Bulova, the iconic American watch brand, recently partnered with Analog/Shift, curator, and re-seller of the world’s most coveted vintage timepieces, as well as their neo-vintage lifestyle digital magazine SHIFTed, to celebrate the watchmaker’s Archive Series collection. The multi-part media collaboration was designed to launch a worldwide vote to determine which fan-favorite vintage timepiece from the famous archives would be reissued next.
The partnership kicked off on October 12th at SHIFTed’s premiere launch event at an iconic vintage venue in New York City. Throughout the evening, VIP collectors and watch enthusiasts were invited to vote among three vintage pieces to determine which Bulova archived timepiece would be unveiled next year. Voters selected among the 1972 Oceanographer “Devil Diver”, the 1970 Bull-Head Chronograph and the 1970 Surf-Board Chronograph A. Voting continued following the event and through November via Bulova’s microsite, votebulova.com, and the campaign was promoted aggressively across each platform’s social media channels inviting watch collectors to play a part in making history.
Over the past couple of years, Bulova has reached into their extensive archives to revive some of the brand’s most iconic timepieces. In 2016, Bulova unveiled its first introduction into their Archive Series collection, the Lunar Pilot Chronograph, inspired by the timepiece worn on August 2, 1971 for the historic Apollo 15 mission. Earlier this year, the brand reintroduced the ‘Stars and Stripes’ Chronograph C, which defined an era of modernism during the space-age explorations. Perfectly replicating the brand’s most nostalgic designs while infusing modern elements, the Archive Series is the ultimate celebration of Bulova’s history of firsts.
This year, and through the partnership with Analog/Shift and SHIFTed, the brand is pleased to announce the reissue of the 1972 Oceanographer, known in its time as the “Devil Diver.” After year’s of supplying waterproof and accurate timepieces to the U.S. military, the unique piece was designed for diving conditions, wrapping snuggly around a diver’s wrist and featuring a rotating bezel with black and red detail. The timepiece earned its nickname “Devil Diver” when the brand famously printed “666 feet” on the original dial referring in Imperial system terms to the depth that the timepiece could withstand underwater and breaking with the conformity of the traditional 200m used by Swiss watchmakers.
The timepiece will officially launch in March 2018 at Baselworld, the world’s largest watch and jewelry show held in Basel, Switzerland each spring. At the same time, a Limited Edition version will launch with a special orange dial and will be limited to 666 pieces.
As a special tribute to serious vintage collectors who are devotees of Analog/Shift, 30 watches produced from the Limited Edition model will have personalized casebacks featuring the A/S logo and will be offered with an additional uniquely-designed nato-strap. ⬩
