Maker: Caravelle

Model: Automatic Day Date

Case Diameter: 38mm

Lug Width: 18mm

Movement: Caravelle caliber 11UKACB automatic movement

Complication: Hours, minutes, center-seconds, day, date, all working.

Year: 1973, based on case serial number

A striking and wonderfully characteristic 1973 Caravelle automatic, powered by the Swiss-made Caravelle 11UKACB automatic movement, the Bulova designation for the highly regarded A. Schild AS 1916. The movement is a particularly interesting period automatic, beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour and incorporating both day and date indications with quick-setting functionality. (Watch Movements Archive)

This distinctly early-1970s Caravelle features a handsome matte gray dial with bold red accents throughout. The oversized applied Arabic numerals at 12, 6 and 9 are complemented by contrasting rectangular hour markers, while small luminous plots and an outer minute track provide additional visual detail. The vivid red hands and sweeping red seconds hand give the watch an unmistakable 1970s character, with the combination of gray, black, red and luminous elements creating a particularly appealing period aesthetic.

The day-date display at 3 o'clock is one of the defining features of the watch, with the day shown in abbreviated form alongside the numerical date. The 11UKACB movement is equipped with quick-setting functionality, including date correction through the crown, making this an unusually practical automatic for its era.

The watch is housed in a substantial stainless-steel case with a broad, angular profile and dramatically shaped lugs. The combination of brushed and polished surfaces gives the case a strong architectural appearance, while the relatively flat sides and extended faceted lugs are quintessentially early 1970s in design. The domed acrylic crystal rises prominently above the case and contributes to the watch's unmistakable vintage character.

The case shows honest signs of age and use, including light scratches and wear to the polished surfaces, while retaining the strong definition of its original design. The brushed finishing on the bezel remains particularly attractive and contrasts nicely with the polished case sides and lugs.

Inside, the movement is stamped N2, corresponding to 1972, while the case is stamped N3, corresponding to 1973. Bulova's dating system used a letter to indicate the decade and a numeral for the specific year, making these markings useful in establishing the watch's chronology. The one-year difference between the movement and case is not necessarily unusual for a vintage watch and most likely indicates a 1972-dated movement subsequently fitted into a case produced in 1973. The N3 case date therefore places the completed watch in the 1973 period, while the N2 movement provides an interesting additional detail about its components.

The watch is fitted with a black leather strap, which works particularly well with the gray dial and red accents, giving the piece a slightly sportier appearance while remaining faithful to its 1970s character.

The Caravelle 11UKACB / A. Schild AS 1916 is itself an interesting part of the watch's appeal. Introduced around the beginning of the 1970s, the AS 1916 was a Swiss automatic movement with central seconds and day/date functionality, operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour. The Bulova/Caravelle version is documented under the designation 11UKACB, and examples are known with 17, 21 and 25 jewels depending on the variant; the movement in watches such as this is commonly identified as the 17-jewel version.

A particularly appealing example for the Caravelle or vintage Bulova collector, this watch captures the exuberant design language of the early 1970s without becoming overly complicated. The combination of the angular stainless-steel case, gray and red dial, prominent day-date display, domed crystal, and Swiss AS 1916-based automatic movement makes it a particularly evocative example of Caravelle's period watches.

The 1973 case date, 1972-dated 11UKACB movement, distinctive red-and-gray dial, and substantial stainless-steel case come together to make this a very appealing and unmistakably period-correct 1970s Caravelle automatic.

The watch does not come with box and papers.

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