The Bulova school helped train an entire generation of American watchmakers. Arde Bulova 'wished to repay, in some small measure, the sacrifice and service of returning disabled veterans after the Second World War.'* One of Bulova's most significant contributions to the world of horology was the creation of the Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking, founded in 1945 by Joseph Bulova's son Arde Bulova (then Chairman of the Board). They were the first watch company to market watches specifically to women, and the first company to open a school for disabled veterans that provided them with care, employment opportunities, and a marketable skill after the war (more below). A Company of 'Firsts'īulova was an innovative company, and can be credited with many industry 'firsts.' They were the first watch or clock company to broadcast and advertise on the radio, and later became the first to show a commercial on television. The ultra-thin 'Phantom' model, produced in the 1920's, was a finely-made, platinum-cased pocket watch that is prized by collectors today. Under Joseph Bulova's guidance, Bulova became a world-leader in the mass production of reliable, good-quality wristwatches.īulova sold relatively few pocket watches (compared to their huge production of wristwatches), though they did produce a few basic pocket watch models in the 30's, 40's and 50's. For the most part, these movements were cased and timed in the USA before shipment to retailers. Begun as a wholesale jeweler, the company produced small table clocks and good-quality pocket watches, By 1912, driven by the increased demand for wristwatches, Bulova built a factory in Bienne, Switzerland that was capable of mass-producing fully-jeweled wristwatch movements in large numbers.

Bulova Company in a store on Maiden Lane in Lower Manhattan. In 1875, Joseph Bulova, a Bohemian immigrant, started the J.

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