The Bulova Accutron went on sale in October 1960 and was the first watch regulated by a tuning fork instead of a balance wheel. Its calibre 214, invented by the Swiss engineer Max Hetzel, uses a battery and a transistor circuit to drive a 360 Hz tuning fork through electromagnets, removing the traditional escapement and hairspring. The movement is 5.5 mm high, runs on a 1.30 V to 1.35 V cell and always has a backsetting device. Bulova guaranteed accuracy to one minute per month, about two seconds per day, and the watch hums rather than ticks. The Spaceview has no conventional dial, so the fork, coils and green circuitry are visible under the crystal. Early 214 Spaceviews have crownless cases; cases range from about 34 to 38 mm. It matters as the first mass-produced electronic watch that was more accurate than mechanical ones.

Hetzel joined Bulova in 1950 and built tuning-fork prototypes by 1955, after which development moved to the United States, where he worked with William Bennett on a production version. The Spaceview began as a display model for jewellers to show the new technology, and customer demand led Bulova to sell it. Accutron timers became part of the space programme: Bulova supplied timekeeping for the Vanguard 1 satellite, Accutron clocks sat in Gemini instrument panels, and an Accutron timer was left on the Moon by the Apollo 11 crew to control data transmissions from experiments. The calibre 214 was produced from 1960 until 1977, and by 1973 more than four million Accutrons had been sold.

Collectors value the Spaceview as a landmark of electronic watchmaking and a symbol of 1960s space-age design, and the distinctive hum is part of its appeal. Prices have stayed moderate: collectors on WatchProSite note that values have not risen as much as some expected. A frequent warning is that many Spaceviews are conversions of standard Accutrons with the dial removed, so case numbers and movement codes should be checked, and correct batteries are needed. The original 214 Spaceview is no longer produced; under Citizen ownership Bulova made a 50th-anniversary edition in 2010, and Accutron, now a separate brand, launched the Spaceview 2020 with an electrostatic movement.