The letter indicates the decade, while the number indicates the year within the decade. Beginning in 1950, Bulova started using a code including one letter and one number.In 1946, the code was 46 followed by a square. A transitional system was used between 19.For example, a circle was used in 1925, 1934, and 1944. Be aware, however, that some symbols were used more than once. If you see a symbol, do an internet search to find a table that will show year which year corresponds to which symbol. Between 19, a series of symbols was used to indicate the year in which the watch was produced.Bulova has used a few different systems for dating their watches. Once you have identified a date code on your watch, you will need to interpret it, as the date is never printed in an obvious way.