A prototype diver's watch made for the U.S. Navy in 1958. Designated MIL-SHIPS-W-2181, Bulova Wrist Watch, Submersible, the watch was intended by the Navy to be a replacement for the obsolete Elgin "Canteen" diver's watch. The watch featured a unique two-piece water-resistant case back, a thick brass anti-magnetic case holder, and a newly designed movement - the 17 jewel manual wind 10 BPCHN. The unique movement featured a clutch mechanism that prevented the watch from being over-wound. A small number of these watches were delivered for testing by the U.S. Navy Experimental Diving Unit in 1958, and were successfully depth tested to 395 feet. A further small number were delivered in early 1959 for field testing by the Diving Unit and the Navy's UDT-21 frogman team. After the testing, recommendations for improvements were incorporated by the Navy in a final set of specifications for the watch, redesignated MIL-SHIPS-W-22176, and issued in September 1959.
For unknown reasons, the Bulova company pulled out from their development contract with the Navy in late 1959, about the time the new MIL-SHIPS-W-22176 specification was finalized. The prototype never went into commercial production, and only a handful were ever made, all of which were delivered to the Navy. Only three examples are known to have survived, including the present watch. Of these three, the current offering is the only one known to have been issued for use in field trials. The Bulova prototype was probably the last military watch ever produced in the USA, and certainly the rarest. In March of 1961, the Navy revised the specifications for the watch as MILSHIPS- W-22176A, and solicited bids for its manufacture. The contract was awarded to the Blancpain company (Rayville, S.A.) through its U.S. distributor, Allen V. Tornek Co. The resulting watches, designated "Tornek-Rayville TR-900," were made in Switzerland by Blancpain, and approximately 1000 watches were delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1964 and 1966.