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In partnership with Bulova
Socks, gift cards, blankets — these are the kinds of presents you can give to anyone without fear of buying the wrong brand or model. They can also feel like a cop-out. He obviously doesn’t know anything about me. He got me a Total Wine gift card! But if you’re brave enough to seek out a more personal gift like, say, a watch — something they could end up wearing every single day of the year — there are endless pitfalls to navigate.
Bulova, which is celebrating its sesquicentennial this year, can help in that regard. Since they’ve been in the business for 150 years, they’ve got a history that anyone who knows their basket weave from their clous de paris can appreciate, but they deal in price points that are easier for you — the person with the increasingly long “Gifts to Buy” list in your Notes app — to accommodate. Not many watch brands can truly say they have something for everyone. But Bulova? They might have cracked the code in that respect.
Below, we’ve chosen 10 watches from across Bulova’s various collections that get the InsideHook stamp of approval this holiday season, including quartz and mechanical models, new and archival releases, and a couple from their women’s collection. Although, she may just want the new Snorkel diver, too…
This is the most famous watch in Bulova’s lineup, as the original chronograph it’s based on was worn on the Moon during the Apollo 15 mission. Last year, the brand released this striking new version of the modern Lunar Pilot called the Blood Moon, with a textured red dial inspired by the lunar eclipse. A classic design with a dial that’ll make them smile every time they strap it on? That’s a makeover we can get behind.
The standard Lunar Pilot is an evergreen gift. It might just be the best bang for your buck if you’re seeking a watch with history, utility and style: It’s the descendant of a chronograph worn on the Moon in 1971; it features Bulova’s high-precision quartz movement with three subdials (1/20 seconds chronograph, 60-minute chronograph and running seconds); and the barrel-shaped 43.5mm case is never going out of fashion.
The Marine Star Series C is a sport watch that can easily work as an office-to-adventure option if you opt for the classic white dial on a stainless steel bracelet. But if we were to pick from that staid option, the rose gold-tone model, or the yellow dial pictured here, we’re going bold.
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For the outdoorsman in your life: a no-nonsense field watch with a good cause attached. The 38mm case, Miyota 8S20-43A automatic movement, 42-hour power reserve, 24-hour inner dial and green nylon strap are basically a wishlist for a model like this. Plus, 10% of proceeds go to the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative.
Perhaps the biggest splash Bulova made this year was the debut of the new Snorkel collection, which riffs on the silhouette of its previous Oceanographer line of divers. While the case shape may look familiar, the material is decidedly novel: these are made out of a new Hybrid Ceramic, which Bulova describes as “a composite material that feels luxuriously smooth with enhanced durability.” We like this grey, white and blue Great White Shark model (all of the designs have a marine theme), but the orange Clownfish and bright Blue Tang Fish liveries are fun, too.
If your gift recipient prefers a retro diver over a modern ceramic model, consider the Sea Hunter from Caravelle by Bulova. Caravelle is a Bulova sub-brand that goes back to the 1960s, and the Sea Hunter was one of the divers under that label. Rightly seeing an appetite for its attractive utility, Bulova brought back the watch in this updated guise: 39mm case packed with a Miyota caliber 8215-33E automatic movement featuring 42 hours of power reserve. Our favorite design, the stainless steel model, is currently sold out, so sign up for notifications for yourself to get an alert when that’s restocked; but for someone else, pick them up this rose gold-tone design paired to a black rubber strap.
If they’re as interested in the story a watch tells as the design, then try this on for size: the MIL-SHIPS is based on a prototype Bulova developed for the U.S. Navy but was never commercially available…until now. Some notable features include a top ring that rotates by pressing down and a paper strip on the dial that will indicate if moisture has leaked into the case.
Do you have a brother, dad, cousin, nephew or uncle who could use a makeover? Maybe you can’t work miracles with one gift, but you can at least add some life to their wrist with this green-dialed version of Bulova’s CURV, which features the first-ever curved chronograph movement. Handsome and innovative!
Rectangular shape, black leather strap, gold-tone case, mother-of-pearl dial with three inlaid diamonds — this is the little black dress of watches. You can’t go wrong.
Bulova originally revived its American Girl series (no relation to the dolls), which were made in the 1930s through the ‘60s, because one was featured in The Queen’s Gambit. This edition, based on a design from 1957, includes striking blue hands in the middle of a white dial set in a fun faceted bangle.
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