[neveronmonday]

Along with watches from Seiko, Citizen, Hamilton, Casio, Timex, Armitron and other brands that are sold along side Bulova's at shopping mall watch shops? :think:

Right.
I've seen Omega, Wittnauer, Rolex, Swiss Army, and Breitling all sold in shopping malls.
So what's wrong with shopping mall watches? :think:

 

[MINIDriver]

Right.
I've seen Omega, Wittnauer, Rolex, Swiss Army, and Breitling all sold in shopping malls.
So what's wrong with shopping mall watches? :think:

Absolutely nothing.

I use the term "mall watch" because some snotty folks refer to most affordable watches as being cheap because they are quartz and sold at mall dept stores.

and you are right. I have seen my fair share of Tags, Hamiltons, Swiss Army, etc sold at Macy's

My aim here was to get a "feel" for as to how people really perceive the Bulova brand to be. That's all.

 

[Bureaucrat]

Back in "the day" --- Bulova, Wittnauer, Gruen, Waltham et. al. were regarded as high quality products and sold in the "best' jewelry stores. Since then, I have considered them "collector" items.

I suspect the new stuff may have better materials and accuracy than the old models just due to advances in technology but I still find it difficult to regard them in the same league as the original products IMHO.

 

[Thirston]

I have 4 or 5 Bulova's including 3 marine stars. The 98c62 is my go to watch as it is extremely comfortable and not extremely thick (wearing as I write this). Plus, I get a lot of compliments on it and has worked flawlessly for 5 years or so. People think it's an Omegaish watch or something. -Should be able to get it for well under $200 on ebay, etc. No scratches on the bezel at all after 5 years!! I also have it's brother the 98c61 with the rubber strap (for about 4 years) and wear it on the weekends. Looks cool, & more rugged but is hard to find now. Again, no problems. My last one is a chrono with diamond markers. The detail on this last watch is outstanding, is not too flashy, and goes well with bus attire. I've changed the batteries in these watches several times and they keep going. Some people seem to have problems with them when they buy them from sub-par sellers. I own watches with glitzer brand names/ more expensive but I seem to always come back to the mariners. -Not too much talk about Bulova's on these boards and I wonder why sometimes.

 

[visitor]

Along with watches from Seiko, Citizen, Hamilton, Casio, Timex, Armitron and other brands that are sold along side Bulova's at shopping mall watch shops? :think:

Mostly.... I dont understand why people think "mall watches" are bad in the first place????

 

[visitor]

Back in "the day" --- Bulova, Wittnauer, Gruen, Waltham et. al. were regarded as high quality products and sold in the "best' jewelry stores. Since then, I have considered them "collector" items.

I suspect the new stuff may have better materials and accuracy than the old models just due to advances in technology but I still find it difficult to regard them in the same league as the original products IMHO.

Why is that? given that your very own sig claims "Form Follows Function"

Shouldnt the new ones be held in HIGHER regard as (again by your post) the new ones may have better materials and accuracy.. You know.. the function part...​

 

[jay3429]

Why is that? given that your very own sig claims "Form Follows Function"

Shouldnt the new ones be held in HIGHER regard as (again by your post) the new ones may have better materials and accuracy.. You know.. the function part...​

I think in this case, he believes that heritage plays an important role in his decision. Or really I think the better word is pedigree/craftsmanship, something that he feels that they lost in their transition to their current state.

 

[RGNY]

the wife and i both have Bulovas. i have their dress Pan-homage which gets rotated in for going out to dinner, etc.

hers is a small quartz womens two-tone diver, with what appears to be a MOP dial, that i simply cannot find a listing for now. i bought it for her about five years ago and it's had one battery change (this spring). i _try_very_hard_ to get her to pick a ladies upper end auto, but she feels the Bulova is perfect for her and that anything else would just sit around. i know, heretical, but she is ultra-practical that way.

my grandfather was a Bulova man. bought his first when he came off the farm and joined the Navy in WWII. wore them the rest of his life. wish i had access to his collection, but he gave them to my uncle who is out of touch.

 

[TVDinner]

my wife has a Bulova diamond chronograph and she loves it. She wears it almost everyday and it has held up very well.

Looks like this -

 

[skoochy]

Mostly.... I dont understand why people think "mall watches" are bad in the first place????

Dunno either...

In Vegas you pretty much can't buy a watch (Timex, Armitron, Patek, Panerai, Rolex, whatever) unless it is at the mall.

Except for drugstore watches.

Uh oh.

-s-

 

[filmjuicer]

I got my girlfriend a nice Accutron quartz chrono for Christmas last year. It is Swiss Made with a domed sapphire crystal, MOP/guilloche dial and diamond hour markers. It had an MSRP of around $900 but I got a great deal on it from WoW. Bulova is a solid brand with a long history of making nice, solid watches, but to me, I think the Accutron line currently has better designs overall.

 

[JAYMAC10]

I have two Accutron's at the moment. A VX-200 Diver, and a 26B59 Chrono.

Both of these watches are an incredable value for the the price. I paid $250 for the VX-200 (Automatic ETA Movement) and $200 for the Chrono.

Both sapphire crystal, 200 WR, and built like a tank solid!

Anyways, the more watches I see from Accutron, the more I can't get over what a great watch you are getting for the price.

I went to a local Mall and they had the 26B59 Chrono on sale for 30% off and it was still over $700can, I think retail was something like $1,100. (Not that retail prices mean too much, but still!)

I find it hard to beat the quality, look, feel, and reputation of the higher end Accutrons!

Thank Z-FREAK for these awesome pictures!

 

[midshipman01]

Dunno either...

In Vegas you pretty much can't buy a watch (Timex, Armitron, Patek, Panerai, Rolex, whatever) unless it is at the mall.

I think you guys are reading way too far into his comment, or just looking for something to hammer on. The point isn't that the mall sells bad watches, or that you could never get a fine watch at a shopping mall, he's using the term "mall watches" to indicate a stereotypical type of watch and type of buyer...those being mass-produced, nothing special, and fashion-oriented. No reason to take it so extremely literally.

 

[skoochy]

I think you guys are reading way too far into his comment, or just looking for something to hammer on. The point isn't that the mall sells bad watches, or that you could never get a fine watch at a shopping mall, he's using the term "mall watches" to indicate a stereotypical type of watch and type of buyer...those being mass-produced, nothing special, and fashion-oriented. No reason to take it so extremely literally.

Actually, we were looking for the definition of what he meant, if you read it more carefully I think you would see that we didn't know what he meant. Since you seem to know, you could have just explained without reading more into it. Maybe we prefer not to stereotype negatively like that, since that situation doesn't exist around us?

-s-

 

[midshipman01]

It's hard to believe you've never been to a mall and seen a whole slew of underwhelming Seiko, Fossil, and many other brand's offerings littering the watch case. It's not really a "negative stereotype" when it basically describes 99% of the watch market. It's reality. Most people don't know or care about watches and the average selection at your average establishment caters to that. This is the point he was making and most people on this site who do know and care about watches have probably noticed the same.

When I think of a mall, the Bellagio casino shoppes don't really come to mind. Kind of an exceptional example of the concept. If that's the only sort of mall you shop at, I envy you.

 

[nderwater]

Keep in mind that you're in the Affordables forum - nearly all the watches discussed here fit your definition of 'mall watches'. The spirit of the original post isn't 'is Bulova good compared to Breitling?' but more like 'Is Bulova good compared to Seiko?'

I don't have much good to say about my wife's low-end Bulova (she bought it for herself before I got into watches) - the gold plating wore easily, the mineral crystal was scratched easily and after a few years several of the pins in the bracelet started falling out.

On the other hand, I've been really impressed with Bulova's Accutron line - dollar for dollar they are a heck of a lot of watch for the price, and even more so when found online for 50% or less of MSRP. Sapphire crystals, ETA movements (including mechanicals!), high-quality finishing, affordable price. If you like their styling, they're everything you might ask of an entry-level swiss watch.

 

[Luca Manni]

Read about this : BULOVA 63F80

Bulova 63F80, cronaca di un sogno.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulova-63F80/215416215210386?fref=ts

i think that it is the best modern Bulova of ever

 

[Jazzbass251]

I have owned many marine stars and have never had a problem with them. I have a couple percussionists too. Some of their designs are not my cup of tea, but overall I dig the brand.

 

[britewhite]

The wife surprised me with a Precisionist for Christmas. I can't love the watch any more!

 

[AccutronJim]

Invicta watches are cheap crap. Bulova, on the other hand rocks. You can find many styles, and I have 2 Marine Stars. I wore the digital/analog today. It is cool, big, and the bright orange band matches the color of the digital display. The silicone band is quite comfortable, and this watch retails for $400, but you can find them new in the box, on Ebay, with free shipping, and no tax, for about $200. Quite reasonable. The other Marine Star, and I don't have the model numbers, is black, with green accents, and weighs a pound, which makes it all the more cool. You never can go wrong with Bulova. Their new Precisionist line is top rate, and under $1,000, half of that on Ebay. Ebay is an excellent source of watches, if you watch the seller.