Bulova Men’s Precisionist 3-Hand Calendar Stainless Steel with Black Leather Strap and Blue Dial Style: 96B257

Smart and freakishly accurate for a bargain price
These are pretty nice as a dress watch or daily wear, they come in 3 colors, I have the blue which was on specail at the time and looks good. The black version does look smarter but I dont really like black, personal preference. There’s also a brown/rose gold tone version which is more expensive for some reason, it also looks nice. The dial is quite nicely designed, with applied matchstick hour markers and an inner ring to add some interest. I like that this watch looks smart, if not ultra smart or expensive. I also like its proper leather strap (some have said they dont like it, but I reckon it’s good, it’s stiff but after a few wears takes on the curve of your wrist). And for less than USD200 for a smart watch you also get a bonus which is the unique Bulova high-speed quartz movement, which is accurate to a few seconds a year. But the coolest thing about this watch is the way the second hand glides along with no perceptible steps, it’s mesmerising and it gives one pleasure just to look at it. Also the watch is waterproof to 100m so no need to take it off at all, although the strap will probably not last very long if you get it wet in the shower every day. A replacement silicone or rubber strap would probably look quite good though. Or even a jubilee-style bracelet if you want to make it look more formal. For the price you dont get a sapphire crystal glass, perhaps you can upgrade to one if it gets scratched. The dial is about 40mm across but doesnt look big, and whilst my wrist is 7.5″ I am sure it would look fine on smaller wrists too as the lug-to-lug is compact. The date indicator is just about big enough for me to read, although my eyes arent great without my specs. All in all this is a great purchase, well worth 5 stars.

Impressive looking timepiece
This is a very impressive looking watch for a great price. The actual color is a slightly darker blue than pictured, which I prefer sense it looks more professional than the brighter shinier blue, and blends in better with the black leather band.The most impressive aspect is Bulova’s Quartz technology that makes for an especially smooth sweeping seconds hand. Most seconds hands twitch or vibrate a little. It’s not something you notice until you get a watch like this. To the naked eye, its a continuous movement. Its not just for like looks – it also increases accuracy and battery duration.The leather band is a little stiff and not uber quality leather, but comfortable and wearable.If you want a very thin light watch, get something else. Its comfortable to wear but know there’s a little weight and bulk to it.

Decent, but not spectacular
Obviously there can be (and is) much debate about what makes a great watch, and much of it is very personal. I don’t think anyone can argue the merits of Swiss quality, nor can anyone disparage what Japanese brands are doing (or offerings from other countries, for that matter – a lot of wonderful watches in the world today, micro brands included), so, often, it comes down to just finding the watch that is wanted that serves the desired purpose.In this case, my brother was looking for this style, a blue-faced, simple and classic design that would serve as a decent dress watch for an office environment. He did not want anything super high end, but does like the “sweep” movement of mechanicals, and this quartz “Precisionist” movement, nicely packaged in a blue and silver design, definitely filled the bill, and I gave this watch as a gift to him. It is a fine example of what brands like Bulova do well in their innovations, in this instance, providing a mechanical “look” to the movement in a very reliable and accurate quartz package meaning that (as is often the case in Japanese over Swiss brands) you get a decent amount of watch for the asking price — or certainly the current asking price here, which is about half the $300 plus of the full retail cost of this model.At just over $150, it’s a pretty incredible deal, although, as I’ve noted in another Bulova model review, it would be nice if Bulova would step up their product line somewhat and offer sapphire crystals and better straps, for the retail cost they want. As it happens, my brother damaged the mineral crystal the first day he wore the watch, knocking the watch face accidentally against a rough surface that gouged a deep scratch in it. On showing me the damage, I told him I’d get it fixed, and I took it to a jeweler where, for about thirty bucks, I had the damaged mineral crystal replaced with a sapphire one. The watch looks far nicer (and is more immune to damage) now, and it seems frustrating that Bulova won’t go the extra mile, add a few bucks on the price, and provide the quality that sapphire brings. Plus, for the asking retail of more than three hundred dollars, one certainly finds options with sapphire, standard, in other brands, so, if wanting to be considered as competing with more pricey competitors, the brand should deliver on what can be found for the price point they are asking. Otherwise, it is easy to dismiss Bulova and go for better options at the same cost.Outside of the crystal issue and the less than stellar strap, the rest of the watch is done very well, and delivers a real elegance, the watch made rich with subtle details like the beveling on the bezel, the mix of polished and satin finishes, the open design of the hands, different texturing within the dial, etc. This is where it seems odd to me that Bulova won’t go further — to put so much into what they do provide, but not upgrade the crystal or invest more in the strap just seems a confusing choice. But, what they do provide here is beautiful, particularly the chosen hue of the blue dial, which is one of the better blue dials I’ve seen on a dressier watch.Refinement is further achieved with the faceted silver main hour markers, used rather than numerals. Detailing is again shown in the white seconds indices around the outer dial, the silver center ring, and the silver outlined date box. The whole face is highly legible, including the date (black numerals on a white background) and the 100m water resistance is appreciated (not that this is a watch for water play, but the rating supersedes the often only 30m or 50m on many dress watches, just adding a level of confidence for wearing conditions).Honestly, at the Amazon price here of $170 or so, one would be hard pressed to find a watch so nice, especially considering the benefit of the Ultra High Frequency quartz movement which provides incredible accuracy. And, for only a few more bucks, on arrival, you can make it sapphire, and you can always switch out the strap as well, although that definitely pushes the cost over $200. Still good, for what you’re getting. However, I’d be looking at other options at the full retail price, since it’s just a lot of price to ask for a cheap mineral crystal and not so special strap.My brother, by the way, loves it, so it certainly was a hit, and much more so now that the crystal is upgraded (he was shocked at how slight the impact was, given the amount of damaged caused to the mineral one). So, as a gift to give, or as a watch to add to your own collection if you are a Precisionist fan, this is a good choice, hence the four stars. The missing star is just for the deficits I mentioned (crystal and strap) and it remains my hope that Bulova, with all of their wonderful innovations, will improve on those elements in the future. If this came with sapphire and a better band, I’d have gladly purchased it even at full retail, so it just seems Bulova is short-changing themselves by not upping their game a bit more.Definitely do recommend this watch, but also recommend planning on, at minimum, a crystal upgrade for increased durability and improving the overall look of the watch quite a bit. My brother is fine with the strap, but one might consider upgrading that as well, to a superior leather, and perhaps even a deployment clasp.Thanks for reading, and I hope this was helpful.

Love to watch sweep movement of this watch.

beautiful timepiece, very accurate.