<P<Li>As My Pal Cautious Carl Says, Buy a Nice Watch from Mike .But Keep in Mind

img src=http://www.nwlink.com/~holben/bulovalady.jpg>I’ve always loved Bulova, an American company of great repute. It was founded by Czech immigrant Joseph Bulova and based in New York City, where the famous Bulova Observatory was located, high above a skyscraper on Fifth Avenue. Like Gruen, it also had a factory in (Bienne) Switzerland, established in 1912 and dedicated to the production of watch components and their assembly into jeweled movements. The firm is known for its aggressive advertising campaigns and for being the first to advertise on radio – with an announcer stating “B – U – L – O – V – A … 8:00p.m., Bulova Watch Time.”I am pleased to offer for sale the following vintage men’s watch from Bulova, a two-tone “FLEETWOOD” model that dates to 1929. This tank form timepiece was a “flagship” model that retailed for $50 when new (about $630 today) and is a harder to find model today.Triple-signed, its 14kt White & Yellow Gold filled case measures 34mm end to end and 27mm in width (29mm with original crown). This works out to be approximately 1-3/8” long and 1-1/8” wide. It is powered by its original 17 jewel, 10AN caliber mechanism that has been fully serviced by my Bulova-trained watchmaker David prior to auction, ensuring it keeps accurate time.The original matte enamel finished dial has been professionally restored to its original status and is in excellent condition. It is complete with raised gold Arabic numerals, a 60 minute checkered inner track border, original blue steel Spade-style hands and a square sub-seconds dial with 60 second outer chapter and ‘sweep’ blue steel seconds hand. Signed BULOVA below the 12 in raised gold letters and embossed Swiss at the base of the dial. This is the lesser seen “dress” dial version of the Fleetwood, the sport option having radium numbers and radium filled hands.The new old stock solid glass crystal is excellent, clear condition. The hinged-back, engraved Tank-form case is 14 Karat White Gold Filled with Yellow Gold banding running along the sides and gold banding between the lugs. This yellow gold contrast is in excellent condition (NO brassing) and the entire case is in excellent PLUS shape – absolutely no wear. The matching winding crown is the original and is in excellent shape, operating smoothly.Turning the watch over I note that the back lid is in excellent PLUS shape, displaying much of its original brushed satin finish. Inside I find that the mechanism is protected by its own crystal and bezel. This was called the “Dust-Tite Protector” and it really helped protect the mechanism from dust, moisture and debris. The mechanism is a high-grade 10AN caliber (Fontainemelon) example, complete with a Breguet overcoil hairspring and cut bi-metallic screwed balance. It is signed Bulova Watch Co. Swiss – Seventeen 17 Jewels, 10AN. There is also a ‘shield’ symbol on one of the plates that is Bulova’s date code for 1929. The inside of the case lid is stamped Pat. Jan 11, 1927 – Bulova – 14K Gold Filled – New York with case reference number below.This cleaned, oiled & regulated Bulova Fleetwood winds and sets smoothly and keeps accurate time. Comes fitted on a new 20mm black deBeer Europa handcrafted lizard grain strap with matching chrome steel buckle…a fine band for a fine watch. Folks, I have probably had for sale twenty or so Lone Eagle II models in the past dozen years but this is my very first Fleetwood – it is truly a harder to find model.<p<ulli>Since 1998, Holben's Fine Watches' goal has been happy customers. I treat buyers as I like to be treated: with courtesy and respect. I’m especially proud of my excellent feedback and high number of repeat clients. I’m a long-standing member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC), and have collected Swiss and American mechanical watches since I was a kid.</li<p<li>Watch sizes: I provide exact measurements in millimeters (the watch industry standard) and inches, and include a U.S. quarter in photos as a size reference. Draw the measurements on paper to help visualize the watch on your wrist. Remember, men’s watches from the 1910s - 1960s were smaller than considered normal today.</li<p<li>Buyers outside the United States with less than five feedback: Please introduce yourself via email PRIOR to bidding. Otherwise, your bid may be retracted. </li<p<li>U.S. winners pay $7.75 for fully insured, safely boxed USPS First-Class Mail shipping. Washington State residents (and those with shipping addresses in Washington State) add 8.6% sales tax.</li<p<li>Canadian ($14.75) and most international buyers ($17.75) receive safely boxed USPS First-Class Mail International REGISTERED shipping. I can ship via USPS Express Mail International to most countries for approximately $30 and this shipping method is REQUIRED for shipments to countries that do not scan registered parcels at delivery, including Germany, Singapore and Australia.</li<p<li> International Buyers – Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding. While I ship immediately after payment is received please be aware that customs can delay the delivery of your package. As such, I have no control of delivery time once it leaves the United States – it can be anywhere from 7 days to 30 days./li<p<li>Preferred payment method is PayPal; other options are available by contacting me.</li<p<li>Payment is due within three days of auction end, unless you’ve contacted me prior to arrange otherwise. In accordance with eBay policy, payments not received in four days will initiate an unpaid item case through the Resolution Center.</li<p<li>In the rare event of a problem occurring after transit, return the wristwatch to me (or to my watchmaker, David) at my expense. It will be quickly corrected and shipped safely back to you.</li <li>If you like unique and collectible vintage or antique wristwatches, add holbensfinewatches to your Favorite Sellers. I specialize in timepieces from the 1910s – 1960s. My selection changes weekly, and is comprised of manual wind and automatic watches from the following categories: WWI trench; WWII; military; fancy case, art nouveau; art deco; mid-century modern; stainless steel; sterling silver; white, yellow and rose gold; solid gold; platinum; and diamond, ruby and/or sapphire ladies’ cocktail watches.</li <table border="0" cellspacing="10"<tbodytr<td<a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Holbens-Fine-Watch-Bands" target="_blank"<img src="http://www.nwlink.com/%7Eholben/bandlogo2.jpg" alt="Holben's-Fine-Watch-Bands"</a</td<td colspan="2"Are you looking for high quality watch straps for your new or vintage military, sport and wire lug watches? Our sister store, <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Holbens-Fine-Watch-Bands"> Holben's Fine Watch Bands</a>, offers an extensive selection of straps, including:<brulli>UTC G10 NATO ballistic nylon (one-piece, two-piece, solid, striped and PVD);</lili>German Bund leather military (riveted and non-riveted in black and brown);</lili>NATO striped James Bond;</lili>Canvas military WWII (one-piece and two-piece in khaki, olive green and black);</lili>Alligator-, crocodile- and buffalo-grain leather (open-ended / wire lug and closed-end in black, brown and tan);</lili>Hamilton Khaki-, Breitling- and Panerai-style leather;</lili>GT Rally Tropic leather (big hole) and buffalo-grain Tropic (small holes); and</lili>Rubber and silicone deployment/deployant clasp divers (solid color, contrast-stitched and textured).</li</ul</span</td</tr</tbody</table>

<p<li>As my pal Cautious Carl says, "Buy a Nice Watch from Mike"….but keep in mind he’s getting up there in age and often says random things! <img src=http://www.nwlink.com/~holben/carl.jpg>

img src=http://www.nwlink.com/~holben/advertgruenpanam.jpg> In its glory years from the 1920s through the 1940s, the Gruen Watch Company of USA & Switzerland was one of the leaders in wristwatch design and quality, even collaborating with Rolex (i.e., the Aegler movement duo-dial doctor’s watch) from its factories in Switzerland. Prior to WWII, Gruen was better known in the USA than Rolex, which at that time was concentrating on the British and Commonwealth countries (hence lots of early Rolexes coming out of Australia and the UK). Hans Wilsdorf and Gruen were friends and neighbors in Switzerland (their factories were just yards away), and even agreed to market their watches as Rolex Gruen in Europe, but the Great Depression (and more urgent matters) prevented this.I am pleased to offer for sale the following Gruen timepiece, a very original 14kt Solid Rose Gold “Pan American” model that dates to ca 1946. This particular timepiece is the “CAPTAIN” model and it retailed for $119.50 plus federal tax when new or $1,325 today.There was a glamorous mystique to aviation and airplane travel in the 1940s, and Gruen ran several ads showing pictures of its Pan Am pilot's watch with the famous Pan American Clipper flying boat. Originally, these watches were supplied only to the airline and were not actually available for civilian use—the ads were run to create customer awareness of a model that Gruen had big plans for once WWII ended.In October 1945 an advertisement stated that the Pan American line would go on sale to the public. The company believed that postwar consumers would make increasing use of 24-hour time, especially for airline travel. They also reasoned that, having just come through a major war, many people would have become accustomed to military time and could easily make the transition. Gruen published several articles in their dealer newsletters praising the advantages of dials indicating "the 24 hours of the air-world day," and advising retailers to stock up on Pan Americans to meet the anticipated demand. The company offered the Pan American in a number of models and variations, in Guildite (steel), gold filled and solid gold cases, for both men and women, and with a variety of lug and case shapes. There were also two-tone versions and versions with square cases and dials. There were a variety of dials as well, but just like the original pilot's watches, they all share common features: a 24-hour dial with an inner 13-24 chapter ring and a red sweep seconds hand.This triple-signed model is, I believe, desirable for having both an original two-tone rose gold finished dial (important to Pan Am collectors) and an original 14kt Solid Rose Gold case. It measures 38mm end to end and 32mm in width (33.5mm with original rose crown) or 1-1/2 inches long by 1-1/4 inches wide, not counting the crown. It is powered by its original 420SS caliber, 17 jewel Gruen mechanism that has been fully servicedby my trusted watchmaker David to ensure it winds and sets smoothly while keeping accurate time.p>The 100% original two tone rose gold color dial is in great condition and has not been touched since it left the factory over 60 years ago. It features a 60 second outer chapter that’s calibrated to 1/5 of a second for precision, raised gold numerals and ‘dot’ hour indicators, a “Bulls Eye” 24 Hour inner track with black enameled numerals, original gold metal hands and a dark RED original ‘sweep’ center seconds hand. Signed GRUEN VERI-THIN below the 12 and “PRECISION” above the number 18. It is further signed SWITZERLAND at the base of the dial but this is hard to see due to the curvature of the crystal.p>The new old stock domed acrylic crystal is excellent, clear condition. The case is 14 Karat Solid Rose Gold and in excellent PLUS shape, complete with ridged bezel and curving lugs…very nice! The winding crown is original, rose gold finished (unmarked) and excellent shape, winding and setting smoothly.Turning the watch over I see that the back lid is also in excellent condition (perhaps a couple pinprick marks) and free of any wear or engravings. It is stamped GRUEN 14K GOLD at one edge. Peeking inside I find a clean Seventeen Jewel 420SS Caliber movement that is signed Gruen Watch Co., Seventeen 17 Jewels – Precision – Veri Thin – Patented – Switzerland, GXC – 420SS. The inside case lid is signed Cased and Timed by Gruen Watch Co. – Wadsworth, 14K GOLD – G592916 – 420/534 SS. Please note that the “420” is the caliber number, “534” is the dial model number and “SS” stands for sweep seconds. This watch has been disassembled, cleaned, oiled and regulated to ensure it winds and sets smoothly while keeping accurate time. It comes fitted on a new16mm black deBeer hand crafted lizard grain calf leather strap with matching ROSE GOLD finished buckle. All in all nicely preserved, high collectible solid gold Pan Am for that collector who is just itching to add this rarer bird to his or her collection.p<ulli>Since 1998, Holben's Fine Watches' goal has been happy customers. I treat buyers as I like to be treated: with courtesy and respect. I’m especially proud of my excellent feedback and high number of repeat clients. I’m a long-standing member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC), and have collected Swiss and American mechanical watches since I was a kid.</li<p<li>Watch sizes: I provide exact measurements in millimeters (the watch industry standard) and inches, and include a U.S. quarter in photos as a size reference. Draw the measurements on paper to help visualize the watch on your wrist. Remember, men’s watches from the 1910s - 1960s were smaller than considered normal today.</li<p<li>Buyers outside the United States with less than five feedback: Please introduce yourself via email PRIOR to bidding. Otherwise, your bid may be retracted. </li<p<li>U.S. winners pay $8.75 for fully insured, safely boxed USPS First-Class Mail shipping. Washington State residents (and those with shipping addresses in Washington State) add 8.6% sales tax.</li<p<li>Canadian ($14.75) and most international buyers ($17.75) receive safely boxed USPS First-Class Mail International REGISTERED shipping. I can ship via USPS Express Mail International to most countries for approximately $30 and this shipping method is REQUIRED for shipments to countries that do not scan registered parcels at delivery, including Germany, Singapore and Australia.</li<p<li> International Buyers – Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding. While I ship immediately after payment is received please be aware that customs can delay the delivery of your package. As such, I have no control of delivery time once it leaves the United States – it can be anywhere from 7 days to 30 days./li<p<li>Preferred payment method is PayPal; other options are available by contacting me.</li<p<li>Payment is due within three days of auction end, unless you’ve contacted me prior to arrange otherwise. In accordance with eBay policy, payments not received in four days will initiate an unpaid item case through the Resolution Center.</li<p<li>In the rare event of a problem occurring after transit, return the wristwatch to me (or to my watchmaker, David) at my expense. It will be quickly corrected and shipped safely back to you.</li <li>If you like unique and collectible vintage or antique wristwatches, add holbensfinewatches to your Favorite Sellers. I specialize in timepieces from the 1910s – 1960s. My selection changes weekly, and is comprised of manual wind and automatic watches from the following categories: WWI trench; WWII; military; fancy case, art nouveau; art deco; mid-century modern; stainless steel; sterling silver; white, yellow and rose gold; solid gold; platinum; and diamond, ruby and/or sapphire ladies’ cocktail watches.</li <table border="0" cellspacing="10"<tbodytr<td<a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Holbens-Fine-Watch-Bands" target="_blank"<img src="http://www.nwlink.com/%7Eholben/bandlogo2.jpg" alt="Holben's-Fine-Watch-Bands"</a</td<td colspan="2"Are you looking for high quality watch straps for your new or vintage military, sport and wire lug watches? Our sister store, <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Holbens-Fine-Watch-Bands"> Holben's Fine Watch Bands</a>, offers an extensive selection of straps, including:<brulli>UTC G10 NATO ballistic nylon (one-piece, two-piece, solid, striped and PVD);</lili>German Bund leather military (riveted and non-riveted in black and brown);</lili>NATO striped James Bond;</lili>Canvas military WWII (one-piece and two-piece in khaki, olive green and black);</lili>Alligator-, crocodile- and buffalo-grain leather (open-ended / wire lug and closed-end in black, brown and tan);</lili>Hamilton Khaki-, Breitling- and Panerai-style leather;</lili>GT Rally Tropic leather (big hole) and buffalo-grain Tropic (small holes); and</lili>Rubber and silicone deployment/deployant clasp divers (solid color, contrast-stitched and textured).</li</ul</span</td</tr</tbody</table>

&lt;P&lt;Li&gt;As My Pal Cautious Carl Says, Buy a Nice Watch from Mike .But Keep in Mind

<P<Li>As My Pal Cautious Carl Says, Buy a Nice Watch from Mike .But Keep in Mind