Bulova Joseph Bulova Chronograph Review — Collectors' Perspective

May 26

May 26 Bulova Joseph Bulova Chronograph Review

Anyone who is familiar with the current state of the watch industry knows that many brands mine their archives for inspiration. Some take the approach of re-creating a vintage piece exactly, using the same proportions and sometimes even the same movements to achieve a 1:1 reproduction of the vintage piece. Others get inspired by their history to create a modern interpretation of something from their archives. The Joseph Bulova Chronograph Limited Edition is a beautiful example of the latter.

This limited edition series was inspired by a chronograph that Bulova produced in 1941, but has been designed with larger proportions, which is more in line with modern tastes. The case is 42mm, which may at first glance seem a little large for a dress watch, but wears smaller due to the lug design. It’s still a bit chunky at 15.5mm thick, so might be more at home under a sweater than a shirt sleeve.

There are two versions: a silver dial with blue accents, and black dial with gilt accents. We chose to review the black dial due to the classic (and classy) combination of black with gilt, and it did not disappoint. The attention to detail on the dial of this watch makes it read as a much more expensive watch than its $2,495 price point.

Watch aficionados will assume that the dial configuration indicates a movement that is based on a Valjoux 7750, and they would be correct - the movement is the Sellita SW500. It’s a solid workhorse of a movement, with the added benefit that any watchmaker in the world could service it, making this a piece you could hand down to future generations. The movement is partially visible through the semi-open caseback, which is my only real nitpick here - I’d prefer to see all of the movement, or have a solid caseback on which I could engrave something of my own.