Bulova Sea King Review: How Good is This UHF Chronograph Watch Collection?

Bulova’s Sea King line is a series of dive watches built for the modern wearer.

The most notable features are their large and sturdy cases, quality builds, high-quality movements, and impeccable designs.

It isn’t much of a surprise that this watch is loved by divers and casual watch wearers alike.

If you’re thinking about buying a new timepiece from this series, then you’ve come to the right place.

And in this Bulova Sea King review, we’ll see the 5 greatest watches from this collection.

Let’s dive right in.

1. Bulova Sea King 98B244 Review

If you haven’t heard of this line before, then this watch is a great introduction.

It has a stainless steel case and bracelet, and while the bezel is made from the same material, it has a black finish.

This is done so that the white markers on the tachymeter truly pop out, a testament to a good dive watch.

The dial itself is something special.

It utilizes a black background with orange details.

These qualities make it a great watch for everyday use and not just for diving while also making it very easy to read the time.

On top of that, the watch is powered by Bulova’s Precisionist movement, which is basically quartz made better.

The movement is known to be three times more accurate than standard quartz, which makes this watch perform as great as it looks.

Pros:

-The Precisionist movement is very accurate

-The dial design allows for easy time reading

-300m of water resistance allows you to take the watch anywhere

-Accurate-Anti-reflective-sapphire crystal keeps the dial safe

Cons:

-The watch is pretty heavy at 267 grams

2. Bulova Sea King 98B242 Review

Those of you who like sleek watches will really appreciate this piece.

This model keeps things simple, with a primarily black colorway with white and yellow markers.

This provides a great contrast, making time reading very convenient.

Aside from that and a date window, the watch is very simple, with a black bezel with white markers for the tachymeter.

Although it appears simple, the interior of the watch tells a different story.

It uses the Precisionist movement, which has a three-pronged quartz crystal that vibrates at a much greater frequency than other quartz movements.

While this doesn’t seem like a big deal, it allows the watch to be much more accurate.

So accurate in fact that Bulova claims that the watch only loses a couple of seconds a year, and based on experience and other customer reviews, the movement does hold up to those standards.

Pros:

-The simple design allows this watch to be worn with a variety of outfits

-Generous lume shot on the hour markers allows you to read the time, no matter the circumstances

-Superior quartz crystal keeps incredibly accurate time

-The sapphire crystal keeps scratches away

Cons:

-The watch has no chronograph

3. Bulova Sea King 98B243 Review

This is another stunning timepiece in the collection that uses a primarily black colorway.

This really helps the watch stand out while complementing the rest of an outfit very well.

It also has white and yellow markers that make everything pop, whether it’s the tachymeter or the actual time.

It also uses the Precisionist movement, so expect high accuracy with this watch.

It differs from the previous model, however, in the bracelet and the dial.

Instead of a black stainless steel bracelet, it uses a rubber one, which is much more comfortable, especially when broken in.

So if rubber straps are more your style, this may be the model for you.

Aside from that, it also has a chronograph function that makes this a legible, sporty, and high-end-looking dial.

Pros:

-The simple colorway can look great with a lot of outfits

-The watch has a chronograph that measures 1/100th of a second

-The Precisionist movement keeps the watch’s time accurate

-Anti-reflective sapphire crystal provides great protection

Cons:

-The strap may need some breaking in

4. Bulova Sea King 96B228 Review

While I do appreciate a lot of the”vintage” designs that have been released recently, there’s much more appeal in watches that combine modern and vintage influences.

That’s exactly what this watch is. It has a silver-toned stainless steel case and bezel, which serve as a contrasting element to the black dial and strap.

The dial is predominantly black, with orange details for the hands and markers.

This really helps the markers and hands stand out, which makes reading the time very convenient, even when going for a dive.

The tachymeter uses black markers, so using the watch is really easy.

On top of that, it has the Precisionist movement, which is known all around for its unique crystal, which gives it one of the most accurate time readings available.

Pros:

-The hyper-accurate Precisionist keeps the watch ticking at a consistent rate

-The tough design is great for outdoor wear and casual wear

-300m of water resistance allows you to bring it on dives

-Luminous hands allow you to read the time in various settings and light conditions

Cons:

-It doesn’t have a chronograph

5. Bulova Sea King 96B226 Review

This is a watch designed for those who like large and bold designs.

With a 50mm case, it’s easy to see why.

The large case is made of stainless steel, with black markers for the tachymeter on the bezel.

It also gives the watch a very tough look, one that’s hard to find nowadays.

Add that to the black rubber strap, and you have a nice and heavy dive watch ready for any conditions.

The dial is very simple, with a black background and luminous hands.

This not only makes reading the time easy, but it balances the design, as a complicated dial may make this watch look a bit too bold.

The watch also uses a Swiss Automatic movement, so battery changes and battery life are also no worry with this watch. Indeed a stunning timepiece

Pros:

-The large and bold case makes the watch stand out

-The automatic movement requires no battery

-1000m of water resistance makes the watch ready for deep dives

-Rubber strap looks great with a wetsuit and with casual wear

Cons:

-The watch may not be for those with smaller wrist

A quality dive watch is hard to find nowadays.

But with this collection, Bulova has created accessible dive watches that perform as promised.

Aside from that, the watches also look great. While some of these models may not be great for formal settings, they will surely steal the show with casual wear or with dive gear.

So for those of you looking for functional pieces with a unique style, then I highly recommend checking out the Bulova Sea King collection.

You can also check interesting articles on diving watches at Dive In.

Top 7 Reasons Customers Love Bulova Sea King Watches

The Sea King collection of Bulova is full of great dive watches beloved by watch enthusiasts and casual wearers alike.

This may be due to the quality of their build, their great timekeeping ability, or even just their great designs.

There are just so many things to appreciate with this collection, and below, we dive into the top 7 reasons customers love Bulova Sea King watches.

1. They’re Built With Quality Materials

Bulova didn’t cut corners in building these watches.

All of them have high-quality stainless steel cases, high-performing movements, and durable sapphire crystals.

This should be the standard with dive watches because the combination of these materials looks great while keeping the watch safe.

2. They Keep An Accurate Time

Depending on the model you get, you will either have a quartz movement or a Swiss Automatic movement.

Not just any quartz movement, either.

The quartz models in this watch utilize Bulova’s Precisionist technology.

This has a three-pronged crystal that vibrates at an ultra-high frequency of 262 kHz, meaning it’s much more accurate than standard quartz movements.

3. Tough Looking Designs

While there is a great variety in the designs (more on that later), they all share a tough-looking aesthetic.

This is great, as dive watches were designed for heavy use.

The look comes from the large size of the watches.

Depending on the model, the case can measure anywhere from 46mm to 50mm, and when paired with stainless steel, the look it gives off is undoubtedly rugged and masculine.

4. They’re Durable

With all the high-quality materials, it’s almost expected that the watches are durable.

The stainless steel makes sure everyday bumps, and dings won’t damage the watch, while the sapphire crystals protect the dial from any scratches.

On top of all that, the watches have incredible water resistance, so rest assured that this watch will perform under a variety of conditions.

5. True Dive Watches

A lot of watches nowadays that have the “dive-watch” title aren’t true to their name.

It isn’t uncommon for the only “dive” feature of the watch to be a tachymeter.

However, with these models, you have large fonts on both the dial and tachymeter, which makes reading the time underwater not only possible but convenient as well.

Other than that, the watches have a water resistance ranging from 300m to 1000m depending on the model, making these watches suitable for even the deepest of dives.

6. Great Value

One sentiment shared by most, if not all, the customers who were happy with this watch is how great the value is.

Even I was taken aback when I first saw and used the watch, taking into consideration that most of the watches are priced below $300.

It’s pretty common for a quality dive watch to command a price north of $500, but luckily that isn’t the case with these Bulova models.

7. Variety

Lastly, one thing I love about this collection is how many different choices you have.

There are timepieces in this collection that I can see working great at formal settings with a nice suit, while other models look like high-quality, high-performance sports watches.

So whatever type of watch you’re looking for, you can find it here.

The best thing about the selection,n though, is that even though the watches can be very different, they all share that signature “divers” look.

Conclusion

There’s no arguing that this is a great collection.

From its economic price tag all the way to its high-quality performance.

I couldn’t find much to complain about regarding this collection.

So if you love dive watches as much as I do, the Bulova Sea King collection is one I would highly recommend.