BULOVA Accutron Snorkell 666: men's steel wristwatch - 1970s...
BULOVA Accutron Snorkell 666: men's steel wristwatch - 1970s
stainless steel case with bakelite bezel and quick release. Case diameter: 40 mm. The first Bulova Accutron was released in 1960 and represented a revolution in the watch industry as it was the first electric watch with a tuning fork, the first to use a bipolar transistor and the first watch without a spring or balance. At the time, the Accutron (accuracy through electronics), invented by Max Hetzel (5 March 1921 - 2004), was the most accurate wristwatch ever made. The Accutron has an oscillation frequency of 360 Hertz; some later models have different frequencies, but the main characteristic of this type of watch is to emit an audible note of constant frequency, hence the name sonic watch. The other distinctive feature is the continuous rotation of the second hand: whereas in a quartz watch it clicks every second and in mechanical watches it appears to turn continuously, in tuning fork watches the motion is practically uniformly circular as the hand moves at the speed of the index wheel, i.e. 300-320 times per second. More than 4 million watches were sold until production was stopped in 1977. The watch comes as a complete set with box and papers.
Item condition grading: ***** excellent, just serviced.
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
BULOVA Accutron Snorkell 666: men's steel wristwatch - 1970s
stainless steel case with bakelite bezel and quick release. Case diameter: 40 mm. The first Bulova Accutron was released in 1960 and represented a revolution in the watch industry as it was the first electric watch with a tuning fork, the first to use a bipolar transistor and the first watch without a spring or balance. At the time, the Accutron (accuracy through electronics), invented by Max Hetzel (5 March 1921 - 2004), was the most accurate wristwatch ever made. The Accutron has an oscillation frequency of 360 Hertz; some later models have different frequencies, but the main characteristic of this type of watch is to emit an audible note of constant frequency, hence the name sonic watch. The other distinctive feature is the continuous rotation of the second hand: whereas in a quartz watch it clicks every second and in mechanical watches it appears to turn continuously, in tuning fork watches the motion is practically uniformly circular as the hand moves at the speed of the index wheel, i.e. 300-320 times per second. More than 4 million watches were sold until production was stopped in 1977. The watch comes as a complete set with box and papers.
Item condition grading: ***** excellent, just serviced.
Similar Items
