We have a penchant for vintage watches here at The Time Bum. Be they legitimate antiques or new pieces in a reimagined retro-style, you can be sure that we will want to take a good look. Personally, I like it when a brand reaches back into the archives to faithfully replicate a vintage model, like the new Accutron Legacy Collection. I sampled a model 2SW6A002 for this review, based on the 1966 model 565, and was blown away at how well it channeled the spirit of the original. So put some Dave Brubeck on the hi-fi, settle into your Eames Lounge chair, and let me tell you why you need this piece in your collection.
I’ll just start by saying this is a beautiful watch. Likely, the first thing to catch your eye will be its size. It measures just 34mm wide, 40.6mm long, and just 12.6mm thick — just as it should. Too many revivals and reissues have been ruined by upsizing. Moreover, this isn’t a diver’s tool or pilot’s instrument, it’s a dress watch. It should be discreet and understated. It should disappear behind your French cuffs until you are in need of its services. It should whisper elegance, not shout vulgarity. The Accutron does just that.
This is not to say that the watch is some kind of a wallflower. The case is a striking, asymmetrical cushion with the top left and bottom right corners rounded out to flow into their respective lugs; a fabulous, oblong, cross-hatch engraving stretches across the surface from corner to corner; and, the whole thing is mirror polished. Above it, towers a sapphire box crystal. Lending to the off-kilter effect is a 4 o’clock crown. Or should I say, 4 o’clock-ish. Maybe more like 3:45. Regardless, it is signed with a recessed, embossed tuning fork logo.
The 565’s squarish shape, tall dome, and thick lugs (well, two of them anyway), give the Accutron a touch more wrist presence than its diminutive dimensions suggest, but not so much that it loses track of its purpose. I’m sure it was a striking design back in the swinging 60s and more importantly, it still looks sharp today. It was perfect on my 6.75″ wrist and is small enough that it could easily serve as a women’s watch too.
In contrast to the eccentric case, the face is fairly sedate although still brimming with charming details. We have a minute track that steps down to a silver sunray dial, with applied polished markers. A tuning fork marks 12; there are darts for 3, 6, and 9; and double bars for the rest. The Accutron brand name is also applied and like the makers, is impressively tall. Faceted Dauphine hands are long enough that the hour nearly kisses the inner edges of the markers and the minute hand covers them.
Turn out the lights and – what’s this? Lume? Yes, the Accutron 565 is one of those few dress watches designed by folks who understand that people wear these things at night. Huzzah! Now, it’s not exactly dive watch lume (the hour pips are quite small after all) but the hands will definitely do the trick when the lights get low. I, for one, could not be happier.
Vintage watch aficionados will recall that Bulova’s Accutron brand created the world’s first fully electronic watch in 1960. At the time, the electrostatic marvel was the most accurate timekeeping mechanism ever created. Accurate-Electronic, get it? So with this legacy in mind, it was a real treat to flip the 565 over and peer through the display window at … a Sellita SW200?
Yes, friends. The Accutron has a Swiss automatic movement. If you want circuitry in your Accutron, you will need to look at their Spaceview 2020 and Accutron DNA Collections, which are very different (and at 45mm wide, frankly huge) watches. I’ll admit it, I was surprised and a little bummed by this. Can it really be an Accutron if it doesn’t even have a battery? Maybe not, but I had to ask myself if I would still care if it were sold as a Bulova instead and I must confess, the answer is no. Hell, I’d be downright tickled that it has a 26-jewel, 28.8k Swiss engine humming inside. Let’s just appreciate it for what it is.
The 565’s strap is an appropriately formal black, croc-print leather secured by a signed deployant clasp. Is it me, or does the gold printing on the inside make it seem like even more of a throwback?
I wholeheartedly recommend the Accutron Legacy 565. It is a stunning design, beautifully executed. Yet for as much as I enjoyed the 565, it is not the only Accutron Legacy. There are 12 watches in the collection, each based on an original 60s-70s classic and limited to 600 individually numbered pieces. Prices range from $1,290 to $1,450. The 565 is $1,390. Looking for a gold-tone case, a field watch dial, or maybe a chunky tonneau, each recreated in all their mid-century glory? Accutron has got you covered. See the whole collection at AccutronWatch.com.⬩
