Sunday, November 3, 2024
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Bulova Precisionist Chronograph 98B316 Review

REVIEW OVERVIEW

Price / Value
95 %
Build Quality
100 %
Accuracy
100 %
Styling
100 %

Don’t like reading? Check out my video review on YouTube instead.

Bulova’s History

If you are new to Bulova’s watches, there is some history that should be introduced about the brand. Bulova was founded in 1875 in New York City by Joseph Bulova. Bulova’s first Accutron watch was sold in 1960 and featured a tuning fork mechanism that was accurate to within 2 seconds per day, which was considerably more accurate than high-end mechanical watches at the time. Following the tradition of high-precision accuracy, the Precisionist line was introduced. Bulova was later bought by Citizen.

Technical Specs

✅ Reference: 98B316
✅ Case Diameter: 46.5 mm
✅ Case Thickness: 17.5 mm
✅ Lug to Lug Height: 53 mm
✅ Curved Mineral Crystal Cover
✅ Stainless Steel Build – Two Tone Color
✅ Screw Down Crown
✅ Black Carbon Fiber Dial
✅ Chronograph with hour, minutes, seconds, 1/10 seconds, 1/100 seconds & 1/1000 seconds readings
✅ Fold-over Buckle with Safety Clasp
✅ 300 Meters of Water Resistance
✅ Diver’s Extension Band
✅ Approximately 270 Grams Depending On The Number Of Links Used Or Removed
✅ Date Window Located Between Hour 4 & 5

High-Level Accuracy

This watch has a striking design, with many unique design elements. However, this watch’s stand-out feature is the claimed accuracy since it belongs to Bulova’s Precisionist lineup of watches, which are known for high accuracy.

The watch is powered by an ultra high-frequency quartz movement that features a vibrational frequency of 262 kHz (262,000 Hz), which is 8 times more than a standard quartz frequency of 32,768 Hz. This results in the watch being accurate to a maximum of 10 seconds every 12 months or a year. For reference, many high-end mechanical watches that cost far in excess of this watch’s MSRP can lose a few seconds daily. Losing a few seconds daily can mean the watch is off by a minute or more each month. This watch claims only to lose 10 seconds every 12 months, which really sets it apart.

Chronograph Mode

Using the chronograph on this watch is a different experience compared to using it on other watches that I have owned. This watch keeps an internal timing while you are using the chronograph so that when you exit chronograph mode, it picks up the time accurately, and it does it in such an interesting way. When you exit the chronograph, the sweeping second hand rapidly rotates until it hits the correct time dictated by the internal timing mechanism, then transitions into a smooth sweep. Take a look at using the video below to see what I mean. I have linked it to the correct segment in the video.

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Package Contents

Bulova 98B316 Precisionist Box Package
Bulova 98B316 Precisionist Box Package

The watch comes in a standard Bulova box secured around a small pillow with a warranty card.

Exterior Elements

The exterior of the watch is made of stainless steel in a two-tone color scheme. The watch band is made of stainless steel, and so is the majority of the case, except the top of the case, which is in a type of gunmetal color that contrasts well with the stainless steel.


The watch band features a combination of polishing at the sides of the watchband, and a brushed metal finish on the watch band links with a small polished peak on each watch link, with a middle divot line running from a part of the brushed metal portion into the polished portion.

bulova precisionist 98b316 close up exterior
Bulova Precisionist 98B316 Close-Up Exterior

There is detailed knurling that surrounds the mineral crystal glass housing.

The right side of the watch has a screw-down crown that is textured with divots to offer more grip and is adorned with the Bulova logo on the end of the crown. The crown is separated by two metal attachments to protect the crown from becoming unscrewed. The two buttons on the right side of the watch that surround the crown start, stop the chronograph, stop it, and reset the chronograph. The watch’s left side has a button located at the bottom right, which puts the watch into Chronograph mode and back out of chronograph mode.

The watch has a fold-over buckle with a safety clasp. As well, there is a diver’s extension if needed.

Case & Interior Elements

The front of the watch has 4 large hex screws in each corner of the watch face. The dial is covered by a curved mineral crystal, which is a nice touch, but makes reading the time at other angles hard or impossible due to the curvature. However, the uniqueness of the curvature is something that I prefer, and the trade-off is no issue for me.

Bulova Precisionist 98B316 Curved Mineral Crystal
Bulova Precisionist 98B316 Curved Mineral Crystal

The face of the watch has a beautiful white continuous second hand that has the Precisionist logo at the opposite end. The minute and hour hand are a skeleton design with a lumed tip. The dial is carbon fiber and features 4 round dials to show measurements for the chronograph. The top dial under the 12 indicator shows 1/10 of a second and 1/100 of a second with a small white and blue hand. The dial above indicator 6 shows 1/1000 of a second. The dial opposite indicator 3 shows hours, with a maximum of 12 hours. The dial opposite indicator 9 shows the chronograph minutes. The date indicator is located between hour indicators 4 and 5.

There is also a beautiful perlage around the dial’s carbon fiber area and a blue textured outer ring between the perlage and the carbon fiber dial.

It is important to note that while this watch does have lume on many portions of the watch, the lume is so weak that I find it unusable in dark environments when the watch is exposed to ambient light.

Bulova Precisionist 98B316 Front View
Bulova Precisionist 98B316 Front View

Build Quality

The build quality of this watch is extremely impressive. The watch case and the band are quite thick, heavy and feel robust. The parts are all precisely crafted, so there is no rubbing or premature wear visible as the watch band curves and adjusts. I would have preferred sapphire crystal instead of mineral glass to match with the heavy-duty feel of this watch.

Wearability

I do not have a large wrist, mine measures around 7 inches, but I still find this watch quite comfortable to wear. The watch curves easily around my wrist and the case back seats nicely on the top of my wrist. I prefer heavy devices, so the weight of this watch is reassuring to me. There will be no chance of forgetting that you are wearing this one.

Summing Up

This watch is a great buy, whether you are purchasing your first watch or looking to add to your collection. The bold design is sure to stand out when worn, especially with dark or a contrasting sleeve color. While this watch does retail pretty high, seasonal sales bring it into a more reasonable realm if you can wait for special sales or promotions. I can highly recommend this watch, and as of late, I have swapped wearing my Bulova Accutron II Surveyor reference 96B213 to wear this instead.

If there is anything that I missed in the review, or if you have any questions that I did not cover, please leave a comment below.

Some links may be referral links, which means I earn a small commission for qualifying sales. There is no additional cost to you.

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Adrian
Adrianhttps://demcrumbliesreviews.com
Adrian is a tech lover that enjoys helping people make the most of their tech in a simplified way.

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The Bulova Precisionist Chronograph 98B316 is a beautifully styled watch with bold design features. If you can handle its sizeable weight and dimensions, you will be rewarded with unparalleled accuracy and a smooth continuous sweeping second hand.Bulova Precisionist Chronograph 98B316 Review