nd timezone bezel) out of the drawer. Ordering a new battery now. For what it's worth, I believe that "M8" on the back is the date code. M8 = 1968. Mine is M9. Mine is accurate as anything laying on my desk, but gains 10 minutes a day on my wrist. I wish someone would come up with a 1.35 volt button cell that didn't kill ye gods and little fishes. Cheers.

Awesome watch !! :)

well clock accuracy for space missions seems pretty "relative" in my position

Power it at the correct voltage for the old batteries and film it again see if the phase changes

Bulova was founded as the J. Bulova Company in 1875 by Joseph Bulova (1851 -1936), an immigrant from Bohemia. It became part of the Loews Corporation in 1979 and sold to Citizen at the end of 2007.

Probably not a factory one, but a conversion (no chapter ring). Still a nice watch!

I'd love to see that tuning fork with the high speed camera set to 359 frames per second.

1904 - Frederick Speidel Starts Speidel USA, Jewelry Chain Manufacturer in Providence, Rhode Island. I was born in Providence and lived within 10 miles of it most of my life.

I have a Bulova 100 kc crystal from some old military equipment and im pretty sure it was older the the 60s

I wonder how it turns that minute vibration into the rotation needed (seems like whatever gear is handling it, would wear out quickly.