Time Passed On: The Accutron Spaceview
How a gifted watch connected one young guitarist to Tony Rice’s enduring legacy.
Tony Rice wasn’t just one of the most influential flatpickers in bluegrass history — he was also one of the world’s most dedicated experts on a single, unusual timepiece: the Bulova Accutron Spaceview. Recognizable by its open dial and humming tuning fork movement, the Spaceview became part of Rice’s daily uniform for over 45 years. But what few outside his inner circle knew was that Rice also taught himself to service and repair these watches, eventually becoming a fixture in niche online forums under the alias Thunderbeing2007.
That legacy lives on — sometimes in the most unexpected ways. After a show at the Station Inn, guitarist Sunjae Won of Yellow Cottage / Country Gongbang received a gift that tied him directly to the Rice tradition.
We reached out to Sunjae to get the full story. I’m honored to share it with you.
Hello, this is Sunjae, the guitarist of Country Gongbang.
Sorry for the late reply. I replied right away, but there was an error so the email didn't go through.
Thank you very much for reaching out to me.
Here is the story I’d like to share.
During our performance at the Station Inn, there was a song in our setlist that I sang—"Nine Pound Hammer." This song is one of my all-time favorites. I first came across it through a video of Tony Rice, and before performing it on stage, I shared with the audience that I had probably watched that video on YouTube over 10,000 times.
After the show, the owner of the Station Inn called me aside. He took off the Bulova watch he had been wearing and handed it to me, asking if I knew what kind of watch it was. As a longtime fan of Tony Rice, I immediately recognized it and told him so. Upon hearing this, he smiled and gave me the watch as a gift.
As a fan of Tony Rice, that moment was one I will never forget.
The emotion I felt that day is something I don't want to keep to myself. My dream is to become a great musician who travels the world, and one day, if I meet a remarkable young guitarist who moves me deeply with their playing—just as I was moved—I would like to pass this watch on to them and share with them the same inspiration I received.
Thank you, and I wish you a happy and wonderful day.
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