"Restoring History: Repairing the Vintage WWII Bulova A11 Military Watch

In this video Mike takes on a small but mighty watch a Bulova A11. This watch is only 30mm in diameter yet it was commissioned by the American military for WW2. Watch had to be legible, a good quality movement 16 jewels or more, it had to have 10 minute scale on the dial for timings and most importantly it had to be hackable. This was so the troops could all synchronise their watches which was of the upmost importance.
Watch as Mike carefully unravels the years on the Bulova to get to the cause if its failure to run and show you how he takes on the challenge of cleaning and repairing this piece to keep good time again preserving this significant piece in military horological history.
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About me:
My name is Mike and I am a hobbyist watchmaker. I am completely self-taught in watch repair and restoration. My channel is all about my journey of hobbyist of watchmaking. I have watch repair tutorials, watch restorations and watch repair videos. Some of my content you can easily follow along to if you are working on the same watch movement. My main focus is to document my journey and inspire more people into this wonderful hobby and demonstrate that this hobby can be very rewarding. I do not profess to be a professional watchmaker and in my videos, I show all my mistakes, mishaps, highs and lows and keep everything as honest as possible. It is easy to edit all the mistakes out and make my videos look perfect but I believe that keeping it real reflects the true reality of this hobby. So what are you waiting for? please check out my watch repair and restoration videos, get inspired and start your own watchmaking journey.
#watchrepair #watchrestoration #watchmaking

[@gerryodonnell321]

Just looking over the video again, The second pinion was attached to the cover plate when removed when it cuts away. It must have dropped off unnoticed between the movement and the storage container. Losing this is the best way to ruin your day - glad you found it

[@Solhanne1969]

You can see it escaping to the left for a frame or two.

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@gerryodonnell321 thanks. I watched that many times and some of the uncut footage but I could not see it! Either way was so relieved to find it .

[@johnhaddock373]

Great to see one of these being refurbished. My 101 year old father still has his RAF issue Bulova with the original A11 markings overstamped by RAF 6B/234 markings. He was a navigator with Coastal Command and might be amused to hear your comment about hacking. Once I said to him something like "I guess it was very important to have your watches synchronized so that you could arrive over the target at the right time". His response was that in practice they were lucky if they got over the target within 10 minutes of each other! One turn of the winder is enough to make it start ticking and I don't think it's ever been fully serviced. It's been demagnetised and at one stage a small speck of dirt was removed from the movement (by a watchmaker who didn't charge for doing it!) but that's about as close as it's got to being properly cleaned/serviced. Dad only wears it very occasionally now but it'll keep going for a day. Keep up the good work.

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@johnhaddock373 wow that’s really nice story, I’d still recommend getting the watch serviced at some point. 80 years of running it’s important to keep the movement clean and fresh oil. You would not run a car that long and a watch in theory runs 24/7 year by year unassisted . With your double stamps it would make yours more prised, not that it’s something you would ever sell.

[@williamfavata3922]

You should be on TV. What an entertaining video. Your patience is abundant.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thank you. Closest I got was being on "Would I Lie to You" this year and even then I didnt speak!

[@brieeloise2618]

Love the final look, the patina is beautiful!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Its showing how much of a life it has had. watch is from 1943 and I think for most of the years after production this watch has been worn on a daily basis. probably until it finally stopped. It earned its rest but I have again woken it up for another few decades with luck.

[@brieeloise2618]

@@MyRetroWatches I think that's noble, in this throw away society, to have a passion to preserve and repair rather than consume and toss

[@csspinner]

I loved this video! I can definitely relate to the sentiment around going to bed happy after achieving a milestone in the repair process. Sometimes I refuse to sleep until I have a breakthrough on whatever I’m troubleshooting, and I really have to peel myself away from the bench. Very very nice outcome on this one. The worn case looks great in my opinion as it’s worn pretty evenly all around. - Chris

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@csspinner thanks Chris. I’m often at the bench 1am knowing I am up at 7:30 for work! If I can’t fix or leave ahead of the game I end up thinking about it all day before I can get back to the bench. The patina on this one makes it much more interesting.

[@stephaneedy8255]

Thank you Mike for showing us that hell of a battle... and stunning result 👌

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@stephaneedy8255 thanks

[@LifeOfATinkerer]

Beautiful work, Mike. I think it's fascinating how much of a difference the new strap and polished crystal makes. Suddenly the case, to me, seems to have character instead of just being beat up. Really a beautiful result. Thank you for bringing it back to life.

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@LifeOfATinkerer thanks. The patina adds to the charm on this one , proved that someone wore it daily for many decades.

[@WristwatchWorkshop]

Big fan of both 40s Bulovas and the A-11s and the dirty dozens as you know. This one came together well, and I'm 100% with you on keeping the condition as it is. It's part of the story of the watch. Imho it still holds up against the modern homages.

[@clivejameson9033]

Another great save Mike 👏👍

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks Clive.

[@SkyBlue-le7cd]

Wonderful result. Thanks for the video. Love vintage Bulova watches. Best.

[@WatchRestorationCottage]

Nice work Mike. I was curious to see whether the ultrasonic would've loosened the hour wheel, but alas, for the next one! The watch cleaned up beautifully and the movement looks stunning. I also like the patina. You can at least imagine that it's real battle scars, even if it never saw real battle time! 😉. Thanks for sharing the wonderful restoration work.

[@davidstewart3868]

Beautiful restoration, well done!

[@dsb1763]

Hi Mike, I was yelling at the screen that second hand “axle” had fallen under the holder and later on that you had forgotten to put it on (my mistake there). 🤣🤣 I love the watch and you did a fantastic job on it. In the comparisons, the homage ones really mess up on the crown. Big, sharp and chunky makes it look like it was stamped out of raw steel and not polished like the original. Just cheap knockoffs is the message I am getting from that. Cheers 🍻

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@dsb1763 Thanks. Seems many of you saw the pinion but I didn’t even watching it back in edit!

[@WrightsW5]

Nice watch, great result, and good strap colour. I probably said it a few times before, but 30mm, proper traditional man's size, I'd wear it without a second thought.

[@getwhtugiv]

Well done Mike!

[@oengelen3720]

Another outstanding video - can’t recommend your videos highly enough! What an interesting watch you got back to life. Great craftsmanship and really helpful explanations. Thank you!

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@oengelen3720 thank you for your compliment always keeps me motivated to make more videos

[@mltrymn1213]

Fantastic work, Mike! I love these older Bulova movements. It's straightforward and fairly simple to work on. Your comment about not messing with the hairspring until you've had some proper practice is spot on! I have made that mistake myself, and I can confirm that more practice was needed. Especially when working on smaller movements. Thanks again for the video!

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@mltrymn1213 thanks. I still don’t like hairsprings but have enough hand control to handle them safely enough .

[@chrisorcutt7619]

Mike that was a dirty little critter. You handled it just like pro. I enjoy you so much. Thanks. I am just about to start my first watch just waiting to get all the right tools rounded up.

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@chrisorcutt7619 good luck. Keep patient and take lots of photos. It’s difficult at first but once you get some control and confidence with your tweezers the rest will come. Buy a decent pair of tweezers like Dumont. £20+. Sounds a lot but it’s the one tool you use the most. I’ve used Dumont 00 hi tech for years , same pair for 5 years at least . Never looked back once I bought them .

[@babelman1]

what a lovely old piece, great video.really enjoyed watching it. More please..

[@Mars-zgblbl]

Great microphotography, Mike! The clear depth of field makes a difference. And nice work on the service. One thing your videos really help us learners with is the precautions you take with disassembly and reassembly to avoid breaking parts. Would love to see more about precautions, hint hint. I’m with you on case sizes: it’s downright irritating to have fashion dictated to us, and who really wants to wear a chromed hockey puck on their wrist? 2:21 Movement wobbles. Were many vintage Bulova movements poorly supported inside their cases? I’ve had this issue with a few. 12:00 have you tried small amounts of lighter fluid to free up parts? The fluid can be delivered with tweezers directly to the part, like an old fashioned ruling pen to get under bridges and cocks having no slot for a screwdriver, and alongside alignment posts 38:16 I’ve deliberately vandalized movements by scribing an extra line each side of the slot of left hand screws. In 50 to 100 years, that next guy will be someone very unusual and deserves a polite warning. 45:20 I’ve seen some Bulovas scratched up, online and in my collection. Either the metal plate was sometimes soft, or someone’s cleaning method was violent.

[@amphibiousone7972]

A watchmaker once taught me to remove the pallet fork and make adjustments to center the impulse jewel between the banking pins. Usually that gets you in close to a low beat error. It is less risky, mostly because you have to make fewer intrusive moves IMHO. I do enjoy watching .

[@dh4521]

Do you mean that you turn the collet with the impulse jewel, with the balance in situ, rather than remove and split the balance assembly?

[@keithschwartz7318]

Nice restoration on an old soldier. I thought the A11’s had a one piece case and a split stem. You remove the movement from the front after removing the stem, crown and crystal.

[@home-dp6oh]

I believe the "dust cover" was actually more used to prevent magnetism. I've seen something similar on wrist watches used for RR service for the same reason.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thats a good point, I have seen antimagnetic covers before too.

[@greendomeno6]

Great stuff Mike, love the old bulovas!

[@robertjordan7323]

Nice job Mike. That was a challenge!

[@andyfletcher1214]

That was one of my favourite videos, Mike 👍 .... it was inspiring. Thanks for sharing it

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@andyfletcher1214 thanks Andrew. Appreciate that.

[@williambailey8757]

Nice work Mike!

[@Vintage_Pocket_Watch]

Well done! It's really worth restoring...

[@ivanhoe6366]

Very nice watch. Love it. Nice work.

[@ruperthartop7202]

Great video Mike, well done. Thanks for sharing

[@michaelbell9811]

Excellent video and work. I love these A11s and I’m trying to get hold of an original myself.

[@MikeB_UK]

This one was really interesting to watch because of its age and the rather gummed up condition. You did a brilliant job. I thought you made a great call by leaving it in a 'as used' condition. The case is so battered it would have been really interesting to know what its owner did. I guess something quite manual. Love your work.

[@mikebruegger8654]

The case actually looks pretty cool like that. Nice and rough. Amplitude could be caused by the 52°angle input which may be different or maybe barrel pivot holes are worn. Overall great to watch and listen to you. Fantastic sweep pivot find!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks, I still might service it again and see if the amp comes up. When all the cameras are in the way I dont think I am as thorough as I would be off camera due being obstructed visually . Finding the pivot was a relief and wore my knees out !

[@Bristol1]

Glad to see this one running again! Good job bringing this back to life. Cheers!

[@tedblack2415]

Well done , the classic line that had me lol regarding the hairspring tampering "It'll end in tears " , as funny as it was ... never a truer word spoken .

[@etebol]

Great video. Smaller than 36mm I feel like I am wearing a kids watch, but a beautiful watch indeed.

[@user-xu7qi8vs6x]

Bloody awesome ❤

[@Supercruze]

What a cool project. Very nice service and restoration. A treasure for someone to enjoy going forward. Well done.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thank you very much!

[@Van_Der_Lay_Industries]

Looks great. Nice inspiration for me as I get started in the hobby.

[@davidhammond9336]

Great job Mike, nothing wrong with this size watch, looks fantastic. Love these Military watches, how good is it to have a piece of history like a A11 Bulova. Love the dial so legible to read time even at 30mm. Your patience getting the Banking pins correct removing the hair spring etc, well done.

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@davidhammond9336 thank you David. Your right. It’s very legible for its small size but that was one of the compulsory requirements . This one has stood up to the test of time really well.

[@s34cea75]

Great video and great piece!

[@ghassanalkanaan512]

You really did a very good job .l really enjoyed this video .Thank you so much .

[@johnmc3562]

Great Video Mike! Really enjoyed it!

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@johnmc3562 thank you

[@simonmellor781]

Great Video Mike. I really enjoyed it. Thanks !!!

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thank you Simon, you will remember this one from when I bought it.

[@nickjames205]

Love A-11s in my mind they are the perfect watch

[@MyRetroWatches]

They certainly are a nice practical watch but i was able to handle a Gruen Dirty Dozen only yesterday and I fell in love with it a much bigger watch but full of charm.

[@kimbedworth2991]

Thank you for this fantastic video. I’m learning so much from you. Happy 😃

[@grahams8468]

Looks great 👍

[@ErvinSalma]

MAGNIFICENT work Mike!

[@warmandfuzzy6985]

Thanks again for a great video,

[@clivewiddall3430]

You got it running that in itself is an achievement

[@rossjackson3670]

Thank you Mike. My mentor. I'm just beginning my hairspring adjustment journey. Great video.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Good luck. I am still rubbish at that.

[@kenlawrence3007]

Excellent images with the new microscope - amazing detail!

[@hichembouhlel2825]

Amazing video , thank you for sharing .

[@MyRetroWatches]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@MohhmadAaman]

Excellent night time video thanks

[@andyyoung3233]

Very nice Mike, I do like those watches. Andy UK.

[@kevinstenner8836]

Very interesting keep up the good work. Beginner like me had ago at beat error using a balance tack ended up messing up the hairspring.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Looks great :) Great job!

[@WristwatchMedic1953]

A great video Mike. The watch turned out really good. I enjoyed watching. Thanks Mike

[@tonyscott7989]

Great video once more Mike . The quailty of the close ups is next level. Come a long way from your earlier video which all good too. Can you provide a link where to source the pivot polishing pens you use. Cheers T.

[@MyRetroWatches]

You need a cousins account. www.cousinsuk.com/search?searchTerm=Pivot%20polisher

[@whatsstefon]

Nice work mate. The sole service looks like it was previously done by a monkey. So many scratches. The result has come out well considering the age, the condition, and the original state of having so much seized up. You've done well mate. Thank you for the effort of recording another cracking video.

[@phil29681]

Wonder how many times that watch has been apart. What did they use on it, a hammer and chisel? So many scratches!

[@darrencheshire8546]

I agree, it turned out fantastic. It shows it age well ! Thanks for another great upload. Keep safe buddy

[@MyRetroWatches]

Thanks 👍

[@Sestorema]

Puoi usare un po' di liquido sbloccante, piuttosto che forzare la ruota bloccata. Un grande restauro per un orologio meraviglioso 👍🙂

[@excdracmagyarszarnyak2398]

It is really funny: I have just thought about the last evening what about with your A11, when we see the repairing video. I wish all my wishes could come true such a way! :) You made a great job again. It is nealrly magic. A11 is my favourite, it was good to see it to come to life again. The end result.... I can not able to find words. Thank you for this amazing video!

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@excdracmagyarszarnyak2398 there you go! Been kicking around far too long this watch. Pleased with the result.

[@jamessmith6402]

Thanks Mike excellent video 👍

[@MyRetroWatches]

Cheers

[@JoseReyes-jt6ob]

Quedo muy original y con una vista increíble excelente trabajo. Salú2 desde Puebla México.

[@MyRetroWatches]

gracias Senor.

[@dh4521]

Great job Mike Did you have to straighten the centre seconds pinion shaft or can you get way with manipulating the seconds hand during the final stages of the reassembly?

[@kermitefrog64]

What solvent do you use when the gears are frozen? I know what to do on a automobile but PB Blaster maybe to harsh for a wrist watch.

[@jozsefizsak]

As far as I can tell, brute force. I would try penetrating oil, or just oil, or WD40, etc. Steel and brass are not that delicate and it's going to be cleaned anyway so it doesn't really matter too much. Oh well.

[@GentlemensWatchServices]

Really enjoyed that. How did that the second hand pinion do that? It was there, then gone!

[@JAD5822]

This watch was probably a military surplus watch. After WWII the remaining inventory was sold off and the serial numbers and military markings were ground off.

[@velviaman3206]

How did you straighten the seconds pivot? Did I miss that? Good job on a stuck watch, pity about the scratches.

[@MyRetroWatches]

No, I tried off camera but its too small plus I didnt want to break it. I did straighten the hand but forgot to mention that in the video.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Nice!

[@alancampbell1008]

I'm with you on not wiping out the history if it is at all possible. I understand people restoring to as good as new, it's just not for me.

[@MyRetroWatches]

I dont think this one would suit it. There is so much "patina!" it needs to be kept its the charm of the piece.

[@drdr73]

was wondering about the main spring and barrel disassembly and reassembly which you seem to have skipped showing

[@MyRetroWatches]

I dont often show it because its not that interesting and does take some time and on an hour long video I have to decide what is kept in. A mainspring is unwound from the barrel by hand, I would need a much wider angle to show that all. I then use a spring winder to wind them back in the barrel. In this video I shown the oiling of the barrel and then pushing the spring in using the tool which is over in 2 seconds and not visually entertaining. fitting the arbour is a fiddly job that I often have to use a pin vice to do it and all you would really see is my fingers from any angle of a camera. It is why most likely 99% of other channels do not show this either.

[@davidmills1874]

I want to put a drop of oil down in there to loosen it up while you’re working on other stuff for that canon pinion

[@DaksheshCorado]

MaMaCoo watches are great and affordable！

[@stevencox75]

being an unused watch i wonder if it was packed with grease to be cleaned before use, like rifles with cosmoline

[@sinchrotron]

Interesting how had an old oil turned into a glue

[@oleoko9013]

If the watch did not go to war, she sure battled with you not wanting to give its parts away from the movement 😅

[@MyRetroWatches]

It gave me a battle thats for sure, equally it looks like it went through both wars visually!

[@TheTomIves]

Could you add a link for the pin polisher please?

[@MyRetroWatches]

you need a cousins account. www.cousinsuk.com/search?searchTerm=pin%20polisher

[@MagWatchTime]

Loved that video 👏just a quick question sometimes when using my ultrasonic cleaner some parts turn black in colour keyless works ect.. what am I doing wrong? I use the sea lean 2 fluid . Any advice would be appreciated.

[@MyRetroWatches]

Your mixture I would think is too rich. I no longer use anything water based for parts. Sea clean just for stainless cases and bracelets. It does say if anything is plated it will react

[@MagWatchTime]

@@MyRetroWatches Thank you Mike that’s very helpful. I did weaken the solution but still messed up some of the parts which was so annoying especially on a lovely clean seiko movement. Which solutions do you use?

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@MagWatchTime well I have a cleaning machine so specific fluids for that from L&R but they are quite expensive

[@renebollengier1111]

I have one of these watches, found it at an antique shop. Had a ladies bracelet on it. The bracelet was from the uk, so I assume the watch was issued there as well. Or maybe left after it was used. I was able to get it running well but can’t find a proper gasket for it. Any ideas on a source?

[@MyRetroWatches]

No idea on gasket, there is one on the crystal on mine so I just measured it and found one to fit. Caseback mine is okay but again just measure the inner diameter and work from that

[@dodgydruid]

Is your cleaner fluid contaminated with cloth fibres? On the reassembly there are tons of little fibres over everything and those are going to bind up and cause issues down the road I am thinking :S

[@MyRetroWatches]

I do mention this in the video. I am working in my garage which is also the laundry room. Seems most stuff is in the atmosphere than normal. I spotted most and rodico it out, again a bit in the video. I do miss some because when you film a service you are no where near the movement like I would be without cameras. It does make things much more challenging

[@orvillefindley8117]

I have one from 1960. Think it's 32mm ?

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Are you farming Cotton ? ;)

[@user-tp2vv4ww4p]

먼지제거에 신경쓰셔야겠습니다. 😊

[@ygrbooks]

Nice work, though "The lady doth protest too much, methinks".

[@steveblake8766]

705 thumbs uP

[@nickjohnson217]

I call these unmarked ww2 watches ‘Captain Mannering’s" as the home guards would have probably used them too. Nice restoration mate.

[@ericmiddleton8367]

I’m sorry but that is nonsense. This A-11 is not a marked issue watch but A11s were issued to aircrews in the USAAC/USAAF, Ord. (Ordnace dept.) watches were issued to ground troops. I have seen both without markings on The case back.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Yeah at 40 c, they won't shrink ;)

[@MyRetroWatches]

haha

[@peterhayes7040]

could you repair a newmark watch for me it was given to me from a friend

[@MyRetroWatches]

@@peterhayes7040 sorry I don’t take on outside work

[@ReiMonCoH]

NO WAY🤣🤣I just got an A11👍🏻

[@Bigpopasmurf34]

Instead of pegwood can you use a toothbrush instead

[@ChrisMetz-c1e]

In Toronto canada I buy a super super clone I bring it to a rolex expert he say it was real rolex . Unbelievable. Your super clone look just like mine. You a expert but a regular person like me will never know. Imagine on MaMaCoo