Bulova Lone Eagle

[jrwerner57]

Here is a couple pics of my Bulova Lone eagle. The case and enamal are in very nice shape. It has the 1924 patent date in the inside of the case. it also has an "open nine" on the dial. the downside is that the movement is not the original. it has currently a 16j that dates from 1924. I do have the orginal movement; it dates from 1927. the orginal movement had the pallet frok missing from it i believe. Now it is in parts. i wanted the 16j movement to be used as a parts donor but the watchmaker just swapped movements. the watch runs and stops. it never ran right after i got it cleaned. Do you guys think i should have it fixed up? Should i leave the movement alone or try to find a good 17j one from 1927?

[GeneJockey]

If the original movement CAN BE fixed, I'd do that. Second choice is to find the same movement from the same year and use that. Third choice is the age-inappropriate 16j movement.

DEFINITELY worth fixing!

EDIT: I checked into Lone Eagles at mybulova.com, and it looks like there was an initial run of 5000, as well as later runs. If the movement serial number is in that group of 5000, then the original movement would be much more valuable than any swap-in, even an age- and model-correct swap.

[RJ007]

That is one super watch!

I blew up the photos so everyone can see just how cool it is.

An all original watch is always best IMO. With something this special, (if you can do the investment)
it is very cool to get the proper, period correct movement. It may take some time to find it,
but worth it for sure. I have searched for years for the perfect dial, movement or even case for
a particular watch, but the feeling of getting it all together is really cool.
Now this is just my 2 cents, and others may not agree.

[NOLA]

What is an open 9 exactly?

[adam78]

What is an open 9 exactly?

Well, you can see that it isn't closed...

[SeanO]

What a fantastic watch.

you MUST get the movement in it fixed and working again.

then get a nice strap and wear the bejeepers out of it.

[jrwerner57]

Alright thanks for the replies guys. I do have the orginal movement it is in parts in a parts container. Who do you guys recommend have fix it up?

[RJ007]

You may see a couple of guys who trust Jesse around here
(Omega 564)

[Valtyr]

I'm one of Jesse's loyal customers too!

[Ham X Guy]

I second the guys that say "fix it"!

This was a very important watch for Bulova as they tried to break into the fledgling airline industry of the late 20's. Some reports say that Lindburgh wore this watch on his famous flight crossing the Atlantic, but others say that he didn't. Either way, it is an important piece of history and it really put Bulova on the map...