Title: Bulova Watch Company
Company Profile
Founded in 1875, Bulova remains one of the world’s most recognized brands, reaching a
wide range of consumers with its Bulova, Bulova Accutron, Caravelle by Bulova and
licensed Harley-Davidson Timepieces by Bulova watches, Frank Lloyd Wright
Collection® watches and clocks, and the award-winning Bulova Clocks. Continuing to
maintain its position at the forefront of the timekeeping industry, Bulova is committed to
upholding an extraordinary legacy of excellence in design, style and technology as it
expands to meet the needs of a diverse global audience.
Bulova is working to keep perfect time in the watch industry. It sells watches, clocks, and
timepiece parts under brands such as Accutron and Wittnauer (luxury), Bulova, and
Caravelle (lower-priced), as well as licensed Harley-Davidson and Frank Lloyd Wright
styles. Its watches range in price from about $150 to $4,495. The firm also sells miniature
collectible clocks, mostly under the Bulova name, and has expanded its licensing efforts to
include items such as eyewear. Bulova sells its products primarily through department and
jewelry stores, mostly in North America (about 90% of sales). Founded in 1875, Bulova is
a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan’s Citizen Holdings.
2010 – 1,000 sequentially numbered, handmade collectible pieces honoring 50 years of
timekeeping innovation is released to public. The Bulova Accutron Limited Edition
Spaceview 214 utilizes a defining movement. It is a handmade replica of the original
Accutron Calibre 214, the world’s first electronic watch without springs or an escapement,
which operated by an electronically activated tuning fork. Instead of ticking, it hummed.
Key Facts
Type: Subsidiary of Citizen Watch Co.
Industry: Watch and clock making
Predecessor(s): J. Bulova Company
Founded: Woodside, Queens, NY, U.S. (1875)
Founder(s): Joseph Bulova
Headquarters: Queens, New York, United States
Area served: Worldwide
Key people: Gregory Thumm, president
John Wille, chief operating officer
Products: Bulova, Bulova Accutron, Caravelle, Wittnauer Swiss, clocks
Parent Citizen: Watch Co.
Summary of the Case
Founded in 1875 with headquarters in New York, Bulova Corporation is part of the
American-owned and operated Loews Corporation. In addition to its heralded line of
Bulova fine watches and clocks, the company offers wristwatch lines from Caravelle,
Wittnauer and Accutron. Bulova risked being charged vendor compliance fees for missing
performance benchmarks, such as proper routing of shipments when a retailer’s EDI
standards are not met. “This is always a painful area to deal with,” Doug Campbell, Senior
Systems Analyst for Bulova, said. “Our best-case scenario is to avoid ever having
situations where our customers think we’ve delivered outside of their requirements.”
