How to Repair a Bulova Self-Winding Watch

Joseph Bulova began the Bulova Clock Company in New York City in 1875. Because of their early invention of the fully electric clock, a Bulova clock was placed in the Sea of Tranquility on the moon to time space transmissions for years. Today, Bulova makes a wide range of watches, including mechanical, quartz and self-winding. Bulova offers a three-year warranty for their watches. Because of the self-winding nature of the automatic watch, battery replacement is unnecessary. However, there are other repairs that can be completed at home.

Replacing a Broken Watch Band

• 1

  Find the watch band brackets on either side of the watch case. Small spring-loaded pins hold the watch band in place. Called a spring bar, each bar presses against tiny lugs on either side of the bracket.

• 2

  Slide the spring bar tool between the bracket and the side of the watch band. The spring bar tool is a thin piece of metal usually found in a craft store or a jewelry store. A small kitchen spatula or a very thin screwdriver will also work.

• 3

  Press the spring bar tool toward the center of the bracket. This depresses the spring bar and causes the watch band to pop out of the bracket.

• 4

  Push the spring bar into the slot in the new watch band. Some watch bands have spring bars installed at the factory and are packaged ready to be used.

• 5

  Place one end of the spring bar in the lug of the bracket. Slide the other end of the spring bar behind the lug on the other side. Gently pull the watch band until the spring bar slips into the lug.

Making a Service Request

• 1

  Fill out the Service Request form on the Bulova website. Add a second sheet if the form lacks the space to fully explain the problem. The more detail you give about the problem, the better the repair will be.

• 2

  Wrap the watch in bubble wrap or some other protective material.

• 3

  Package the watch and the form in a protective box. Do not use the original box or send instruction booklets or any other materials. All packing and mailing material will be discarded.

• 4

  Print the proper address for your region. Refer to the Bulova website for the correct address. Do not write "Bulova" on the outside of the package.

• 5

  Insure the package for the value of the repaired watch. Keep the receipt in a safe place.