One of the iconic mid-century American watch companies was Bulova. To use the cliche, their offerings were as American as baseball and apple pie and could be found on many Americans' wrists.

Today's offering showcases this elegant and classic bangle bracelet style watch personally owned and well-worn by the Academy Award winning actress, Loretta Young. It appears to have been well-loved by the actress.

It has a wonderful vintage style and both bracelet and watch are signed Bulova. It was made and presumably subsequently used by her near the peak of her career in 1953, the year she made her last film and transitioned to starring in television, a relatively new medium at the time, in her dramatic anthology series, "The Loretta Young Show."

The series earned three Emmy Awards, and was re-run successfully on daytime TV and later in syndication. The program ran in prime time on NBC for eight years, the longest-running primetime network program hosted by a woman up to that time. In the 1980s, Young returned to the small screen and won a Golden Globe for her role in Christmas Eve in 1986.

A successful child star who began her career at only four years old, Ms. Young had a long a varied career in film from 1917 to 1953.

In 1934 she co-starred with Cary Grant in Born to Be Bad and in 1935 was cast with Clark Gable and Jack Oakie in the film version of Jack London's The Call of the Wild, directed by William Wellman.

Young made as many as eight movies a year. In 1947, she won an Oscar for her performance in The Farmer's Daughter. That same year, she co-starred with Cary Grant and David Niven in The Bishop's Wife, a perennial favorite. In 1949, she received another Academy Award nomination for Come to the Stable. In 1953, she appeared in her last theatrical film, It Happens Every Thursday, a Universal comedy about a New York couple who move to California to take over a struggling weekly newspaper; her co-star was John Forsythe.

In 1988, Young received the Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women who through their endurance and the excellence of their work helped expand the role of women in the entertainment industry.

Young has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for her work in television, at 6135 Hollywood Boulevard, and the other for her work in motion pictures, at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2011, a Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars, in Palm Springs, California, was dedicated to her.

Her watch has been left untouched just as we acquired it and how Loretta Young wore it except for a functional servicing by one of our watchmakers to make it ready for immediate wearing and enjoyment. We left as much of the watch preserved in its original state as possible.

Also accompanying the watch are what appears to be a gold-plated money clip marked MDA, a gold plated cherub pin, and a small gold medical tag (we haven't checked it to see if it is solid gold or gold plated) all from Ms. Young's estate. The tag is signed "Tom Lewis - 8?3 Country Club Drive Ojai, CA - In case of accident call a priest, allergy - morphine." Ms. Young was married to Mr. Lewis from 1940 until 1969.

Included with the purchase is a one-year C.O.T. international warranty on the movement and its function, a custom printed Connoisseur of Time Certificate of Authenticity, and a Certificate of Authenticity and Provenance from the well-known offering house that she entrusted to sell her estate.

Don't miss this very rare opportunity to have a well-documented watch personally owned and well-loved by Loretta Young herself.

Our new Celebrity Collection:
I'm excited to have recently launched a new collection that is composed of watches owned by iconic celebrities. It will be constantly changing and is currently headlined by watches and clocks owned by some of the most legendary Hollywood actors and actresses, musicians, comedians, and entertainers:

• The King, Elvis Presley.
• The King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
• The King of Comedy, Jerry Lewis.
• Hollywood icons Steve Martin, Burt Reynolds, Olivia Newton-John, Bob Hope, and Mickey Rooney.
• Legendary musicians Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, and Beattles drummer Ringo Starr.
• Further filling the current collection are watches from King Edward VIII and the Duchess of Windsor, beloved Hollywood host Ed Sullivan, heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey, Academy award-winning actresses Loretta Young and Doris Day, Emmy award-winning actress Valerie Harper, and fashion designer to the stars Nolan Miller.
• It also includes rare watches given by heads of state: A prototype 18K gold Buren Microrotor gifted by His Royal Majesty Ibn Saud, former King of Saudi Arabia; a Felsa given by former Libyan Colonel and Head of State Muammar Al Qathafi; and a Longines given by Highness Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa former Prime Minister of the State of Bahrain. All three watches are new-old-stock in presentation shadow box frames with photos.

Recently sold was a watch given a handful of years after the Civil War concluded by the Vice President Elect to honor an Army commander who went on to receive the Medal of Honor.

This is a significant, exciting, and constantly changing new collection you won't want to miss! Stay tuned over the coming weeks for photos of other special pieces from the collection!

To view the first few already up for sale follow this link: https://shop.connoisseuroftime.com/collections/our-celebrity-owned-historical-event-watches?page=1&sort_by=created-descending

• Manufacturer: Bulova
• Country of origin: U.S.A.
• Serial no.: 212742
• Year built: 1953 (L3)
• Functions: Hours, Minutes
• Designed for: Ladies
• Case material: 10K rolled gold plate
• Case markings (outside): Bulova, 212742, 10K rolled gold plate, L3
• Case condition: Good condition with patina from sitting unworn, appears to have been well-loved by the actress
• Dimensions: 17mm in diameter (excluding the crown), 31mm long lug-tip-to-tip
• Dial: Silver, warmed to a Sepia tone, with gold Arabic applied indices, original and untouched, signed Bulova
• Hands: Original, gold "modernes"
• Movement type: Signed Bulova, caliber, 6BL, rhodium plated, handwound, index regulator, monometallic balance, self-compensating flat balance spring
• Bands: Wonderful bangle style bracelet with removable safety chain, spring loaded and flexes to adjust its length, 10K gold filled
• Crystal type: Mineral glass, excellent condition
• Serviced: Yes, one of our watchmakers has functionally serviced the movement making it ready for immediate enjoyment. We left as much of the watch preserved in its original state as possible.
• Warranty: 1-year international warranty. Please email concierge@cotwatches.com for details. Your watch is important to us, and we will take care of it for its lifetime. We provide the best after sale care in the business with an experienced team of watchmakers both of whom each have over forty years of experience and a large number of parts.
• Accessories: Also accompanying the watch are what appears to be a gold-plated money clip marked MDA, a gold plated cherub pin, and a small gold medical tag (we haven't it to see if it is solid gold or gold plated) all from Ms. Young's estate. The tag is signed "Tom Lewis - 8?3 Country Club Drive Ojai, CA - In case of accident call a priest, allergy - morphine." Ms. Young was married to Mr. Lewis from 1940 until 1969.
• Box/Papers: BOX - Connoisseur of Time watch presentation box; PAPERS - Connoisseur of Time Certificate of Authenticity; Certificate of Authenticity and Provenance from the well-known auction house that she entrusted to sell her estate.
• Returns: 7 days full refund. 100% satisfaction guarantee

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all of our watches. If you are in any way unsatisfied with the watch we will fully refund the purchase price anytime within 7 days after the watch has been received. Our goal is to exceed our client's expectations throughout the buying experience.

All watches are packaged carefully and mailed double boxed in specially constructed, reinforced shipping boxes designed for high value items. All watches are sent fully insured with signature required. Most of our domestic shipping is done through FedEx. At times we will also use USPS Express Mail, and we can accommodate most requests for your preferred carrier. International shipments are sent USPS International Express Mail or FedEx.

The purchase price will be the declared value of the merchandise on any required customs forms. The payment of all customs duties, tariffs, and taxes are the responsibility of the buyer.

Also note that water resistance of vintage watches can no longer be guaranteed and is not covered under the watch's warranty. We do not recommend getting a vintage watch wet, even one that was originally designed to be waterproof.

To get an idea of how this watch will look on the wrist, please use the Watch Sizing Guide

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