It was not a failed prototype. At the time this was originally designed, General Omar Bradley was Bolova' Chairman of the Board. Through his Pentagon connections, he learned that the contract was going to be for less than 1000 pieces which would have made the venture not financially advantageous so he walked away. They were also working on the original tuning fork movement and concentrated on that.
I'm wearing my Steinhart OVR39, which probably has better and more complex finishing, a great bracelet and exactly the same movement, for a QUARTER of the price...
@@dinispaulino7512 Yeah but it’s a Steinhart. It’s not a reissue of a historical watch from a historical brand. There’s more to it than specs for some folks..
@@dinispaulino7512 of course steinhart is cheaper. They don’t have to design much, mostly change the brand name from other designs. Obviously, that kind of “homage” always costs less.
I hate when people make value arguments, personally. It's really missing the point. You have to choose WHAT YOU LIKE, and then decide if you're willing to pay it. Any other comparison falls apart. "You could get X instead of Y." But do you want X or do you want Y? If you want Y, X doesn't matter.
They're only making 1000 of those. I think for an LE they can charge whatever they want. And for people who want the LE, they will pay for it. I would go with the SE personally.
Extremely top heavy and clunky on wrist with that 16mm strap . Way over priced and I'll conceived . I've seen and handled this watch and am a retired navy diver . This was never , in it's present configuration, anywhere near the equal of the Tornek-Rayville, the watch that the navy chose . I've heard a lot of different stories about what the Tornek-Rayville beat out , including Rolex Submariner. Actually, they tied in testing . It came down to price . The Tornek-Rayville was something like $70 a unit while the Rolex Submariner was around $90 a unit . Just a bit of trivia.
@@IgorArkin Bulova hadn't completed the testing before they were t I ld that the navy would only be ordering 1100 units and immediately withdrew form consi
Bulova is not a brand that appeals much to me, they have always seemed like a Fashion watch brand with the exception of a couple of nice ones. You will see a Casio in my collection quicker than a Bulova.
@@garyboyle695 That watch is one of the few exceptions. Have you been to the stores and see what Bulova is offering? Among the many watch brands to choose from, you can be certain that Bulova doesn’t even make the top ten for the average consumer. Cheers
The case backs are different also, the cheaper miyota has a engraved case back where as the limited edition has a much better finished pressed case back. For a sellita movement, nicer case back and plastic presentation case the price difference isn't worth it IMO, however I fancy the limited edition may be picked up for somewhat cheaper price hopefully. It's a cool interesting watch anyway.
I have an extensive collection with way too many watches at the moment, but I always find myself coming back to this one. The Bulova Mil Ships is an excellent watch. The fit and finish is some of the best compared to my more expensive pieces. Yes 2K might be a bit steep for the movement, and the standard edition should have come with a Miyota 9 series. But the quality and history is absolutely worth it and if you throw on a 22mm modified strap on it... chef’s kiss!
@@denziloliver Yes that is correct, but the outermost edge of the lugs are 22mm which in term you can take a 22mm strap and cut the sides so that it fits 16mm. This gives the watch an integrated look and more of a presence on the wrist. I have mine like that and it looks awesome. Wish I could post a picture of it!
@@marcelodietrich8674 The watch does not change my friend, merely the strap on it. This watch is extremely top heavy on the supplied nato it comes with.
The Bulova was initially chosen as the Navy watch. They declined after learning the contract was for only 1k pieces. Tornek Rayville/Blancplain was the subsequent 2nd choice. Rolex failed at every aspect of the testing.
I agree, it's not a good move from Bulova. It seems that they are only hanging to the vintage reissues trend. Maybe if the price was a half, maybe. I'd rather to get the Devil Diver, cheaper and cooler
I like your enthusiasm Bruce, and I also like your balanced and unbiased review. My two cents: Bulova has lost their mind with this replica of their failed 1957 prototype. The prices for both versions are insanely, unjustifiably excessive. The 16mm lugs and strap look horrible and completely out of proportion on that 41mm case. I predict this watch will be a tough sell and will end up heavily discounted on the grey market. I am not interested in either version.
The Bulova was initially chosen as the Navy watch. They declined after learning the contract was for only 1k pieces. Tornek Rayville/Blancplain was the subsequent 2nd choice. Rolex failed at every aspect of the testing.
I think the lug proportions actually look great. The price is what it is, you can pay it or not. There's a premium for design/heritage/story. You can get the SE for around $700 and for any dive watch I don't think that's too much. Take it or leave it. You seem to have very strong feelings. You okay?
I wonder how difficult it will be to sell one thousand of the limited version? I would expect to see this at a highly discounted price in the near future.
I bought the LE new for $1300 and was already on the fence. When I received it, I took it to Macys and compared it with the regular version. It was on sale for $599 (after a few discounts). I thought that the differences weren’t enough to merit more than double the price so I bought the regular version and promptly returned the limited version. Honestly neither version is worth their retail prices. I would go for the regular version if you can find it at a discount. The whole “limited edition” thing is not worth the extra change. I like the style of this watch and bought it for that (also because I can’t find a TR 660 for under $2k). You can still get these now even though they made only 1000. You’ll definitely be able to get them on the grey market as well.
I'm sure its a great watch in both variations but regardless of the cheaper models price is the limited version worth over double at retail price? The cost delta just does not add up for me anyway. My back of a box estimates include: The movement difference maybe 100 - 200 bucks? (if that), the crystal maybe add 100 bucks given the limited run of 1000 + the extra cost of expensive prototype crystals amortized over 1000, plastic mould tooling for the packaging would be expensive that can cost some $1000s maybe adds $50 - $80 per item, that's still less than $500 uplift including administration of a new SKU (stock keeping unit so you can but it). I'm not sure if the limited version is COSC certified as that would add some $$$. In a nut shell a great limited watch but I think you'd really need to want it to justify the cost after all watch retail prices are not just based on the cost of the bill of materials after all you can't get this watch from any other manufacturer. As you correctly say Bruce, if you like it and can justify it then get it. Simples. I can't though
Seems a bit Squale-esque to me (not that there is anything wrong with that). Not worth the premium for the SW200 movement in my opinion, even if you do get 4 Hz. Might pay maybe a $200 dollar premium for that in a Mioata 9015, but not $1,100 for a 4 Hz Sellita. I'm steering away from SW200's anyway due to documented quality issues. And the diver helmet? Cool but honestly, how much per unit did they cost Boluva? 10 bucks, maybe.
@@Emaratilfy Well, the same can be said for MANY brands these days. Sure Citizen owns them now, and yes they sell a ton of department store fashion stuff, but even those are still very well made and finished. The archive series is great, these reissues are very good. Bulovas corporate headquarters is still in New York City, on the 29th floor of the Empire State Building. They should get a lot more interest from the watch community.
Maybe... But in comparison with for example the re-issue of the diver 1964 from orient star i guess bulova missed the boat.. I will consider one though with a big discount. However the plastic helmet version is too expensive
If it was a 20 mm lug width I’d snatch it up. For the money I will buy a Tudor Black Bay 39. I have the Tudor Black Bay 41 GMT, one hell of a watch! Thanks for the review.
Hm.... i don't like this ''re-release'' trend.. I guess by the way that orient-star has released a GREAT watch with their re-release of the diver 1964 now here they have a totally own design, own face, and unique watch.. This is a lift on the trend watch that isn't worth more than 500 dollar imo
I think it's wild the price they are asking for a miyota 8000-series movement because that is such a basic and very cheap movement. Other than that I really dig the looks of the watch but I couldn't justify that price for that miyota movement. Just my opinion
LE and standard are very different hence the price difference. LE has sapphire dome, lume, movement, caseback, thickness, swiss made. Hunt for deals and get the LE
Since the revamp, Bulova is not providing good value watches. Precisionist and Accutron II era is still the best with spring-drive-like but even smoother sweep and more accurate movement.
if i were to go for one of these it would be the non-limited model, first because of the price and second because i dont want to have to store that ridiculous packaging helmet
16mm wide strap? Oh wow 2nd big fail from Bulova. The fisrt was the dimmensions of the Lunar Pilot. Too big if you have not a 7.5 and over wrist. The would have sold them like candies at 38 or 40mm
Bulova MIL-SHIPS-W-2181 Top: 1 of the very few remaining OG iterations left. Bottom: remake on-wrist. Thoughts? I can appreciate the sentiment of the lug width - I was concerned about that as well. In-hand & on-wrist, it's quite negligible. The entire watch is made to factory spec, as needed by the military, thus every aspect is precise, justifiable AND fabulous. I should also state that I initially thought of this watch as a "remake", a "reissue" or something to that effect. However, there are only 12 prototypes of the original Bulova that were made for testing that are still in existence. As the timepiece collector that brought the watch to Bulova's attention, Adam Victor stated "This isn't even a reissue. This is a launch. This watch has never been available before. And now it is."
Just got one of these (LE) for $1114 and I'm very happy with it. I like the idiosyncrasies of the thing and I think the history of the watch makes it worth the price. If I was Bulova I'd double-down on it and release a v.2 with a 20mm lug width and a higher end Miyota movement. Get that ISO 6425 certification and do something impressive/brand defining with this model.
Troll Hair!!! Nice and honest presentation…Thank you. Gotta say, Sellita movements, while very good come at a much lower price. Bulova may be grabbing on this one.
That watch container looks very cheap for the price of the watch. I would rather take the cheaper watches box. Bulova has lost the plot with this price. Love your UA-cam channel. Keep it up. Blessings‼️
Yes, I agree with you - I wouldn't pay that much for this watch, rather go with the Bulova Lunar Pilot or the Archive Series 96K101. The watch-box is really cool though and a collectible.
Thanks for being honest, Bruce! I do appreciate you generally positive attiude about this hobby but in case of watch reviews I think you should be as honest as it can get! No need to hate brands or watches, but if there is something to be said about a watch, you should tell us! I think most of your viewers appreciate YOUR personal opinion and I think it would be great for your channel to emphasize that a little bit more. There are just too many basic 'This is me and I present watches' channels out there nowadays, imho! Nothing wrong with that but I think you got the point.
Beautiful watches, and Bulova can crank out some beautiful stuff (like the Lunar Pilot, the curve and so on) but both of these watches appear over-priced. 4-5 hundred and 8-hundred to 1k is about as high as would seem reasonable.
Bulova will always be a fashionable mall brand. Their vintage pieces are nicer. Much nicer. But they just fail me today as far as pricing and the designs.
In this pice range I don't like packaging that makes the final price of the watch more expensive!! EDIT: I see that you can buy this watch for less price without helmer 😀
I love the Bulova, I have a skeleton that wear well, accurate, and good looking as it always surprised people from it very different looks from others, but the prices still is a weaks points for the competition.
Looks like a badly proportioned Fifty fathoms - really dislike the huge crystal and lugs. Pricing seems very ambitious given the competition.... Packaging is on point ,agreed. Not for me, but cool that Bulova are making the effort tho. Cheers Bruce 👍👍
Bulova MIL-SHIPS-W-2181 Top: 1 of the very few remaining OG iterations left. Bottom: remake on-wrist. Thoughts? I can appreciate the sentiment of the lug width - I was concerned about that as well. In-hand & on-wrist, it's quite negligible. The entire watch is made to factory spec, as needed by the military, thus every aspect is precise, justifiable AND fabulous. I should also state that I initially thought of this watch as a "remake", a "reissue" or something to that effect. However, there are only 12 prototypes of the original Bulova that were made for testing that are still in existence. As the timepiece collector that brought the watch to Bulova's attention, Adam Victor stated "This isn't even a reissue. This is a launch. This watch has never been available before. And now it is."
@@marcelodietrich8674 as I said, it's great that Bulova have resurrected this it's great to have the choice & to keep history alive- I simply don't like the style myself,it's not my cup of tea. Cool tho. Thanks for your comment. 👍👍
I believe other differences between them are the cheaper one doesn’t get crazy domed sapphire glass and the nice engraved caseback so it’s more then movement and box for price
It was not a failed prototype. At the time this was originally designed, General Omar Bradley was Bolova' Chairman of the Board. Through his Pentagon connections, he learned that the contract was going to be for less than 1000 pieces which would have made the venture not financially advantageous so he walked away. They were also working on the original tuning fork movement and concentrated on that.
Based on specs and price Bulova has lost their damn minds. Oris is a far better value along with about 2 dozen micro brands that use the same movement
I'm wearing my Steinhart OVR39, which probably has better and more complex finishing, a great bracelet and exactly the same movement, for a QUARTER of the price...
@@dinispaulino7512 Yeah but it’s a Steinhart. It’s not a reissue of a historical watch from a historical brand. There’s more to it than specs for some folks..
@@dinispaulino7512 of course steinhart is cheaper. They don’t have to design much, mostly change the brand name from other designs. Obviously, that kind of “homage” always costs less.
I hate when people make value arguments, personally. It's really missing the point. You have to choose WHAT YOU LIKE, and then decide if you're willing to pay it. Any other comparison falls apart. "You could get X instead of Y." But do you want X or do you want Y? If you want Y, X doesn't matter.
Safe to say the sw200 does not cost $1000 more than the miyota! Not remotely close to that! I smell profit margins. I avoid bad smells...
They're only making 1000 of those. I think for an LE they can charge whatever they want. And for people who want the LE, they will pay for it. I would go with the SE personally.
Extremely top heavy and clunky on wrist with that 16mm strap . Way over priced and I'll conceived . I've seen and handled this watch and am a retired navy diver . This was never , in it's present configuration, anywhere near the equal of the Tornek-Rayville, the watch that the navy chose . I've heard a lot of different stories about what the Tornek-Rayville beat out , including Rolex Submariner. Actually, they tied in testing . It came down to price . The Tornek-Rayville was something like $70 a unit while the Rolex Submariner was around $90 a unit . Just a bit of trivia.
The other story is that Bulova won, but rejected the contract themselves
@@IgorArkin Bulova hadn't completed the testing before they were t I ld that the navy would only be ordering 1100 units and immediately withdrew form consi
Bulova is not a brand that appeals much to me, they have always seemed like a Fashion watch brand with the exception of a couple of nice ones. You will see a Casio in my collection quicker than a Bulova.
@@garyboyle695 That watch is one of the few exceptions. Have you been to the stores and see what Bulova is offering? Among the many watch brands to choose from, you can be certain that Bulova doesn’t even make the top ten for the average consumer. Cheers
Yuck. That limited edition box/helmet is ugly and cheap looking. This is for fans (do they even exist?).
love the watch but should be priced around $1,200
The case backs are different also, the cheaper miyota has a engraved case back where as the limited edition has a much better finished pressed case back. For a sellita movement, nicer case back and plastic presentation case the price difference isn't worth it IMO, however I fancy the limited edition may be picked up for somewhat cheaper price hopefully. It's a cool interesting watch anyway.
Limited is swiss, ordinary is Chi-com.
There are more minor but important differences between them.
Both are three times overpriced.
I think that the regular version is priced high for an 82 series Miyota. $1k is more adecuate for a 90 series.
I have an extensive collection with way too many watches at the moment, but I always find myself coming back to this one. The Bulova Mil Ships is an excellent watch. The fit and finish is some of the best compared to my more expensive pieces. Yes 2K might be a bit steep for the movement, and the standard edition should have come with a Miyota 9 series. But the quality and history is absolutely worth it and if you throw on a 22mm modified strap on it... chef’s kiss!
Aren't the lugs 16mm?
@@denziloliver Yes that is correct, but the outermost edge of the lugs are 22mm which in term you can take a 22mm strap and cut the sides so that it fits 16mm. This gives the watch an integrated look and more of a presence on the wrist. I have mine like that and it looks awesome. Wish I could post a picture of it!
@@daverichards1337 You chopped up a historical correct watch! 🤦♂️
Ha!
@@marcelodietrich8674 The watch does not change my friend, merely the strap on it. This watch is extremely top heavy on the supplied nato it comes with.
@@bngr_bngr What is your ig handle, I can send you some pictures of it.
Big fan of what bulova is doing with the archive series! It's a cool watch
I heard it was Bulova who decided not to continue on the project because the U.S. Navy were planing to order less than 2000 units
The Bulova was initially chosen as the Navy watch.
They declined after learning the contract was for only 1k pieces.
Tornek Rayville/Blancplain was the subsequent 2nd choice.
Rolex failed at every aspect of the testing.
I agree, it's not a good move from Bulova. It seems that they are only hanging to the vintage reissues trend. Maybe if the price was a half, maybe. I'd rather to get the Devil Diver, cheaper and cooler
The box is nicer than the watch…
This is an amazing watch!
I love this watch. Just bought the standard version on eBay for £350 ($400). For that price it’s a great quirky watch you don’t see often, if at all.
I like your enthusiasm Bruce, and I also like your balanced and unbiased review. My two cents: Bulova has lost their mind with this replica of their failed 1957 prototype. The prices for both versions are insanely, unjustifiably excessive. The 16mm lugs and strap look horrible and completely out of proportion on that 41mm case. I predict this watch will be a tough sell and will end up heavily discounted on the grey market. I am not interested in either version.
The Bulova was initially chosen as the Navy watch.
They declined after learning the contract was for only 1k pieces.
Tornek Rayville/Blancplain was the subsequent 2nd choice.
Rolex failed at every aspect of the testing.
I think the lug proportions actually look great. The price is what it is, you can pay it or not. There's a premium for design/heritage/story. You can get the SE for around $700 and for any dive watch I don't think that's too much. Take it or leave it. You seem to have very strong feelings. You okay?
I wonder how difficult it will be to sell one thousand of the limited version? I would expect to see this at a highly discounted price in the near future.
I think the majority of the limited editions are sold
@@Leby69 they are on Amazon discounted.
@@bngr_bngr lol nice
I bought the LE new for $1300 and was already on the fence. When I received it, I took it to Macys and compared it with the regular version. It was on sale for $599 (after a few discounts). I thought that the differences weren’t enough to merit more than double the price so I bought the regular version and promptly returned the limited version. Honestly neither version is worth their retail prices. I would go for the regular version if you can find it at a discount. The whole “limited edition” thing is not worth the extra change. I like the style of this watch and bought it for that (also because I can’t find a TR 660 for under $2k). You can still get these now even though they made only 1000. You’ll definitely be able to get them on the grey market as well.
I'm sure its a great watch in both variations but regardless of the cheaper models price is the limited version worth over double at retail price? The cost delta just does not add up for me anyway. My back of a box estimates include: The movement difference maybe 100 - 200 bucks? (if that), the crystal maybe add 100 bucks given the limited run of 1000 + the extra cost of expensive prototype crystals amortized over 1000, plastic mould tooling for the packaging would be expensive that can cost some $1000s maybe adds $50 - $80 per item, that's still less than $500 uplift including administration of a new SKU (stock keeping unit so you can but it). I'm not sure if the limited version is COSC certified as that would add some $$$. In a nut shell a great limited watch but I think you'd really need to want it to justify the cost after all watch retail prices are not just based on the cost of the bill of materials after all you can't get this watch from any other manufacturer. As you correctly say Bruce, if you like it and can justify it then get it. Simples. I can't though
Seems a bit Squale-esque to me (not that there is anything wrong with that). Not worth the premium for the SW200 movement in my opinion, even if you do get 4 Hz. Might pay maybe a $200 dollar premium for that in a Mioata 9015, but not $1,100 for a 4 Hz Sellita. I'm steering away from SW200's anyway due to documented quality issues. And the diver helmet? Cool but honestly, how much per unit did they cost Boluva? 10 bucks, maybe.
I like it, and I even think the price is not completely out of line. There’s just nothing like it out there from a brand with this history.
The Bulova you know is no longer...
@@Emaratilfy Well, the same can be said for MANY brands these days. Sure Citizen owns them now, and yes they sell a ton of department store fashion stuff, but even those are still very well made and finished. The archive series is great, these reissues are very good. Bulovas corporate headquarters is still in New York City, on the 29th floor of the Empire State Building. They should get a lot more interest from the watch community.
Maybe... But in comparison with for example the re-issue of the diver 1964 from orient star i guess bulova missed the boat.. I will consider one though with a big discount. However the plastic helmet version is too expensive
If it was a 20 mm lug width I’d snatch it up. For the money I will buy a Tudor Black Bay 39. I have the Tudor Black Bay 41 GMT, one hell of a watch! Thanks for the review.
Hm.... i don't like this ''re-release'' trend.. I guess by the way that orient-star has released a GREAT watch with their re-release of the diver 1964 now here they have a totally own design, own face, and unique watch.. This is a lift on the trend watch that isn't worth more than 500 dollar imo
Let's see.....you can buy a Sinn 104 on leather for around $1470. Bulova Mil-Ships LE for $1995. Laughable.
I think it's wild the price they are asking for a miyota 8000-series movement because that is such a basic and very cheap movement. Other than that I really dig the looks of the watch but I couldn't justify that price for that miyota movement. Just my opinion
LE and standard are very different hence the price difference. LE has sapphire dome, lume, movement, caseback, thickness, swiss made. Hunt for deals and get the LE
Since the revamp, Bulova is not providing good value watches. Precisionist and Accutron II era is still the best with spring-drive-like but even smoother sweep and more accurate movement.
Eh….no!
I like more of their watches then don't but this ... just no. Thickness and LACK of lug width absolutely kills it for me.
I was lucky enough to pick one up on sale for 1300.00 at Jared's .Jewelry.
if i were to go for one of these it would be the non-limited model, first because of the price and second because i dont want to have to store that ridiculous packaging helmet
If you like this still the vostok 420 case look like that with 39mm and 18 lug width
This will be the last Bulova Mimo’s sends you…just kidding.
Would mistake it for a Blancpain fifty fathoms if i saw it on the streets
Did you do any research of the 2 different iterations of this watch?
Hey Bruce, any Seiko speedtimer up for review?
16mm wide strap? Oh wow
2nd big fail from Bulova.
The fisrt was the dimmensions of the Lunar Pilot. Too big if you have not a 7.5 and over wrist.
The would have sold them like candies at 38 or 40mm
Bulova MIL-SHIPS-W-2181
Top: 1 of the very few
remaining OG iterations left.
Bottom: remake on-wrist.
Thoughts?
I can appreciate the sentiment of the lug width - I was concerned about that as well.
In-hand & on-wrist, it's quite negligible.
The entire watch is made to factory spec, as needed by the military, thus every aspect is precise, justifiable AND fabulous.
I should also state that I initially thought of this watch as a "remake", a "reissue" or something to that effect.
However, there are only 12 prototypes of the original Bulova that were made for testing that are still in existence.
As the timepiece collector that brought the watch to Bulova's attention, Adam Victor stated
"This isn't even a reissue. This is a launch. This watch has never been available before. And now it is."
I was ok untill i saw the 16mm lug to lug lol.
Terrific review….! 👍🏻
Just got one of these (LE) for $1114 and I'm very happy with it. I like the idiosyncrasies of the thing and I think the history of the watch makes it worth the price. If I was Bulova I'd double-down on it and release a v.2 with a 20mm lug width and a higher end Miyota movement. Get that ISO 6425 certification and do something impressive/brand defining with this model.
Ugly watch
It’s gorgeous
Troll Hair!!! Nice and honest presentation…Thank you. Gotta say, Sellita movements, while very good come at a much lower price. Bulova may be grabbing on this one.
That watch container looks very cheap for the price of the watch. I would rather take the cheaper watches box. Bulova has lost the plot with this price. Love your UA-cam channel. Keep it up. Blessings‼️
Yes, I agree with you - I wouldn't pay that much for this watch, rather go with the Bulova Lunar Pilot or the Archive Series 96K101. The watch-box is really cool though and a collectible.
Thanks for being honest, Bruce! I do appreciate you generally positive attiude about this hobby but in case of watch reviews I think you should be as honest as it can get! No need to hate brands or watches, but if there is something to be said about a watch, you should tell us! I think most of your viewers appreciate YOUR personal opinion and I think it would be great for your channel to emphasize that a little bit more. There are just too many basic 'This is me and I present watches' channels out there nowadays, imho! Nothing wrong with that but I think you got the point.
Beautiful watches, and Bulova can crank out some beautiful stuff (like the Lunar Pilot, the curve and so on) but both of these watches appear over-priced. 4-5 hundred and 8-hundred to 1k is about as high as would seem reasonable.
It all depends on the grade of the sw200 if chronometer then may be yes but if standard then no! I do like the look of this watch thanks for sharing
If you had gotten stoned at the mall, wandered into Macy's and bought this watch in either version you could be forgiven. Otherwise, no.
Bulova will always be a fashionable mall brand. Their vintage pieces are nicer. Much nicer. But they just fail me today as far as pricing and the designs.
In this pice range I don't like packaging that makes the final price of the watch more expensive!! EDIT: I see that you can buy this watch for less price without helmer 😀
I love the Bulova, I have a skeleton that wear well, accurate, and good looking as it always surprised people from it very different looks from others, but the prices still is a weaks points for the competition.
Muy caro
LOL, "borrowing watches for years". Mimo be like, "wish he was buying them". :)
I think I like the presentation box more than the watch itself.
Bruce, you're the best.
Looks like a badly proportioned Fifty fathoms - really dislike the huge crystal and lugs. Pricing seems very ambitious given the competition....
Packaging is on point ,agreed.
Not for me, but cool that Bulova are making the effort tho.
Cheers Bruce 👍👍
Bulova MIL-SHIPS-W-2181
Top: 1 of the very few
remaining OG iterations left.
Bottom: remake on-wrist.
Thoughts?
I can appreciate the sentiment of the lug width - I was concerned about that as well.
In-hand & on-wrist, it's quite negligible.
The entire watch is made to factory spec, as needed by the military, thus every aspect is precise, justifiable AND fabulous.
I should also state that I initially thought of this watch as a "remake", a "reissue" or something to that effect.
However, there are only 12 prototypes of the original Bulova that were made for testing that are still in existence.
As the timepiece collector that brought the watch to Bulova's attention, Adam Victor stated
"This isn't even a reissue. This is a launch. This watch has never been available before. And now it is."
@@marcelodietrich8674 as I said, it's great that Bulova have resurrected this it's great to have the choice & to keep history alive- I simply don't like the style myself,it's not my cup of tea. Cool tho.
Thanks for your comment. 👍👍
I believe other differences between them are the cheaper one doesn’t get crazy domed sapphire glass and the nice engraved caseback so it’s more then movement and box for price