Bulova Owner Review : Pleasant, efficient and simple

Bulova: A legendary name in American watchmaking. The company was born in 1875, when Joseph Bulova began selling his watches in New York. Bulova became a leader in marketing, with the first radio advertisements broadcast in 1926. Bulova watches were very popular, recognized and admired in particular for its famous Accutron from 1960 with its "electromagnetic tuning fork" with its inimitable sound... Bulova joined the Citizen group in 2008, without however benefiting from CITIZEN technologies (eco drive, radio control, GPS, etc.). Bulova Military is a watch that surprised many fans of the brand, and many collectors. Bulova drew on its watchmaking heritage for the military design of the 50s and 60s, supplier to the US Army. This watch features the 262 Khz quartz movement called UHF: Ultra High Frequency. It is the same technology as on the Precisionist models, operating with a high-frequency quartz movement clocked at 262 Khz, compared to the 32.7 Khz quartz modules usually used in watchmaking. That is an oscillation frequency 8 times higher than the classic quartz called "watchmaking". The watch displays a "continuous" sweep seconds hand, or "fluid second hand" that advances by 1/16 of a second! Which is very unusual for a quartz! The seconds hand literally seems to float smoothly on the dial, like the seconds of some station clocks. Note that the first SEIKO quartz watch from 1969 had this 'fluid second hand' feature, but this feature was very quickly abandoned by SEIKO, in order to save the battery life. Indeed, without the fluidity of the seconds hand, the battery life was multiplied by 4, hence the choice of the jump per second. Bulova Military benefits from the precision of the Precisionist: The most precise watch in the world according to Bulova. The claimed precision is 10 seconds per year. I was able to observe, at worst, a difference of +15 seconds over 1 year… Which is remarkable for a non-radio-controlled quartz… Bulova explains that the precision of the quartz and its calculator depends on two factors: The variations in temperature and the oscillation frequency of the quartz. This quartz is therefore thermally compensated and has triple “pins” which allows a stable frequency of 262 Khz (or 2p18 hertz or exactly 262144 hertz!). The Bulova Military is inspired by old models of the brand and has a classic military look. The watch measures 42 mm in diameter for a lug to lug of 48 mm. The lug to lug is 22 mm, the thickness is 11 mm. The Military weighs 72 grams and provides a light and pleasant presence to wear. The glass is polycarbonate, very transparent. Finally, the seconds hand is white with an orange tip that highlights the continuous sweep. I never tire of this simple and effective military look. The Bulova Military has a "LUMINESCENCE" lume on the hands and on the numbered indexes. The water resistance is 100 meters, the crown is screwed. The button cell is a CR 2016, whose lifespan, in use, is 3 years. The watch has a dial with excellent visibility and readability. The Bulova Military 262Khz had a list price of $250... Today, you can find them on the second-hand market for around €150/200, for a model in perfect condition. In conclusion, thank you to Bulova for inventing and marketing these high-frequency quartz movements. An ultra-precise, simple and effective watch at a reasonable price.