Bulova Computron Driver's Watch (Gold)

For driving with one hand on the wheel

Description:

The Bulova driver's watch is all about style - 70's style.

1977 Bulova Computron Advertisement

The stated purpose for the side mounted LED display is that it is tilted in such a way that a driver could view the time directly without taking his hands off the steering wheel of a car.

This is clearly silly for an LED watch since the driver would need to take the other hand off the wheel to push the button. Then again, if you are driving in circumstances that are too hectic to permit taking a hand off the wheel for even a moment, then perhaps you should be concerned about more pressing matters than the time.

1977 Bulova Computron Advertisement

For many decades, hoards of wristwatch marketing people have done their best to convince us (not without some measure of success) that there is a need for special watches tailored to various testosterone exhibiting activities such as driving cars, flying airplanes, manning yachts, or conducting covert special ops missions. You could argue that a dedicated driving watch is no more silly than these others. I like to think of the LED driver's watch as a fashion statement expressing a deep appreciation and fondness for the deeply impractical, the hare-brained, and the ironic.

The sideview design was adopted by a few other watch manufacturers including the innovative Synchronar and the very highly sought after (and extremely expensive) Girard Perregaux "Casquette" models.

Condition:

Case: Excellent.
The watch case is in very good, almost mint condition with only a few tiny nicks on the case. There is a bit of engraving on the case back which tells the date that it was purchased (1977).

Face / Hands: Excellent.
All LED digits and segments are complete and very bright.

Crystal: Excellent.
The red crystal was replaced with a "new old stock" one which is completely smooth and free of any scratches or scuffs. .

Band / Bracelet: Very good.
The original bracelet is in very good condition with only minor signs of wear. It is highly polished and rather comfortable.

Function / Accuracy: Very good.
All functions work perfectly. The display is very bright and contrasty. The watch keeps good time, as almost all quartz watches do, but over the course of about a month, it will tend to run about a minute or so slow.