The Facts:
Year/Make/Model: 1951 Bulova 1917-H
Reference: 7197108
Case size (excluding crown): 31.3mm
Case material: Parkerized steel
Movement: 15 jewel US-made Bulova 10BM
Bands: Genuine WWII era service bands
The Bulova 1917-H was the US military-issue infantry watch during the Korean War. It utilized a non-reflective Parkerized stainless steel case with a dust cover, gasket, and screwdown caseback. The heavy spade and whip style hands are oversized for low visibility conditions and are made of durable blued steel. The case (31.3mm excluding the crown) is in very good condition for a watch that's very likely seen action. The dial has a unique patina that is well-preserved beneath the original crystal.
The caseback is original, not a field replacement, and has light wear for a service watch. Inside, the gasket and dust cap are present and in excellent condition. The U.S.-made 10BM movement is absolutely pristine. The serial number is 16592; the watch date was based on the first digit of the serial number as the cases had no date code. This was ordered by the US Dept of Defense in 1951 under order A7198010 for the Korean War, a cool bit of US military history! The watch has been serviced and regulated in positions and is highly accurate, with a healthy amplitude as you'd expect.
The 1917-H comes with genuine WWII era service bands from the American Strap Co. of NYC. This is by far one of the finest Korean War-era military watches I've had the pleasure of servicing and it is going to make one lucky collector very happy indeed!
Please note that all mechanical watches, including automatics, require occasional winding in order to function properly. The watch will be well packaged and shipped out within one business day and tracking information is always included. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask prior to purchase and I'll reply promptly. Thank you for looking and have a great day!