Bang for your buck

Introduced in 1962 Caravelle was aimed at the lower price point market for watches and jewelry. Bulova saw a need to capitalise on the affordable watch market without devaluing the Bulova brand. They quickly became America’s best-selling jewellery brand.

They took an interesting approach by producing jewelled movements at the same price as inferior non-jewelled watches. They took great pride in this as shown in their marketing materials.

We discovered in the previous article about jewels in watches – they improve the longevity of the watch and provide a smoother more consistent running.

Budget and costs are always relative – if we use an inflation calculator to work out the cost of $11 watch from 1963 in today’s money – it roughly works out to be about $90. I much prefer to work on a percentage of monthly wage as this highlights the importance of goods and services comparable to earnings rather than the fiscal value of money.

The average monthly US salary in 1963 was $367 which would mean a watch like this would equate to just under 3% of your monthly wage. In 2018 the average monthly US salary was $4,333 – 3% of that is $129. You could grab yourself a pretty decent quartz watch from a lower-end brand for that sort of money. However, it doesn’t stretch to a decent mechanical – but in 1963 it could!

I always think the best way to compare costs is how much a pint of beer is or was. But I don’t always trust American beer and I think there’s a problem with American pints being about 113 ml too small. So we’re gonna leave it there.

Back in 1963, a watch was a necessity, today it’s a luxury item. These really were low-price heroes.

Cheap Champions

Among the modest offerings from Caravelle, there were some real gems that were clearly oozing Bulova DNA. Using the same waterproofing technology as in other devil divers from the 60s – Caravelle released the Sea Hunter 41585. This manual wind diving watch is complete with a bezel and 666 ft of water resistance.

The name really invokes images of braving the ocean and tackling the swell and waves with your trusty timepiece companion. These Sea Hunters currently command the highest prices in the marketplace – I find this interesting as they produced some funky and colourful automatic divers with extra day and date complications which would in my opinion be more desirable! Perhaps it’s because of the simple dial design – or maybe because if you prize the bezel off it looks like a Rolex Explorer… but we don’t do that around here.

Bold. Brawny. For men.

Sounds like an advert for a Yorkie chocolate bar. This fantastic Canadian advert for the Caravelle Sea Hunter really shows off the rugged accessibility of their new watch. This advert also features model 49482 – the automatic variant with a full coffin stainless stretch link bracelet.

What I find interesting in this advert is that the bezel in the photo on the bottom left isn’t even lined up correctly on the marketing material! Also, you can see that chick’s dig watches as that woman has literally bent that bloke’s hand off to check out his sick new Caravelle watch.

“For aggressive men, some of whom are out of their element in water… landlovers who specialise in superficial maneuvers. Those men who dish it out wear a watch that can take it. This “Sea Hunter” by Caravelle is such a timepiece… solid, sporty and bold… for men of that stride. But if you like water and mermaids are your type, jump in. The Sea Hunter is a true amphibian.”

I seriously hurt my eyes deciphering what was written in that advert – there’s a high chance it’s not perfect. Are mermaids your type?

To keep costs to a minimum Caravelle watches used bought in movements from manufacturers such as ETA and Citizen.

• The manual wind Sea Hunter features a 17-jewel Bulova 11DP which is a modified Citizen 0241 running at 18000 BPH
• The automatic Sea Hunter features a 21-jewel Bulova 11UPACD which is a modified ETA 2874 running at 18000 BPH

What was a budget version from Caravelle now enters the vintage market boxing ring at the same level as high-end Bulova items. It’s an impressive change over time – but these simpler, crisper designs and reliable bought-in movements have gained the trust of collectors.

It is however very easy to pick up the slightly less known models for cheap. You get Bulova-level quality control and exceptional restrained design and style.

1967 Caravelle Watch – an actual value proposition

Here’s a great example of affordable vintage style in stunning condition. This 1967 Caravelle watch featuring a Bulova 11ODC manual wind movement is in superb condition with no loss of the 10-micron plate on any facets.

I’ve yet to clean or detail this watch – so appreciate the grime around the crystal and under the lugs. I will be cleaning this off and I am sure this will become a great dress watch.

This piece has obviously been used a lot as the dirt suggests a fair amount of use – but the quality of the gold plate and unblemished crystal suggest it has been treated with respect and care throughout its service.

These more budget lines of watches receive a reduced amount of gold plating. An equivalent Bulova of the time is more likely to have closer to 60 microns plate to provide a thicker gold covering and will wear considerably better. I know that some Omega gold caps slap on 240 microns of gold to provide that lustre and high-quality finish. The fact this case looks in great shape other than a few small bumps on the bezels makes it quite the rarity!