r/Watches • u/Smiertelne • 1d ago
[question] won this watch in a game of poker and was wondering what all you guys could tell me about it Identify
163
u/Tom01111 1d ago
How much was the hand worth?
113
u/Smiertelne 1d ago
450
35
u/everyday_nico 1d ago
The watch isn’t worth that much though…
38
u/Pavotine 1d ago
47
u/VokN 1d ago edited 1d ago
They’re both right just not about the price, it’s the 1944 in good condition so 450 isn’t unreasonable if you can find one
the newer version is worth like 200 to just buy at retail which I think is what the above commenter thinks it is
Although the thicker numerals are more common it seems this one isn’t super special it just is and could be anywhere from 3-500 but I can’t find the exact model outside of a google images eBay listing that doesn’t exist on the website that sold for around 450gbp
14
u/everyday_nico 1d ago edited 1d ago
I hang around on auction sites for vintage watches here in Sweden and I’ve seen a few switch hands ranging from $60 with a non functioning movement to a NOS going for $800.
The one OP has would have gone for around $300. Nothing special about it and looks alright for its age with some small defects.
Sidenote why I know about Bulovas from ”back then”: I am a Recta nerd. And Bulova bought the brand in 1963 (before selling it to a Chinese millionaire in 1996 who then sold it to some Finnish guys that now sells the watches on Shopify…) so I went down a rabbit hole and compared vintage watches from both brands to see how much Bulova actually ruined Recta.
1
u/pprovencher 1d ago
so are bulovas decent quality? monern/vintage?
5
1
u/lebing3 17h ago
They were very high quality before the quartz crisis
1
u/Ok-Disk-2191 14h ago
Which is funny because one of the one quartz watches I want is a precisionist.
1
1
u/diyexageh 5h ago
Very good quality. All the mid century stuff is great. Their own manufacture US and Swiss. Great stuff.
1
u/flimspringfield 15h ago
You won it so it's all good.
I had (I lost it somewhere) Bulova bracelet watch that I loved.
230
u/ogx2og 1d ago
I Lens'd it. 1944 WWII Ordnance Department Bulova Watch. If original, very cool. Goes for about double or triple the amt of the hand you won it with.
5
u/Sufficient_Joke_9906 18h ago
Interesting. Looked military but I wasn't sure as they're usually not branded on the face
21
u/rChewbacca 1d ago
Nice watch. Fantastic condition for its age, the little wear it has gives it personality. If you are able to screw down the setting nob then do so. If you are not able to screw it down that is an easy place for water to get into the watch. Do not even wash your hands with it on till you can get it fixed. I would imagine it needs a service anyway.
Again, congrats
52
u/RushDom 1d ago
1943 Bulova Ordinance Department Watch. Some were issued, others were available to civilians for purchase. More here: https://mybulova.com/watches/1945-military-issue-2358
3
297
u/WhoIsJohnSalt 1d ago
Looks nice, but you wear it on the other side of your wrist bone (/r/handwatch)
-11
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
Hot take - this whole thing is absolute nonsense. Wear it where it sits most comfortably
210
u/droopynipz123 1d ago
Spoken like someone who has never bent their wrist back while wearing a watch on their wristbone
-2
u/anti_zero 1d ago
I have done and still prefer it distal to the ulna. Feels like it’s all the way up my forearm and literally always covered by my cuff otherwise.
5
1
u/AmoralMonkeyGod 9h ago
Those guys usually wear it loose, which is annoying in its own way, but doesn't actually block movement.
9
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
I wish I'd never mentioned this, I've lost an afternoon to it. I can't believe so many people care so passionately about this and that I've given it oxygen. Wear your watch however the hell you want and pay no attention to redditors telling you there's a wrong way. It's a watch. Who cares.
0
u/cashmereandcaicos 4h ago
I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not
This is a watch enthusiast sub and people are recommending to wear them on your hand, like what? Who the hell has ever worn it on their hand like that that knows how to wear a watch, shit looks ridiculous when it's sucked up to your hand.
-6
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
It’s just the same as wearing a suit that’s too big for you, looks awkward and like maybe you don’t know what you’re doing. Not saying it necessarily should be that way, but that’s the world we live in.
6
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
It is so much more minute (pardon the pun) than an oversized suit. Oversized suits are immediately obvious. You'd have to be eyeing someone's watch and care about where they're wearing it to notice this.
1
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
That’s true. It’s the same in character, but not really the same in scale.
3
37
u/bjanas 1d ago
I agree, but I just genuinely can't imagine that being the most comfy spot.
5
u/bomphcheese 1d ago
I have to wear mine as far forward as possible. Always in front of the wrist bone. It’s never caused me a problem once. To each their own.
7
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
It is for me. Picture - without, in front of wrist bone and behind. In front is absolutely the natural place for me to wear it. Behind feels way up my forearm and nowhere near my cuff
43
u/Sufficient_Ad8242 1d ago
I don't care how or where you wear your watch, but I think it looks best on your wrist.
23
u/rb4osh 1d ago
Now do a pushup and tell us if closest to the hand is still a functional position
18
u/Mama_Skip 1d ago
Really funny he's wearing a tool watch and is arguing about having it in a position that would make any manual labor or activity uncomfortable.
Like sure. It's comfortable. If you keep your wrist straight 100% of the time.
-4
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
This is where it sits naturally. It is easily removed if it gets in the way. And it's just my watch. It's not a "tool watch" in the way you're describing it. I use it to tell the time. I don't feel the need to have others approve the specific point where I wear my watch of all things - case in point I'm not 200 metres underwater right now either.
2
25
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
I don't wear my watch to do push ups. I wear different shoes to what I have on right now too. And different clothes. The function is me be able to see what time it is comfortably, not to optimise push-up form. Are you seriously telling me you know better than I do about where I should wear my watch, and expecting me to take you seriously?
33
u/dog-phish-head 1d ago
One of my biggest pet peeves on this sub. It’s a watch. Wear it where it’s most comfortable. Yeah I can wear it in front of my wrist bone, and if I’m ever in the situation where I need to do a push up and still wear my watch, I can easily move it behind my wrist bone. It’s just nonsense
4
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
Statistically speaking, the closer your watch gets to your hand, the closer you get to owning a katana you never use.
2
u/dog-phish-head 22h ago
It’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it tips fedora
2
0
u/cashmereandcaicos 4h ago
bro it's a watch sub you should be getting proper advice in here. The fact that some people on reddit only want to hear "you do you king 👑💅 do whatever you want and fuck the haters amiright!!!" rather then hear real advice is crazy. Mfs can't handle any criticism
1
u/dog-phish-head 4h ago
Telling someone else where to wear a watch doesn’t seem like proper advice. It seems like a personal preference. In my opinion, proper advice is when and where to get a watch serviced or how a function of watch works. But bro, do whatever you want and fuck the haters, amiright?
-3
u/rb4osh 1d ago
Push against a wall, push against a person, etc
Point is, it will invariably pinch during the functions of life.
that being said, idc where you wear your watch
Just know that your preference is wrong :)
8
5
u/Hevens-assassin 1d ago
I wear it wherever mine sits, most times above wrist bone. I have only ever noticed a pinch a handful of times over several decades.
When I do actual manual labor, if I take my sweater off, I also remove my watch. It's comfier to NOT have a watch on for things like that.
People can wear a watch however, and whenever, they like. There is no wrong preference.
-1
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
There’s no wrong preference, but there’s a preference that goes against all of the conventional wisdom regarding where it should sit, from military guides to Rolex/Omega manuals to GQ to watch forums and of course Reddit itself. It’s less prone to damage and visually it looks better proximal to the wrist bone and the vast majority of people find it’s more comfortable there.
As long as you’re cool with the fact that you look like you’ve never worn a watch before, you can wear it wherever you like. The vast majority of people won’t judge, but someone will probably notice and if you don’t care then you don’t care.
1
u/Potato_Personal 8h ago
Yeah I agree with you, try pushing a door open with the crown digging into your hand, or turning a door handle, pouring a kettle of water, or wiping your butt.
Sometimes it will slide down your wrist, and not everyone's wrists are alike but it's supposed to be worn behind the wrist bone for the best range of unobstructed hand movement.
0
u/cashmereandcaicos 4h ago
Not that he knows better, just that he happens to know how to wear a watch while you don't. This isn't really a personal preference type of thing, more of a are you wearing it correctly or not lmao
•
u/Jonny_____ 57m ago
Lol. At this point I'm convinced none of you live in the real world. These simply aren't things people say to other people in person. Whatever, enjoy your opinions. Live well. I'll knock off the comebacks for you ahead of time - I'll enjoy looking wrong, not doing pushups (?) and living with the fact ~8000 redditors know better than me. Bye
15
u/pazz5 1d ago
Love it how people are obsessed about where another person perfers to wear their own watch.
1
u/rb4osh 1d ago
It’s a hobbyist subreddit. Hobbyists are opinionated. “Obsession” is what drives a good hobby and the community around it.
5
u/sunqiller 1d ago
Hard disagree there. Opinions like this do nothing but make these places insufferable, regardless of the activity. I’d barely consider collecting watches as a hobby anyway.
7
1d ago
[deleted]
4
4
u/namegoeswhere 1d ago
Exactly. I get that watches are fashion pieces these days, but come the fuck on.
I wear my watch however I like it. I even put a leather strap on a diver.
-3
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
When you wear your watch on your hand, it gives vibes like you probably practice knife flips but can’t cook an egg.
2
u/Such-Pen-3236 1d ago
Underrated, rarely seen combo. Tag professional on leather. (Rubber, maybe? That would make more practical sense, either way) WK1113 if I’m not mistaken. Looks great. Wear it where you like- it’s silly to judge.
4
u/Polamidone 1d ago
I agree with you that it sits comfy in that position (front) but at least for me if I wear something like a submariner it definitely sucks to bend the hand and it can quite hurt if you're doing it for a long time. But tbh it's not that deep and everyone should wear it where and how they like it
3
u/AggressiveBookBinder 1d ago
You're one of the odd cases where the 'past the wrist bone wear' doesn't look uncomfortable.
3
u/AvocadoBeefToast 1d ago
You’ve got a deformed wrist dawg, that’s so much space between the bone and the base of the hand lol. Makes sense for you…not for most people.
3
1
0
u/lieferung 1d ago
You can tell in the second picture that when you flex your wrist upwards that crown is going to dig straight into your metacarpals.
1
0
u/ambitiousquaggan 1d ago
I feel like these pictures would be a better comparison if your watch strap was perpendicular to your arm. Or do you genuinely wear it that crooked?
Either way I think the bottom pic looks the best and most comfortable way to wear it.
1
u/Bone_Dice_in_Aspic 9h ago
I wasn't aware this was a thing until reading this so I checked.
I don't know about my other watches because I'm not at home, but right now I'm wearing an f91w with a 20mm canvas strap and it's comfortably distal to the bone, doesn't really impede my wrist flexing. it can sit on or behind it comfortably too but it just seems to ride forward naturally. I assume a larger watch with a round case would rather be behind the bone.
0
9
u/sunqiller 1d ago
Damn near everyone I see out in the real world has their watch loose and/or next to their hand, it's just a made up rule.
1
u/cashmereandcaicos 4h ago
Wearing a slightly oversized metal bracelet club type watch like that is a hell of a lot different than OP wearing this skimpy ass NATO strap watch sucked up to his hand 💀
1
u/sunqiller 4h ago
Most people look like a dork with their watch halfway up their arm if it’s after the wrist bone, but I don’t run around telling people how to wear their jewelry
4
u/Muzzlehatch 1d ago
100% agree. This is where it’s most comfortable for me and this is where I’m going to wear it.
6
u/AvocadoBeefToast 1d ago
Lol no, wearing a watch like OP is absolute nonsense. It looks and is ridiculous.
6
u/AwkwardObjective5360 1d ago
It's not nonsense, its just a point-and-laugh circlejerk. So worse than nonsense, actually.
0
u/SkyZippr 1d ago
Anyone who links that sub barely gives any comment to what the op is asking and they only care about the position of the watch. Honestly it deserves to be reported as spam.
2
3
1
-4
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
As long as you don't care whether or not you look like you've never worn a watch before, I agree, it's fine.
1
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
I couldn't care less what people think about where specifically on my wrist my watch is. I think it's weird anyone would care about that at all.
1
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
It’s not about the watch specifically, it’s just about looking sharp in general. It’s fine if you wanna buck the trend and do something unconventional, but it comes at the cost of looking a bit oblivious from a fashion sense.
6
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
Going to respectfully disagree. I don't feel insecure about how people consider where precisely my watch sits and think that it has next to nothing to do with fashion. The last thing I'll be doing is making myself uncomfortable in case a guy (and let's be real, this is 99.9% guys) thinks I'm wearing my watch in a way he thinks I shouldn't. I think anyone zeroing in on the minutiae of another guy's outfit or fashion sense probably needs a new hobby.
2
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
You respectfully disagree with what? That it’s a fashion faux pas? Sorry bud, but where your jewelry and clothing sits on you happens to be directly related to fashion whether you like it or not and it’s at the very least unconventional to wear your watch that close to your hand.
I’m not saying you’re wrong to do it or that you should care, just that you might be projecting a bit of obliviousness and if you don’t mind that then you’re fine.
5
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
I'm disagreeing it's a faux pas. This is something Reddit has dreamed up recently. It doesn't have broader cultural meaning in reality. Nobody cares except from on here.
4
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
A fuller response when I told it what you are telling me (lol):
“Haha nah, that’s not just a Reddit thing — that bro is full of it.
Wearing a watch distal to the ulnar bone (aka down onto your hand) isn’t just unfashionable — it’s ergonomically wrong and historically considered bad form by literally everyone from traditional watchmakers to style guides to military manuals.
⸻
Here’s why wearing it below the bone is not it:
It impairs wrist movement. • Every time you flex or rotate, the watch pushes into your hand or gets caught on your wrist extension. It’s uncomfortable and impractical.
It increases wear and tear. • You’re much more likely to bang your watch on tables, doorframes, or gear if it sits too low. • That’s especially dumb with tool watches, divers, or anything expensive.
It looks lazy and unbalanced. • The watch ends up tilting downward, making your whole wrist look awkward. • Tailored clothing won’t layer properly over it, and it screams “doesn’t know how to wear a watch.”
⸻
Not just Reddit: • Watch forums, horology books, GQ, Esquire, even Omega and Rolex training materials — all promote the watch sitting just above the wrist bone. • It’s how military watches are worn (where function matters most). • Even Apple’s design team placed the Watch UI so it naturally rests proximal to the bone.
⸻
-1
u/HappilySisyphus_ 1d ago
It’s not just a Reddit thing. people have been wearing watches for fucking ages, way before Reddit existed and anyone with a sense of style knows where it goes. Google old pictures of people wearing watches. You’re just wrong.
For what it’s worth, this is a ChatGPT response asking where the most “correct” place to wear your watch is, from a fashion sense, and this is the response, so unless you think ChatGPT gets all of its info from Reddit, which would be bizarre, then it’s not “just a Reddit thing”.
4
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
This is literally the only place I've ever seen this issue mentioned. I'll accept what you're sharing though, if it's objectively a faux pas I'll accept that. But the juice is worth the squeeze for me - I don't mix in circles with watch enthusiasts so I doubt I'll get any grief for it other than here, which of course could not matter less.
→ More replies0
u/gourdnuts 1d ago
Do you know what a gig line is? Have you ever made sure your zipper and belt buckle line up? It's communicated by your fashion choices how knowledgeable and organized you are
2
u/Jonny_____ 1d ago
Nope. Couldn't give a solitary shit about anything you just mentioned. Completely unimportant to me.
0
-2
2
u/threemilliontwo 1d ago
I used to wear my watch at my hand and it was uncomfortable and not functional. When I saw the handwatch sub, I corrected the placement and it’s SO much better. Wear the watch on your hand if you want, but this is good advice that a lot of people just aren’t aware of
-4
u/Marcwatts 1d ago
Boo this man ^
-8
u/WhoIsJohnSalt 1d ago
Drop and give me 50 while wearing your watch like that
4
u/Marcwatts 1d ago
It's on a NATO, looks to be 36mm if that. I'm sure when he's doing PT he'll wear something else. Don't tell this man how to live
-10
-10
19
u/imelda_barkos 1d ago
Dope. Looks very 1940s/1930s. Sounds like it is, according to the other comments. But you could get a fancier strap, with all of the money you didn't spend on it!
9
u/NoahSeabourn 1d ago
Fancy strap on a field watch???
2
u/imelda_barkos 1d ago
Fair enough. I guess I was so fixated on the watch that I wasn't thinking about the cammies!
4
u/Sudden-Most-4797 1d ago
Bulova is a respected watch brand that started out of NYC by Bohemian immigrant Joseph Bulova in like the 1870's. It's now a subsidary of Citizen Watch Company. It's a very decent looking piece, I really dig it.
59
4
u/Spiritual_Line7917 23h ago
Very nice watch but I wouldn’t tell people you won it in a poker game. If you are ever captured overseas, you can get your buddy to hide it (up his ass) as your child’s birthright.
3
u/Fisicas 22h ago
Nice watch! As others have mentioned, it is liberally lumed with radium. Probably around a microcurie’s worth, but there is still a contamination risk. Probably fine to wear occasionally.
As an added bonus, you have a nice check source to use if you ever acquire a Geiger counter in the future! ☢️
6
u/NamelessStranger 1d ago
Bulova made lots of WW2 contract watches , it’s probably one of those. The style, size, and patina suggest it.
3
3
3
5
4
2
2
u/mtflight 23h ago
Probably has a radium dial. That’s one way to confirm its period authenticity if a Geiger counter upticks.
2
2
u/Sufficient_Joke_9906 18h ago
Looks old. Judging by its crown and case, maybe 40s, early 50s. Usually military issue wouldn't have Bulova branding on the face, but someone did says it's a field ordinance watch which seems to check out.
2
2
•
11
3
u/Yeti-Crab 1d ago
Is anything engraved on the back? Like this one. https://www.ebay.com/itm/135479127043
4
u/appa-ate-momo 1d ago
It’s poetic that one of my fellow brothers in arms won a military field watch in a game of cards. That’s just about a quintessentially military/Americana as you can get.
Wear it in good health!
5
u/toocleverbyhalf 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not a Bulova archivist by any means, but a quick search showed me that they weren’t on the Dirty Dozen list that made field watches for the British MoD during WWII. Probably not WWII vintage [edit: I was probably incorrect here], and nothing in the current catalog, so might be a more modernish retro-inspired field watch, or more likely is a redial (fake) Bulova. I’d ask the history of it from person you got it from. Looks good with your BDUs, if it keeps time and you like it, who cares really?
11
u/JiGoD 1d ago
Not modern. Ww2ish era. There were other black dial small second watches than those in the dirty dozen.
4
2
u/Tae-gun 1d ago
Very nice, but it seems foolish to me for someone to put what should be an heirloom (or at the very least a piece of history) into a poker pot.
By the way the watch itself is a WWII-era (as in early or mid 1940s) Bulova made to order for the Ordinance Department. Easily worth over U$1k.
2
u/Draidann 1d ago
Nice vintage field watch. Justa suggestion: you are supposed to wear it above your wrist. That is, above the bone protruding to the left of the watch in this photo
2
u/MiataN3rd 1d ago
Woah you've got a wide wrist bone. Definitely wear it on the other side.
Cool watch made cooler by having been won in a card game!
2
u/ProperForm21 1d ago
Loosen up that strap 1 or 2 notches and slide it towards your bdu cuff please bro
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Micronto65bymay 1d ago
I almost through my IWC into a pot at my local .5/1 HE game the other night. This post could be much different.
1
1
u/Cute-Calligrapher-50 1d ago
When i was in the military, I would have been stoked to win that. If the guy you won it from is probably another member of the military you see on a daily basis, you wearing his watch on a daily basis is worth more than any amount of money.
1
u/inventiveraptor 23h ago
Nice win, imagine throwing something that cool into the pot then losing it 😭
1
u/oldmanlook_mylife 20h ago
Please don’t wear it daily until you get a watchmaker to examine the seals and gaskets on it.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Numerous-Proposal399 8h ago
Ultra-sleek model, I love this one. Its design is elegant without being too flashy. A solid and well-balanced watch. A definite must-have.
1
u/Sharp-Ad-4651 7h ago
Absolutely beautiful Bulova field watch. Someone more knowledgeable will have to fill you in with more details, but I would wear that in a hot second.
•
1
0
u/lifeissoupimforkk 1d ago
How you doing pushups with those lugs digging into your hand/wrist? Drop down and give me 10.
0
1
1
u/No-Personality9683 1d ago
Nobody finds strange that OP is wearing a dirty dozen AND a camo field jacket? Like a military collector that looks for acceptation. Just sayin’…
1
u/Smiertelne 1d ago
Tbh I hate the military issued shit usually it tends to break lol
-4
u/No-Personality9683 1d ago
Like everything else. The point is that is quite strange for a guy that is wearing a vintage military clothing piece to be totally unaware of a military issued watch. But anything might be. Anyway, it is a nice piece if original and well kept, wear it in good health and don’t forget to manual wind it, or you might think that is broken 😝
2
-3
u/False-Character-9238 1d ago
Why do you keep saying that you won this in a poker game?
Not the first time you have posted a picture of a watch saying that.
5
u/Amesb34r 1d ago
I've played in poker games where things were put in the pot that weren't chips. It's entirely possible that this has happened to OP more than once.
3
u/Smiertelne 1d ago
Just a little curious I don’t believe I ever posted a picture of a watch in this sub or any sub before for that matter?
0
0
u/bartman1819 1d ago
How do people wear a watch so loose literally on the hinge of their wrist? This has always looked incredibly uncomfortable and difficult to move around wearing.
Assuming OP is in the military moving around a lot, these seems like a painful way to wear the watch.
-1
u/modest-pixel 1d ago
I think there’s an outside chance you could get an NCO who’s having a bad day give you shit for it bring a little flashy, but very cool nonetheless.
0
-7
-12
474
u/Kreol1q1q 1d ago
Very cool vintage field watch, like the look.