Accurate to a T

When you are talking about an industry as old as clockmaking, it’s quite difficult to completely revolutionize the foundations it is built upon. Accutron, however, did just that in 1960 when it introduced the world’s first fully electronic watch with a tuning fork that vibrated at 360 hertz and that was accurate to within two seconds a day. While mechanical watchmaking then was still in high demand, the accuracy and ease of use provided by electronic watches shifted consumer demand and shook the very core of the horological world.

In 1962, Bulova introduced the Accutron Astronaut, based on the 214 movement that had a second time zone hour hand and hacking function, and a 24-hour rotating bezel. It was the only watch in the Accutron series that was based on the 214HN caliber, widely regarded by collectors to be the ultimate Accutron movement. Operationally, the second hour hand could not be set independently of the other hands, but instead relied on the owner turning the outer bezel to set the correct second time zone time.