I have a vintage Bulova watch that I'm trying to date: No. On face is 23 Number on back of case is 312171 I would appreciate any help.

SOURCE: Day, date and time for a Bulova TFX watch

Step 1. When the second hand re a ches 12 o ’ clock (the zero or 60th second mark ) , pull the crown all the way to the “OUT ”position (you will hear two “ cl i ck s ” ) .All hands will stop.
 
Step 2. Turn the crown to move hands FORWARD (clockwise) until you see the date (for date only) or both day and date change.This establishes midnight, t h e b e ginning of the day.
 
Step 3. For A.M .time, continue to move hands forward until the minute hand is approxim a t e ly 5 minutes beyond the desired minute marker ;then ,gently turn b a ck to the same marke r. For P. M .time , follow the same procedure ,but first a dvance  the hands past 12 o’clock .
 
N O T E : The date will advance automatically at midnight, p rovided that A . M .a n d P. M .h ave been established (Steps 2 and 3).The watch calendar is pro grammed for a 31-day cycle.The  refore ,on the fi rst day of any month fo l l owing a month with fewer than 31 day s , the date must be advanced manually (see Step 5).
 
Step 4. When the time standard by which you are setting your wa t ch ( e.g.,telephone beep) re a ches the 60th second, push the crown all the way to the “ I N ”position . All hands will start instantly.
 
Step 5. Pull the crown to the “ I N T E R M E D I AT E ”position (one “ cl i ck ” ) . Your watch will continue to tell time. S l ow ly turn crown one way until the correct date a p p e a rs .Then for day/date models, s l ow ly turn crown the other way until the correct day appears .
 
N O T E : The day is printed in two successive positions on the day indicator: i n English and in Spanish on U. S .m o d e l s ; in English and in Fre n ch on Canadian mode l s It is possible to make use of either position. The display will automatically re m a i n in the language ch o s e n .
The date should never be ch a n ged manu a l ly between 9:00 P. M . and 3:00 A . M .a s this might affect the calendar mechanism and the accuracy of the date. ( Theme chanism will not be damaged if the crown is turned accidentally during this
time peri o d ,howeve r. )


Hope it helped U!

SOURCE: how to quick set date on n5 accuquarz bulova watch

Hi friend i am providing a link I hope this will help you out.

http://reviews.ebay.com/How-to-set-day-date-on-Bulova-Accutron-2182-movement_W0QQugidZ10000000006982861

Gud luck.

SOURCE: I have a Bulova Caravelle

Hi. If you take a tiny screwdriver (one that you might use to screw a screw into an eyeglass and run it gently around the back you will feel an indentation where you can insert the tip and pop open the back. The battery is easy to access but trying to get the back back on is the problem! Good Luck.

SOURCE: i have a bulova accutron with a 14KT gold case.

Since the serial number (E66289) begins with a letter, the watch was made in the United States. (Serials that begin with a number indicate the watch was made in Switzerland.) Look at the back again and see if there's a two-character code, such as M2. Compare the code against the list on the following link to find the year of manufacture: http://www.thewatchguy.com/pages/BulovaSerial.html

If it's an Accutron, visit this site to see if it's a 214. He's got a wealth of info on 214s! Good luck!

SOURCE: Match the year of my Rolex Explorer 1 from the serial number

I would expect Rolex to have a record of all their watches and if you contact your nearest dealer, they should be able to help you.

You can find a store guide on their web site "rolex.com"