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Bulova was founded in America in 1875 by an immigrant from the Czech Republic named Joseph Bulova. The Bulova brand was one of the first watchmakers to utilize mass production in a single factory. Making the watches in Biel, Switzerland, Bulova was able to quickly establish a range of watches for both men and women.
The brand is most famous for innovating the Bulova Accutron model which is adjustable using a tuning fork. This style never really caught on with other brands. Although it did lead to the production of the highly Iconic spaceview watch in 1967.
During a 1941 baseball game. Bulova became the first company in America to advertise on TV. This was groundbreaking at the time, as no other company had been permitted to do so. For the bargain price of $4, Bulova were able to advertise their watch for a period of one minute. Although $4 is incredibly cheap, even by modern day standards, this is still less than the equivalent of $100.
The brand is currently owned by Japanese watchmaking giant Citizen, after it was purchased from the Loews corporation in 2008. Overall, the acquisition has been largely successful for the Bulova brand as they have since revived classic designs such as the Computron and Accutron ranges. Watches that were previously lost to the sands of time and forgotten about.
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Is Bulova A High End Luxury Watch Brand?
No. Bulova are neither high end – nor a luxury brand. Even the most expensive Bulova watches cost around $1500, which could just about stretch to being the same price and quality as another entry level luxury brand such as Frederique Constant or Tag Heuer.
In many Bulova watches, automatic Miyota, or basic Swiss quartz movements are used. Whilst there is nothing wrong with these movements, they are certainly not what you would expect to find a luxury watch. Without a doubt, Bulova produces good quality and solid watches. However, they are certainly not a luxury watch brand.
Are Bulova Watches Worth The Money?
In general Bulova a pretty solid value for money. The watches they produce are good quality and most cost a few hundred dollars. If you compare Bulova to rival brands such as Tissot or Movado, you will find that they are both at a similar cost in price – and also made to a similar standard.
When choosing between rival brands that are of a similar price and quality. It’s often best just to choose which design of watch you like the best. Given that there really isn’t much difference in terms of price, quality or movement, it would be a bit silly to try and save $25 in order to buy something that you don’t like quite as much.
Overall, Bulova is a solid watch brand. Their timepieces are not great value for money, but neither are they bad value. The brand has its own unique style and history, so will always cost a premium compared to new and unproven watch companies.
Where Are Bulova Watches Made?
Bulova watches are made in a variety of different countries and locations. Ever since the brand was acquired by Citizen, the brand has moved towards more Japanese movements and is assembled in China.
In the past, Bulova has typically been made and assembled in Switzerland using fairly basic Swiss quartz movements such as Ronda. If you want to see if a Bulova watch is made in Switzerland – it will always say “Swiss made” on the bottom of the dial.
Does Bulova Use Real Gold?
Not really. Although Bulova did make a limited edition solid 24 karat gold watch in 2014, this is not standard procedure for the brand. Typically Bulova watches cost in the region of $400, so this should tell you whether real gold is used.
Of course, Bulova may use real gold to plate their watches, but this is not the same as making a watch from gold. This is far more expensive and also much heavier than plated steel.
What Is The Most Expensive Bulova Watch?
As mentioned previously, the most expensive Bulova watch ever made was the solid 24 karat gold watch which had a list price of $42000. As there were only 32 of these watches produced, it is difficult to track them down or put a price on them today. Given the price of gold has gone up, it’s likely that these watches have appreciated with the value of the rare metal too.
In general, if you’re buying a watch from an online retailer such as Amazon. Typically the most expensive Bulova watches are various models of the Accutron range. These are all Swiss-made automatic watches and will set you back in the region of $1500.
How Do I Know If My Bulova Watch Is Real?
Firstly, each Bulova watch model will have its own reference number. This is not a serial number, but you can at least check that the watch’s case back matches the dial. This number is always 6 or 7 digits long and will contain one or two letters. If this number does not match the correct watch via google search or the Bulova website, you can guarantee it is not authentic.
Secondly, for mechanical watches with visible movements, the rotor will always be decorated. Bulova uses a variety of different manufacturers for its movements – and in modern day often uses Miyota. However, Bulova will never use a plain movement in any of its watches. Although they might look the same, Bulova will always engrave its name, logo, or both onto the rotor of the watch.
Thirdly, you can match the country of origin to the movement. For any Bulova watch which says “Swiss made” on the dial, you can check whether the movement is made by ETA, Sellita, or Ronda. If the watch has a Japanese movement inside such as Miyota, you will know immediately that something is wrong.
Lastly, Bulova will never make any silly mistakes or inaccuracies. Although it is not a luxury brand, it still has high quality control and will not do anything to harm its reputation. Therefore, if you find that the case is badly finished, or that the logo/brand name is missing from a place where it should be. You will have good reason to return your watch.
Are Bulova Vintage Watches Any Good?
Yes, Bulova vintage watches are arguably more well made than any of their newer models. This is because the brand was popular prior to the quartz crisis in the 1970s and made a lot of their watches in both Switzerland as well as the USA.
Most notable of all is the 1967 Bulova Spaceview Accutron. This is such an iconic and unique watch that it was revived in 2020. There is not really any other watch that looks anything remotely like this. Other Bulova vintage watches are not quite as visually impressive as this, although are equally as well made.
Do Bulova Use Real Diamonds In Their Watches?
Yes, although it will usually say within the manual or product description if the diamonds are real or not. With that being said, diamonds used in Bulova watches are not high karat. This is because they are a fashion brand and aim to keep costs down.
What Automatic Movements Do Bulova Use?
As the Bulova brand is now owned by Citizen, they often use various Miyota automatic movements in their watches. This is because Citizen is the parent company of Bulova and also owns Miyota.
Prior to this acquisition, some of the older Bulova watches were made in Switzerland and would typically use either Sellita or ETA movements.
Do Bulova Watches Tick?
Yes, although this depends on the movement used. Typically you will see a ticking motion (and hear the sound) when a quartz movement is used. If the watch is automatic, it will usually say “automatic” on the dial. In this case, the second’s hand will make a sweeping motion rather than a ticking between each indicator. If you hold the watch to your ear, you will be able to hear the movement in action.
The Best Bulova Watches
Marine Star
The Marine Star is one of the more modern and popular models in the present history of Bulova. As a range, the Marine Star lineup consists of a variety of different colors, mostly of chronographs, but always having a fairly busy dial.
Despite being named the Marine Star, it certainly isn’t suitable for scuba diving. Whilst the watch does have 100 meter water resistance, this is certainly not a dive watch. Not to mention you wouldn’t really want to get saltwater on plated metal very often. Overall, this is meant to be a fashionable piece in the style of a dive watch, something it executes quite well. You can buy a marine star with an automatic movement, but of course, this will cost you more than quartz.
Accutron
Thanks to Citizen, Bulova relaunched the Accutron range in 2020. This is the most expensive and higher spec range of watches that the brand creates. Typically, you will pay well over $1000 for a Bulova Accutron, although in all honesty, it’s well worth the money and you are still getting great value for money.
The main reason for this is that the watch is Swiss made. Bulova does not try to skimp on the quality whilst charging you a high price, which is seen by the movement inside the case. Valjoux 7750 is considered to be one of the greatest automatic chronograph movements of all time, for both its reliability and accuracy. Overall the Accutron is expensive, but by no means overpriced.
Day-Date
A nice alternative to a Rolex day-date is the two-tone steel variation from Bulova. Of course, this is a quartz model rather than an automatic, although it is considerably cheaper and can often be picked up for well under $300.
If you’re after a day-date watch, then this will need no explanation as you already know what you are looking for. A good feature of this kind of watch is that it is suitable for both smart and casual occasions. You wouldn’t look out of place wearing this on the weekend, nor in the office. So from this perspective, it does offer great value for money since you won’t need to take it off.
Lunar Pilot / Moonwatch
Not many people will know this trivia, but at one point Bulova were in a battle with Omega to be the first watch on the moon. This was a battle that Bulova lost, but they did get into space eventually on America’s 4th trip to the stars.
From a visual perspective, you can see that this watch also looks very similar to an Omega moonwatch with its dark black inner and outer dial. Of course, the Bulova moonwatch is quartz (more accurate but less complicated) and therefore can be picked up considerably cheaper. You would expect to pay perhaps 15x the price of a Bulova moonwatch for an Omega.
Precisionist
The Bulova precisionist claims to be the most accurate quartz movement in the world. A claim which is at the very least very close to the truth. Remarkably, the precisionist only gains or loses around 10 seconds per YEAR. This is really quite incredible and one of the only movements which comes close to the accuracy of an atomic clock.
Although expensive, you are paying for a very high quality quartz movement. There are a variety of complications in the module which other watches simply do not have, such as temperature regulation. You simply do not need a watch this accurate, although of course there is no harm in buying one.
Skeleton
Bulova makes a large variety of skeleton watches and are well renowned for their open heart and open dial models. Although visually captivating, most of the Bulova skeleton is reasonably expensive. Given that the company makes a lot of its skeleton movements in Japan, you will still find that they generally cost over $400, which is fairly expensive.
If you are able to find a non-Japanese skeleton watch for this price it will say “Swiss made” on the dial, although it may be difficult for this price. Fossil offers some skeleton designs with similar movements for considerably less money, although the design of the watch is generally inferior to Bulova.
Curv
The Curv is a solid, unique, and visually appealing watch, albeit at quite a high price. For a quartz watch, $500 might be a bit expensive for your budget. With that being said, the Curv does have quite a unique movement which is shown through its exhibition caseback. Bulova must be fairly proud of their movement since quartz modules are often hidden from view out of shame.
There are not many other chronograph watches quite like this from an aesthetic point of view. The lugs are hollowed out which is an unusual feature. You can certainly get better value for money than the Curv, but if you like the design you will not really have a cheaper alternative.
Computron
Originally created in 1976, the computron looks like something that you would have found in a space movie at the time. Based on the design, perhaps this watch should have been left in the 1970s! In all honesty, this is going to be a watch you either love or hate. The computron is unashamedly cheesy and makes no apologies for doing so.
If you wear this watch out, there are no doubt going to be comments on it too. These will be from people loving the retro feel of the watch, as well as people making jokes at your expense. It’s not terrible value for money and as a throwback model, there really isn’t anything else quite like it.
