BULOVA DEVIL DIVER
A design tribute to Bulova’s acclaimed ‘70’s Oceanographer "Devil Diver" watch powered by a self-winding mechanical movement with a 42-hour power reserve. Stainless steel screw-back case with screw-down crown, black and green unidirectional bezel, green three-hand dial with luminescent markers and date feature, box sapphire crystal with blue anti-reflective coating, stainless steel bracelet with double-press fold-over buckle closure, safety bar and extender, and water resistance to 200 meters/666 feet.
ISO certified.
BULOVA
A Brief History
Fueled by the era’s risk-taking ethos, Joseph Bulova presented one innovation after the next. Ultimately opening a small store in downtown New York City that would mark the beginning of his lifelong quest: to craft supreme quality timepieces for an ever-changing and dynamic landscape.
With an unwavering drive for perfection, efficiency and precision, quality craftsmanship became the foundation upon which Joseph Bulova built his brand. But what fueled the brand’s continual progress was its spirit of invention - pursuing innovation and technology both within the timepiece industry – and beyond.
Bulova’s industry innovations included everything from pioneering standardized production of watches to developing the first fully electronic watch with proprietary tuning-fork based technology making it at the time the most accurate watch in the world. But our breakthroughs reached beyond the world of timekeeping alone.
Our pioneering spirit changed the face of marketing with America’s very first radio and TV commercials. We made advancements in the world of sports with the Phototimer, and even transformed transportation through collaborations with Lindbergh and on 46 NASA space missions. During the first moonwalk, a Bulova timer was even placed in the sea of tranquility.
Reiterating its longstanding dedication to history of firsts, the Precisionist collection was introduced in 2010. Intricately styled and infinitely accurate, with a continuous sweeping second hand. Most recently in 2016, the brand (quite literally) changed the face of the industry with the Curv collection – the world’s first curved chronograph movement.
Today, Bulova is driven by the same core principles of craftsmanship, innovation, and technology that guided our visionary founder over 140 years ago. Much like Joseph Bulova himself, we set our own standards and create our own rules - breaking boundaries along the way to deliver the exceptional.
"Just got My New Watch"
"LOVE IT"
BULOVA OCEANOGRAPHER
Retro 1970s
Mechanical Automatic DIVE WATCH
POSITANO The AMALFI COAST
TRAVEL GUIDE / COOKBOOK
"OCEANOGRAPHER"
DIVE WATCH by BULOVA
Bulova’s reissue of the “Devil Diver,” the 666-foot water-resistant Oceanographer Snorkel, is currently one of the more affordable options for those looking for a new watch with a retro design. We got our hands on one of the first pieces sold in the U.S. when it hit the market in autumn of 2018.
Bulova has been successfully reintroducing watches based on a vintage design for the last few years. The company’s latest release, the Oceanographer Devil Diver from the ’70s, comes both as a limited, more historically accurate 41-mm version with an orange dial, and as a non-limited 44-mm model with a black dial.
Unlike the reissue of the Lunar Pilot Chronograph that went to space, Bulova’s Oceanographer didn’t exactly become famous for being used during dangerous underwater missions. Neither was the model prominently worn by legendary divers, nor did it set new records in diving history or introduce a new mechanical invention to the world of underwater timekeeping. Bulova itself even advertised it with the desk diver in mind. “Not everybody who wears the Snorkel is an aquanaut. It just makes you feel like one. It’s that kind of a watch.” – was one of the messages used in ads during the ’70s. On top of that, snorkeling, or the snorkel itself, is definitely not the most exciting piece of diving equipment or the most glamorous aspect of underwater exploration. In other words, the Oceanographer was a great watch, but so were many others during that time. What made this particular model stand out, however, was the simple fact that Bulova decided to print “666 feet” on the dial (which was not only slightly more than most of its 600-foot-water-resistant competitors had to offer, but it also led to the nickname “Devil Diver,” which – if you think about it – sounds much more exciting than “Snorkel”). In combination with a rotating bezel with black and red sections, applied tubes filled with luminous material and a case design often found in dive watches from that period, the “Devil Diver” earned itself a bit of a cult following for its alter ego and its more affordable price. And, thankfully, Bulova also used other messages to sell the watch, for example, “This Bulova Oceanographer was designed for the man who is very brave. Or slightly crazy.”
The new Oceanographer “Devil Diver” is based on the 1972 version. It features a black dial with crosshairs and modern upgrades like a 44-mm case, a box-shaped sapphire crystal with blue anti-reflective coating and a double-press folding clasp on the bracelet. The watch is also equipped with a stainless-steel screw-back case with a screw-down crown. Inside, Bulova went with a Caliber 821D from Miyota (Miyota is, like Bulova, part of the Citizen group of companies), a 26-mm automatic movement with 21 jewels, 21,600 vph and a 42-hour power reserve. Miyota claims that the non-hacking caliber offers an accuracy of -20 /+40 seconds per day, and while the choice of what’s usually described as a “workhorse” movement makes absolute sense for a watch like the Oceanographer, the Miyota 9015 would perhaps have been a slightly more modern choice. In short, expect a reliable, simple automatic movement that has been successfully on the market for quite some time. Don’t expect a nicely finished, modern movement performing within chronometer specifications. As an alternative, the limited edition uses the same vintage-style steel case shape, but comes with a black-and-white unidirectional diving bezel to frame a bright orange dial and has a snake-head minutes hand. Within the 666-foot (200-meter) water-resistant case is the Sellita SW220-1 automatic movement, offering a 38-hour power reserve, hacking and bidirectional winding. This model is limited to – appropriately for its namesake – 666 pieces, but is priced at $1,495, of which 30 pieces are engraved with the Analog/Shift logo on the caseback to commemorate the vintage watch dealer’s assistance in selecting the watch via online survey.
The “Devil Diver” is currently one of two options launched in 2018 by established brands that have a list price below $1,000 (and let’s not forget the even less expensive Turtle that was brought back by Seiko in 2015). The other one would be the Certina DS PH200M, a descendant of the PH200M from 1967 that also debuted in 2018 and is powered by the Powermatic 80. The Bulova offers a more “chunky” ’70s design and the bezel (60 clicks) with an additional glass insert adds more depth and style to the overall appearance. On top of that, the Bulova is equipped with a sapphire crystal (compared to the mineral on the Certina) and comes with a metal bracelet that looks and feels as ’70s as it can get. Which means, don’t expect a massive folding clasp, but enjoy the almost liquid feel of the bracelet. On the dial, Bulova also kept the look of the original intact: transparent plastic cylinders filled with luminous material still create a rather unique look, especially at night. Unfortunately, the tall, applied indexes still require a comparatively short set of hands. In summary, the watch wears smaller than its 44-mm diameter might indicate, mostly due to the tapered case and the short hands.
Overall, we especially liked that Bulova seemed to be, pardon the pun, hell-bent on preserving the original look of the Oceanographer. The result is a watch that does stand out, partly because of its unique black-and-red color combination, but also since there aren’t that many watches currently available with a case shaped like this. For a price of $795, buyers can travel back in time and get a mechanical watch with a three-year warranty that feels substantial on the wrist. Of course, a more exclusive movement would have been the icing on the cake, but it’s fair to say that a price like this would certainly no longer have been possible. What’s interesting is that Bulova decided not to print the country of origin on the dial. The one thing we’d wish for, after having worn the watch for a couple of weeks, was a different execution of the applied logo on the dial: the connecting parts between the letters occasionally appear more dominant than the letters themselves. But overall, Bulova has once again introduced a faithful reproduction of a vintage original and has proven that a fun watch with a mechanical movement doesn’t need to break your bank. And this time, you certainly don’t have to be “brave” or “crazy” to buy one.
OCEANOGRAPHERB DIVE WATCH by Bulova
