Crystal
Spaceview crystal with printed chapter ring
ProbableOn a Spaceview there is no dial, so the hour markers are printed on the underside of the crystal instead. That makes the crystal a functional part of the watch's identity — and, because reproduction Spaceview crystals are freely available, the enabling component of the conversion problem.
Part reference
- Brand
- Bulova
- Material
- Acrylic with printed hour markers on the underside
- Introduced
- 1960
Documented variations
Classification
FactoryDocumented as shipped from the factory for this reference and period.PeriodNot original to this watch, but correct for its production period.ServiceFitted by the manufacturer's own service network. Not a defect.AftermarketThird-party part. Affects originality, not authenticity.ModifiedGenuine parts in a configuration the factory did not sell. Affects originality and value, not authenticity.CounterfeitDeceptive reproduction intended to pass as genuine.UnknownEvidence on file does not settle the question.Period crystal on a catalogued Spaceview
FactoryProbableWhole production
Age-appropriate acrylic with period printing, on a model that appears in the documented list of factory Spaceviews. The combination of the crystal and the model listing is what supports a factory attribution; neither does it alone.
Modern reproduction crystal
AftermarketProbableWhole production
Freely available and entirely legitimate as a replacement on a genuine Spaceview whose original crystal has crazed. Also what a conversion requires. The crystal therefore proves nothing on its own — but a pristine modern crystal on an otherwise heavily worn 1960s watch is consistent with a recent conversion and worth noting alongside the model listing.
Spaceview-marked crystal in a size Bulova never made
CounterfeitProbableWhole production
The most useful conversion test found so far, and a better one than the model list. Modern reproduction crystals carrying Accutron markings are made in sizes that fit NON-Spaceview 214 cases — sizes Bulova never produced as Spaceviews. A period conversion could not have used them because they did not exist, so a Spaceview-marked crystal in such a size dates the conversion to the modern era and identifies it as one. The check is dimensional rather than cosmetic, which is why it survives a well-executed conversion that defeats visual inspection.
Documented on these references
- Bulova Accutron SpaceviewFactory
Whole production
Necessary but not sufficient. Check the model against the documented list of catalogued Spaceviews — the crystal is available to anyone.
Provenance of this record
Sources & Evidence
Bulova collector databases of period catalogues, date codes and model listings
Bulova collector communities
- Accessed
- 2026-08-19
Cited for
Last verified: Not yet reviewed