A Bulova clock over New York City. The company premiered its documentary, “America Telling Time: 150 Years of Bulova,” at a screening in New York City last week.
Last week, I headed over to the Paley Center for Media in Midtown Manhattan to help celebrate Bulova’s 150th anniversary.
I’ll confess, I’m not much of a watch girl, though I have great respect for the engineering and skill that goes into creating a timepiece.
The invite promised “an exclusive screening,” but I wasn’t sure what that entailed. I figured perhaps it was a new advertising campaign for its 150th anniversary, but I was mistaken.
Bulova has put together a fascinating documentary about its history, from its deep ties to New York City to its modern-day Japanese engineering.
Though I may not be a watch enthusiast—an anomaly in that packed theater—I am a history buff. And if you’re both, you’re going to want to see this film, titled “America Telling Time: 150 Years of Bulova.”
The hour-long documentary dives into the man behind the brand, Joseph Bulova, who was 19 when he emigrated from present-day Czech Republic to New York City.
An undated portrait of Bulova founder Joseph Bulova
In his opening remarks, Jeffrey Cohen, president of Citizen Watch America (the Citizen Watch Co. acquired Bulova in 2008), said, “150 years ago, Joseph Bulova began living his dream, right here in New York City, opening his first store on Maiden Lane.
“Fueled with passion, innovation, and creativity, Joseph and his son, Arde, and every one of the Bulova employees since have pushed new boundaries of possibilities of what a watch brand can offer today and for the future, while winning the hearts and minds of generations of many, many consumers across the world.”
After working for Charles Tiffany at Tiffany & Co., Joseph set up his own jewelry store on Maiden Lane, a stone’s throw from National Jeweler’s current offices, around 1875.
The film details how Joseph combined the best of both worlds, making the watches and jewelry he sold in his store in his Bienne, Switzerland factory, coupling Swiss precision with American design and affordability.
The watchmaking aspect of the film was interesting, but what stuck with me the most was Bulova’s history of firsts and the brand’s connection to women.
This may be old news to watch enthusiasts, but it was a refreshing takeaway when you consider what you may find if you start researching the history of some brands.
A Bulova ad for ladies’ watches from the 1930s
Bulova said it created the first collection of women’s wristwatches in 1917.
More commonly disguised as jewelry at the time, the addition gave women the opportunity to wear an accessory once exclusively available for men.
A woman also once headed Bulova’s factory in Switzerland.
In the documentary, the company also credits itself as creating the world’s first clock radio in 1928.
An ad for Bulova radios from the 1950s
The film explores Bulova’s advertising history, which included some surprising firsts.
The company said it had the first national radio ad in 1926. It went like this: “10PM B-U-L-O-V-A, Bulova Watch Time. For supreme accuracy, expert design, and outstanding value, choose a Bulova, masterpiece of fine watchmaking. WEAF, New York.”
It also had the first paid television commercial in the United States. It aired on July 1, 1941, during a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.
The watchmaker would go on to sponsor “The Frank Sinatra Show” (also known as “Bulova Watch Time”) that aired in the early 1950s, later creating an entire line of Frank Sinatra watches.
Bulova was a sponsor of “The Frank Sinatra Show” that aired on CBS from 1950 to 1952.
Sinatra’s daughter, Tina Sinatra, makes an appearance in the film to speak about her father’s connection to the brand and why the Sinatra family still works with Bulova to this day.
The company has had a number of other notable ads through the years featuring stars of the day like Burgess Meredith, Morgan Fairchild, Johnny Cash, and Muhammad Ali.
A 1970s ad for the Bulova Oceanographer dive watch
You’ll see a few recognizable industry faces in the film too, including watch journalists Roberta Naas and Barbara Palumbo.
For me, the most memorable ad campaign was the 1974 “Equal Pay, Equal Time” campaign, which debuted during one of several periods in time when the Equal Rights Amendment was up for debate.
Bulova’s 1974 “Equal Pay, Equal Time” campaign
Forty years later, there is still no amendment guaranteeing women equal treatment under the law, though efforts are ongoing. Thanks for trying, Bulova.
Related stories will be right here …
The documentary also delves into Bulova’s impact on U.S. history, including the role it played in World War II by producing aviation instruments, navigation clocks, and the A-11 pilot’s watch, also known as the “watch that won the war.”
A Bulova ad from the 1940s featuring American Airlines
Notably, Bulova made watches inspired by two aviation greats, Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart.
The “Lone Eagle” watch was dedicated to pilot Charles Lindbergh.
Joseph’s son, Arde Bulova, founded the Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking to assist war veterans with physical disabilities who were looking for work.
That initiative continues today with Bulova serving as a founding sponsor of the Veterans Watchmaking Initiative, located in Odessa, Delaware.
The documentary shares some of the students’ stories and what it means to them to have a purpose again after struggling to adjust to life post-service.
Bulova also has had an impact on space travel, sharing its engineering expertise with NASA during the age of U.S. space exploration.
A 1971 ad for Bulova stamps commemorating the 1969 moon landing
E. Van Haaften, director of the Timer Laboratory, holding a 60-hour LEM (lunar excursion model) Bulova clock, in the 1960s. The lunar lander spacecraft is better known as the Apollo Lunar Module.
A 1960s Accutron 60-minute timer, used by NASA
The documentary includes the story of how a Bulova watch accidentally made it to the moon.
Does “America Telling Time: 150 Years of Bulova” act as an ad campaign for Bulova? Sure. I certainly considered buying one on my way home from the screening, particularly after seeing the “American Girl” watch from the 1950s. That’s the power of storytelling that I keep hearing about!
But it’s also a fascinating look into one of the most notable companies in the industry.
The film premiered in New York City on Sept. 19., with simultaneous screenings in Latin America.
There will be two more screenings in Miami and Los Angeles later this year.
During the post-screening Q&A there was talk of a possible streaming option, though nothing has been confirmed. If you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.
If you can’t see the film, Bulova will continue to celebrate its milestone 150th anniversary through 2025, releasing limited-edition timepieces.
