Bulova Watches

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Bulova Watches

The Bulova watches story begins in eighteen twenty seven when Joseph Bulova, a twenty seven year old immigrant opened a small jewellery shop located on Maiden Lane in the City of New York. The shop sold fashionable clocks for boudoirs and tables and in nineteen eleven, Bulova began selling high quality pocket watches.

Because of the popularity of his watch range Bulova began to set up his first manufacturing plant in nineteen twelve. This plant was dedicated towards the creation of watch components and their eventual assembly into produced watches. The plant was based in the international capital of watch making – Switzerland. A country where the premier watches makers originated and, if you didn’t come from Switzerland, you would certainly try locate parts of your business there.

Eight years later, in nineteen twenty three the brand name of The Bulova Watch Company inc was created. One of the key factors launching Bulova watches to the top, gaining international recognition, was that of their parts production. They standardised making parts for their watches - meaning they were made exactly the same and each part could be interchanged with any other of the Bulova watch range. Previously parts for watches were not so precise, and were measured to fit the individual watch, rather than the brand. Other companies creating watches recognised this, and eventually the methods pioneered by Bulova watches were adopted by other businesses.

Further along the timeline Bulova watches continued to innovate, aiming to reach the foreground of quality watch brands. In nineteen twenty six they created the first ever radio commercial for watches. This advertisement for Bulova watches was promoted with the slogan, "At the tone, its 8 PM, B-U-L-O-V-A Bulova watch time."

During the great depression of America, Bulova watches were hit hard, as were other watch companies. Often watches were seen as a luxury and so sales began to slump. In order to counteract this, the company began to support retailers by offering buyers payment plans. This way, purchasers could pay for their watches in stages, rather than pay off the whole watch value upfront.

In nineteen forty one Bulova watches continued their excellent line of marketing with their first television commercial. It was a simple picture depicting a clock and a map of the United States stating “America Runs on Bulova Time”. However during this time, rather than embrace commercialism, the company helped out with the war effort. Bulova created watches for the national defence creating military watch models for aircraft instruments and torpedo mechanisms.

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