Bulova
Bohemia → USA
Agriculture, Food & Consumer Goods
Summary
Bulova was founded in 1875 in a small Maiden Lane shop in New York by Joseph Bulova, born in Bohemia in 1851 and arrived in the United States in 1870. He began by selling jewellery and clocks, then moved into watch manufacturing using American-machined parts assembled to Swiss precision standards. The firm pioneered the standardised, mass-produced wristwatch in the 1920s and ran the world’s first commercial radio advertisement in 1926 and the first commercial television advertisement in 1941. Acquired by Citizen Watch in 2008, the brand continues to operate from New York.
European Contribution
Central European watchmaking tradition and precision engineering culture.
American Impact
Pioneered the mass-produced American wristwatch and the modern commercial advertisement.
Timeline Highlights
- 1870 Bulova emigrates from Bohemia
- 1875 Founded on Maiden Lane, New York
- 1926 First commercial radio advertisement broadcast
- 1941 First commercial television advertisement broadcast
- 2008 Acquired by Citizen Watch Co.