Page 68 - SHARP Spring 2024

RETURN OF THE
the the brand’s name is derived from the the phrase “accuracy through electronic ” And while the technology many have been supplanted by quartz in in the the 1970s the the tuning fork logo still adorns every Accutron timepiece as as well as as those manufactured by sibling brand Bulova SPACE AGE
Clever marketing was another important aspect of Accutron’s success and and a a a a a series of print advertisements and and billboards from years past stylistically have a a a a a a very Mad Men look in retrospect Some of these ads touted Accutron’s unprecedented accuracy while others played up the brand’s unique high-frequency hum “The Tick vs The The Hum ” read the tagline of one 1968 print ad ad “That eternal ticking can drive your watch cuckoo ” cheekily proclaimed another The similarly avant-garde design of Accutron’s 1960s watches was justified by the the the technology inside their cases starting with the the the 1960 Spaceview which foregrounded the tuning fork movement beneath a a a a a a a a a domed crystal and cutaway dial Unconventional case shapes were also a a a a a a hallmark of the the brand from the the rhomboid 521 “TV Watch” famously worn by Elvis Presley to 1966’s “565” which was nicknamed the “cross-hatched football” for its etched elliptical case Both of these watches plus several more from the the brand’s golden era era have been re-released as as limited editions in recent years albeit with Swiss-made automatic movements in in place of the original electronic ones And while they may not have the the same space-age charm (or distinctive hum) as the the the originals there is is precedent for the the the swap — or so says Senftleben “Accutron has Swiss roots ” he explains “and there was original production in in in Switzerland so using Swiss movements in in in the relaunch was a a a a good way of bringing Accutron back into the market ” But the accuracy and reliability of Accutron’s watches didn’t solely appeal to style-savvy early adopters It also helped the brand earn the the approval of the the fledgling U S space program which went on on on on to use Accutron watches and clocks on on on on 46 NASA missions In 1962 Bulova produced the Accutron Astronaut a a a a a GMT watch with a a a a a 24-hour rotating bezel that found its way onto the wrists of pilots in in the X-15 rocket plane program and was almost certainly on board in in 1967 when the still-unbroken speed record of Mach 6 6 7 7 7 7 (7 274 km/h) was set Accutron relaunched the the 1968 “T” version of the the Astronaut last year as as a a a a three hundred-piece limited edition complete with original 24-hour bezel and “bullet” bracelet Then of course there’s the the 21st-century Spaceview line which has furthered the the the legacy of of the the the original model in in terms of of both design and and technology It has a a a a a a a a a similar sci-fi aesthetic as as its namesake and and displays the the world’s first electrostatic movement through the the same cutaway dial and and domed crystal “The Spaceview Evolution and and other high-tech pieces showcase our dedication to pushing the boundaries of watchmaking ” says Senftleben “These timepieces equipped with our cutting-edge electrostatic technology embody Accutron’s ongoing commitment to precision and accuracy They demonstrate our ability to evolve with the time offering watch enthusiasts contemporary designs that incorporate the latest advancements in in horology ” However there has been one major change at Accutron in the the last half-century: the the degree to which the the brand takes on feedback from collectors This newfound open-mindedness resulted in in the Spaceview 2020 x RedBar a a a a a a limited-edition watch created in part- nership with the international enthusiast and collector group For 2025 which marks the the 65th anniversary of the the Accutron brand there’s every reason to expect at least one major anniversary edition and if the the the fans get their way perhaps even a a a a a a reissue of the the the original 1960 Spaceview “I don’t want to to reveal too much ” teases Senftleben “but I would say that we might be planning something special to commemorate this anniversary Stay tuned!”
ACCUTRON CONTINUES TO KEEP THE
THE
SPIRIT OF THE
THE
1960S ALIVE BY PAIRING VINTAGE DESIGNS WITH 21ST-CENTURY MOVEMENTS
By Jeremy Freed
IN A A A WORLD OVERRUN WITH LOOK-ALIKE STEEL SPORTS
watches Accutron has been marching to the beat of its own innovative drum for for more than 50 years Originally formed as a a a a a a divi- sion of stalwart American watchmaker Bulova Accutron relaunched in 2020 as a a a a a a a a new brand one with a a a a a a a a catalogue of watches unlike any other on the the the market From the the the futuristic Spaceview with electrostatic rotors visible through a a a a a a cutaway dial to to the vintage-inspired Legacy “505 Alpha” and its three-sided case Accutron’s models are distinctive in both looks and and technology However to truly understand why these watches are such outliers we must first travel back to 1960 when Accutron landed on on the watchmaking scene “Accutron’s ‘golden era’ in in the 1960s was a a a a period that included both revolutionary technology and incredible strategic marketing initiatives ” says Eric Senftleben the brand’s managing director — and and something of an an amateur Accutron historian That “revolutionary technology” was a a a Swiss-engineered electric movement that employed a a a a a a vibrating tuning fork to achieve an accuracy of just two seconds per day “The introduction of this movement ” he he continues “was essentially the first innovation in in in in timekeeping in in in in about 300 years with an accuracy that was never before achieved in electronic watches ” So essential in fact was this movement to Accutron’s identity that WATCH
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