I love the concept of high accuracy quartz movements, and that sweep is positively hypnotic. If Bulova learns to switch their design target from Invicta to Seiko they could sell a lot more pieces, the big for the sake of being big watch fad has passed, it's time to make more wearable products.
Why other brands didn't give their quartz this beautiful sweeping hands is beyond me. This is truly next generation even if they did it a few years back.
@@JohnBowl14690 rolex doesnt give u a specific date they just tell u we might call u but they never unless u buy their trash models first ones that u dont like just so u can get a better one
@@JohnBowl14690 owhh bro u misunderstood he meant he waited for the realease not waitlistt cause he wanted that movement but with a good color and smaller case size u can go to any bulova store and get it
Really excited about this one. I absolutely love high accuracy Quartz watches. Another really great affordable high accuracy Quarts is the Seiko dolce line. It comes with their 4J Movement that they used in their older grand Seiko‘s and the price is around $300 for a new one. They’re definitely dressy watches, but a really cool affordable option if you are into this sort of movement. They are +- 10 seconds a year as far as accuracy and they are thermal compensated
I have twelve 262 kHz Bulovas: four 3-hand movement like the reviewed watch, three 8-hand chronographs, four with the Lunar Pilot movement and a Curv chronograph. On the whole, they are more accurate than regular quartz watches. The best is off
I was worrying about buying two more watches when I already have two. Now I do not feel so bad. Thank you. My Bulova 97B110 Longwood Precisionist (my second of that model, the date function stopped turning over after about 8 years on my first one) runs slightly fast, always gaining seconds. Think it's in the five seconds a month or so league, as it's the older 102 movement. It will be interesting to see if the 96B401 keeps better time. EDIT: Tested the 97B110 and it gained 11 seconds over one month.
I bought the gold version as soon as it came out. Couldn’t resist waiting for discounts. It’s a beautiful dial and if you’re into the 70’s ostentatious look, the one to go for. Makes you want to buy shag pile carpets for your living room. My only wish is that they had offered it with the bracelet the others have in gold. So I bought an aftermarket butterfly bracelet and man! It pops! The 70’s had bling, before it was ever a thing! I’m from the UK and I’ve seen the black and gilt version. To me, it’s not all that. The dial is a matte anthracite colour which doesn’t do much in the way of making the gilt pop. If they had done it in a deep gloss black, maybe it would hero the indices. But as it is, it kinda looks boring. So anyone outside the UK, you’re not missing much unless you want to blend in with the crowd and convey a restrained dress sense…which I guess is popular in the UK which I can confirm as a born and bred Englishman and probably why Bulova made it specifically for this market.
Yes Love The Gold and leather strap is nice on this. I prefer the lighter weight of Titanium so a full metal bracelet of steel might be eighty Also got the burgundy which is striking, here in USA, but the silver bracelet is too heavy IMO but it is still a beauty (it has sliding pins to remove, hope they don't slide off all the way accidentally - may switch out fastening pins with the old standard style pins). Both keep great matching time. The silver and burgundy is actually easier to read in the dark even with low lume vs the brown butterscotch face. It is a real 70s throwback and I think a classic.
I have two Bulova Lunar Pilots and their accuracy for keeping time is in the range of 10 - 12 sec/year I also have the complete Casio Duro collection (white included) and their accuracy varies from 4 to 8 sec/month On the other hand, I also have a Casio (Tifany blue for 50 euros) which has a precision of 1 sec/month... which classifies it in the Precisionist category!! With low-end watches it's a question of luck... with a Precisionist you are assured of consistency... no unpleasant surprises BTW ... great review
As a fellow Jetstar owner, I went for the limited edition silver dial, I would like to add how very well made watch this is, it is better made than a lot of mid range Swiss watches in my collection from companies like Glycene, Tissot and Maurice Lacroix.
I completely agree. I love the Bulova Precisionist movements....but they are usually too large and some of their designs too over the top. This is a big step in the right direction for Bulova Precisionist. I'm very tempted by this.
Great review and a great watch too Shane. This movement has been used by Bulova in deed for several years. I actually have two in my collection, a military style (I think 96B229) and one kind of sport-dress surveyor line, both models I believe are long discontinued. They are both a bit larger though but this second hand is an absolute joy to look. Keep up the good work!
Since it's an in house movement, it would not be a stretch to customize the date wheel. Black with orange date would go well with the colors of the indexes.
This is a awesome watch. Great movement, very good finish and great value for money ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I have this watch with the silver dial on a black leather strap
I picked up this exact one days after seeing it at Windup Watch Fair a few months back. The sweep, the dial color, the case shape, and surprisingly the bracelet all work. Not sure why I needed another quartz at this price, PRX was the first, but I find myself grabbing them before any other mechanicals I had.
I just got the Bulova Surveyor in red yesterday. I’m pretty impressed. I went with this one over the Jetstar because the dial, for me, has more character with the indentations for the minute tracks and gold indexes and hands. I am gonna miss out on that Jetstar H-Link bracelet, but I might get one down the line.
Great Rview! I am an old Bulova guy, I was given my first one in 1963. Bulova has a great history, for years it was considered "America's Watch;" I mean Frank Sinitra was the company's main Celebrity Spokesman. Ever since Thum was ousted as CEO it looks like Bulova is sort of treated like Citizen's unwanted division, sort of ignored in the budget process. They did away with the Accu Swiss line and acquired Frederique Constant / Alpina as their Swiss luxary brands. I truly wish Bulova could return to a more American Brand, but those days are done. Hey Swatch Group, want another old time American name brand, with some spiffy offices in New York's Empire State Building?
I own two Bulova watches both have that funky counter-balance. I like that and wish they’d stayed with it. I have an older Citizen with the same color of dial as this one. It’s a little small for me, but I still wear it every so often because I love the dial. I’d definitely wear it!
I really like this watch. I wouldn't usually go for a red dial but it looks great on this watch. That sweeping second hand is awesome. I do think they should offer some other colors also.
Beautiful. I love deep red dials, and this design integrates all the elements really well. The hands complement the dial. The tan leather strap looks terrific with this watch.
Hey pal love this . This watch spoke to me and I picked it up. ( I’m not rich ) so I don’t pick up watches all the time. I’m picky and make my $ go thr furthest . My prx being prob my most expensive. What is the red band u used? The sporty one ? Thanks cheif
Thanks! Its from a strap company I randomly found online. I think they are based in Vietnam, but pretty good leather. babuhandmadeleather.com/product/dark-red-vegetable-tanned-leather-watch-band-sw065/
I've been looking for a crimson dial watch for a while now. I think this is the one. I can appreciate the 70s watch asthetic, just not clothes. I cringe when I see the pucture of me in my powder blue suit my mom made me wear. Nice balanced review Shane!
I just checked what they do in this precisionist lien in terms of style. It looks like they are balancing the very fine line between the fines of hublot and subtlety of invicta.
In Australia we also get a silver dial with silver indices, on a black leather strap. That’s the one I went for, seconds hand has a baby blue tip on the distal quarter of the hand. So much more versatile than the other colourways
Thank you for such a well made review and tons of well made shots and clips of the actual watch! The concept of high accuracy wtih *sweeping seconds* is very intriguing to me. I love them. Are there any other non-mechanical-watches with the same accuracy and sweeping seconds???
Yes Shane, my Lunar Pilot DOES need a new battery now. The way it lets you know goes beyond "no action," the hands reposition themselves to strange positions. Meanwhile, I've yet to replace a G-Shock battery of older vintage. Oh well. I like red watches. I own a Marlin TW2T23200ZV (burgundy). It helps scratch my itch for vintage vibe, although not in any way my 1963 Bulova Sea King does. 17-jewel Swiss manual winds are excellent and affordable, despite obsolete. ($100 to buy, $100 to service.) Among the Marlin's attributes are a simple (unpretentious) case, Miyota 8000-series, and acrylic crystal. Acrylic is not a good idea on cheap Casios but it entirely appropriate on many others. I own several watches with sapphire crystals and none of them let me forget I'm looking through "glass" to see the dial. AR coating isn't a panacea. All of which is to say ... I'm not sold on this Jet Star's blocky-yet-blingy case and bracelet. The movement remains something Bulova still doesn't know what to do with, overall. Last time I saw a second hand like that it was on either an original Accutron or a Spring Drive. A few years ago I trolled eBay for the 41mm Surveyors but never pulled the trigger. At least they had the good sense to put the date at the 6, but *I can't remember if they were Precisionist or just "regular" k262 models ... Bulova sold them as Accutron II.
I've had one of those Accutron IIs. Bought a green one off ebay. I'm still not sure what movement is in it. It has a similar sweep. One of the reasons I thought Precisionists were so big was because of the movement and battery. So I remember seeing someone say it was basically the Precisionist movement minus the high-accuracy bits. That was how they got the size down, but who knows. The line didn't last very long, and Citizen wound up spinning the whole Accutron name into its own strange brand.
Nicely done. I’m all about the gold on leather. Jared has them 25% off and this red is $$446.25! The others are shown discounted as well but I could only add the red dial to the cart. 😮
For the money it's a phenomenal movement. But you're right when the Precisionist were first released they were advertised with more accurate specs. These were labeled UHF (Ultra High Frequency). A few years later Bulova changed that labeling to High Performance Quartz. They aren't thermo compensated, so outside of normal high/low temperatures the accuracy becomes inconsistent.
Tissot's new 40mm quartz sea star is crazy accurate. +-10 sec/year! and battery life is 5 years. It's a great piece. I have the black one. Slim and beautiful. But not a sweeping seconds hand. But it's great. Would be a good review.
I'm going to get the silver one today... provided that it's not too small. After all, with my flat and broad wrists, I can pull off an OG Lunar Pilot, Tissot Seastar 2000 and Invicta Grand Diver. Those watches are 45, 46 and 47mm respectively. I'm hoping that the cushion case makes up for the dial size.
Just ordered the silver for a really good discount. It has been a long while since I have been so taken in by a watch design like this. Briliant balance of paying homage to the original, and being able to innovate and bring something new and unique to the table.
I have a lunar pilot that has been +- 4 seconds per year. Finally saw this and had to have it. The photos of the red do not show the sunray, your video does.
Thanks for the great review. You always seem to have some unique perspectives on watches, probably due to your engineering background. I personally think the silver, red, and blue one looks the best. Thanks again.
I LOVE IT! i love everything about it! Would like to have one in the future. If Bulova/Citizen /miyota idk who. Will make this movement solar, it would be epic!
Hopefully it's a sign of better things to come from the brand using this movement plus a heads up to the design dept regarding their dinner plate offerings attempting to re-invent the wheel . Love the watch but not the msrp , a thorough & informative review Shane , in fact the best to date on yt regarding this piece , oh & let me know when you're tired of the Akura 😉.
I agree totally with your comments on the color choices. I would have one right now if it wasn’t for the colors. The red is nice but I am not a red person. Hopefully next models will include a black and blue option.
Awesome watch. Love the sweep and your overall review of it. You have good insights. My nit pick is the logo at the bottom. Seems to large or maybe just upsets my OCD with it’s angled placement. Either have only the logo or only the 262.
I got the limited edition and agree about the stainless bracelet. The good news is that if you don't like the blue optional leather strap that comes with it, a milanese looks absolutely awesome.
Re temperature compensation: On devices with power to spare (plugged into a wall) you can see crystals kept to a constant temperature, but never on a watch. It takes too much power. In a watch you will more commonly see a temperature sensor. Based on the temperature, the circuit will inject extra pulses to keep the total vibration frequency constant. You say that most quartz watches are off by 15-20 seconds/month. Personally, I consider 3 minutes/year (15 seconds/month, 1/2 second/day) to be the outer limit of reasonable, and most of my quartz are within 1/10 seconds/day. My Dan Henry skin diver has a Seiko 3 hand mecha quartz movement. It has 4 ticks/second, so not as smooth as a precisionist, but similar to a slow beat mechanical. I've had it 5 months and it is still not off by a second. My guess on Bulova and their specified accuracy is they had more warranty claims than they'd like on accuracy, even though the majority are OK. Rather than "fix" the movement, they fixed the specification.
My word that is a handsome watch. The mix of brushed and polished surfaces strikes a good balance for a watch which wants to be looked at. I keep looking at one of the older Precisionist 3 handed watches with a black turbine style dial, but this is in a completely different category for style and finish. I would be all over this watch, except that I’ve had two new watches this year and I think a third would be a bridge too far. That said I will certainly have this at top of my list for next time I feel wealthy.
There is an interview online with current Bulova President and this question was asked. He states that Citizen wants Eco-Drive proprietary to Citizen. And Bulova 262kHz movement proprietary to Citizen. Though Bulova is owned by Citizen they are still run as two separate companies. Citizen headquarters in Japan and Bulova still maintains its offices in NYC.
The gold and red dials are harder to find at Bulova ADs in Canada. Forget about any black dial. Most ADs have the grey dial version which also comes with a leather strap.
I love that you explained and questioned the technical aspects of the watch. So, it would be a battery eater. Not as much as the Lunar Pilot and one with 6 to 8 hands that could be set off accidentally and would need the ability to read and understand a BMW 7 Class Owners manual to operate and use all the functions. Even though Citizen has bought Bulova I wonder with the long term reliability of the watch having such a quartz fitted with both a turbo and supercharger type action. There is one other Precisionist that is normal that isn't a Jet that comes in Blue and Black textured faces without extra hands flying around. The oval of the original 70's vibe reminds me of those oval RADO watches. One of the few Quartz watches I would consider over Autos. Citizen... loan them the Eco Drive with these to really make this a watch with super powers as far as high end tech.
Epic is the right thumbnail for this one Shane. The colour is fantastic, that sweeping seconds hand is smoother than a Seiko high beat 36,000 bpm and can only be beaten by a Springdrive. On the accuracy claims I'm not worried about it. 2 years battery is ok too. I don't like fingerprints though! But I could live with that!
Would love to see this in green with a DLC or hardening. Would be a home run. I can't get past the magenta with red, it's such an odd combo. Leaving out the red probably would have been better.
The indexes on my silver Jetstar LE look fine, at least to my eye. Haven't put it under a magnifying glass though and don't plan to. I really like how the blue doesn't pop on this watch except in super bright light. I'm wearing it right now in my room and it looks like it has black accents instead of blue. So for me It pops even more when I'm in a really bright environment, which is when the rest of the watch pops. People definitely look at it.
You got me buying one :-) I received mine today and I took a good look at the bracelet ... I am pretty sure it resembles a row with windows from the Empire State Building in which Bulova has been located since 2015. The similarities are pretty obvious. That makes this piece even more special!
Really good and honest review. Kind of a sucker for a pretty red dial. I just got the silver dial limited version. Stunning watch! Haven't sized the bracelet. I am using it on the blue band with the red stitching. Perfect for me. For the money, a real deal.
I got a nice dressy blue 3-hander precisionist for under 200. Since April, it’s gained around 2.5-3 seconds. That’s 6sec/year, under the 10s/yr advertised. Also, the battery should last the same as regular quartz, as far as I can see from some watch forums. And the sweeping seconds hand is mesmerising!
I bought that 70s gold bling arriving tomorrow. That's the best one lol. If you are going for that 70's look which Bulova is, then you have to go with the gold. That's what the seventies was all about.
Now if they can make the Lunar Pilot in this size, I would be ecstatic. On a side note, I think all of the retro and historic reissues from Bulova are a fantastic route for them to go. I picked up both a Banker in the beige sunburst and a Breton in the salmon (both used). There is very little like them, with the 20s art deco design, in the price range. I very much am looking at the parking meter reissue as well.
My silver dial Jetstar turned up today. So glad i decided to buy it, i think it just looks so good. This will be getting alot of wrist time :) Currently on the leather strap until i can adjust the bracelet at work. Prices seem to vary alot and i got it cheaper than some of the other variants were on sale for. The gold looks amazing but just not my style, the red didn't seem to have the legibility to me. I was tempted by the grey one for some reason and legibility question aside i may get one of those in the future but will try to see one hands on. As mentioned in another comment, cheap wall clocks have smooth sweep quartz so why don't more watches have them even if not as accurate as this precisionist?
Nice review!!! I especially appreciate the technical info about the movement. I just might have to give this one some very serious consideration. This might make another great grab and go for me in some circumstances. Gotta love that dial & color!!!!
I love the movement. I love the red dial . The case is also great . Hate the Bracelet. Too shiny . I wish they kept it brushed. Still want to buy it but on a leather .
Great review as usual, Shane. I’ve been on a spree with new old stock Accutron II watches with a couple of Precionists for my wife. After your review, I figured I’d take a chance with the Jet Star. A few mall based jewelers have this one at less than $450. I bought one online and recieved another $25 off for siging up for the email list. Thanks again for the video!
Great watch. Love that seconds hand sweep. If only Bulova teamed up with someone like say, Citizen (Bulova is part of the Citizen group) for their case design to really give Grand Seiko and others a real run for their money. There is so much potential there.
Great review! I have been looking at this one myself! I like the silver vdial version myself. That sweeping second hand on the Precisionist line is great!
I enjoyed this review. I’ve been contemplating these Precisionist models, and I can’t figure out if I’d only be buying it to see the Seconds hand sweep. I have a 60’s era high-beat Longines which I think runs at 10 ticks/sec as opposed to the 16 on the Jet Star. The Longines closely mimics that smooth sweep with a mechanical movement which imho is much more impressive. I have what I think are the best, most precise, carefree watches out there-> both are Casios! One Oceanus and one Lineage level watch. Both are solar powered, radio, sapphire crystal and perpetual calendars. As for accuracy (+/-0 seconds a YEAR), it’s game over for the high precision quartz models. After all, if it’s dead-on accuracy as a goal, why not just get a radio controlled watch?
Thanks! I've never tried a lineage, but I love my Oceanus. The only problem I've seen with radio (multiband) is that not everyone can use it. Depends on where you are, and where your watch sleeps at night. That and I know at one point the US govt was talking about shutting down their signal. Originally the atomic signal was set up to sync military systems, but they have moved beyond that now. So for them, there isn't much use in maintaining it.
@@RelativeTime Yes, it’s a shame that radio coverage is not universal. But it sure covers a great part of the globe. As for the shut down of the Atomic clock radio signal, we’ve been hearing that for years and years with no changes. Fingers crossed--
I really like my new Jet Star....my only beef is there is no battery end-of-life indication. In my books the reason why I like quartz watches is the accuracy and reliability: it's always close to being on time and if the battery is close to expiring there is a few weeks warning. I depend on watches to be on time for my business. My solution is that I'm going to preemptively change battery each year whether it needs it or not...
Anecdote: I got to try the Seiko Dolce in Japan. It comes in around this price, or cheaper than the Bulova Jet Star. If you haven't heard of the Dolce, just know that it's another thermo-compensated high accuracy quartz. So it has that going for it. But at this price the dressy-looking watch actually looked and felt like a cheap dollar-store watch. The way the seconds hand moved reminded me of all the cheapest quartz watches I've ever seen in my life. That is to say, most of the money went into the movement. So there is a cost to high-accuracy quartz and most people won't care enough to buy into that. But if you do, then it's probably worth checking whether the rest of the watch meets the standards of excellence set by the movement. Thus, luxury quartz watches...
The Bulova sea king is my favorite watch, even over my marine master, seamaster, orient watches, all of them. It’s everything I want in a tool watch. I like it so much I have two with on just sitting in a box.
Thank you for great review. I'm just wondering what model to choose. Whether yours with "Red" dial or Bulova 96K112 Jet Star Limited Edition ( white dial ). Are you happy after some months of using ? Thank you.
Yeah, I still love mine. In fact did a sort of STOC earlier this year. Where I didn't go over everything I have, but more picked out my favorites. I listed the Bulova as my favorite red watch right now.
I’m actually ok that they omitted the Precisionist logo counterweight on the seconds hand. It’s already on the dial, and that dial is pretty awesome as is. Great review.
Great vid Shane! As for the Jetstar, well, I would have prefered that Bulova would have made the case a bit closer to the original that is supposed to be representing, although I get what you are saying that, because it sort of looked like a Seiko Turtle they decided not to do it. As for the guilded looked one that is a UK only run, yeah, I'm with you and hope that Bulova/Citizen did not shot themselves in the foot like you said. I think they may have thought that offering the silver one, which looks as far the dial is concern to the original, for the US market, that it could sale more. I don't think most people even remember the original models, unless they are in their 60's and lived thru the 70's. However, I wish that Citizen would look at the back catalog of Bulova and try to bring back some of the old models but with new manufacturing processes. I would think like you said, with more normal sizes and look, they could make Citizen big money if they would do something like that not as a "here and there" re-issues but as more main stream lines. Anyway, keep up the great work!
I have been waiting for a 40mm and 100m WR high accuracy smooth sweep watch from Bulova for some time as well. I really like the movement. Looks like I'm going to keep waiting. I have an accutron II dive watch and a dressy precisionist with the same movement.
Nice review as always. Finally a Bulova at a reasonable size. It seems like every Bulova is 44-45. I'm in the camp of not wearing red dials but this does look really nice. That smooth sweep is amazing. To each their own opinion but those who avoid quartz they are missing out on so many good watches.
I will say, that it is a good looking watch. I have several watches, some expensive and most are mid range. For some reason, I keep wearing my Bulova's the most.
You must have mist the Bulova 96B257 precisionist, with its blue sunburst face, precisionist movement, 100m water resistance and 43mm case size. Mine has only lost 3 seconds in over a year and looks great on a blue rubber strap.
Stupid TH-cam algorithm, now I have to buy a 3rd watch this year...
could wait till new years, that way technically, you only bought two in 2024
I love the concept of high accuracy quartz movements, and that sweep is positively hypnotic. If Bulova learns to switch their design target from Invicta to Seiko they could sell a lot more pieces, the big for the sake of being big watch fad has passed, it's time to make more wearable products.
Why other brands didn't give their quartz this beautiful sweeping hands is beyond me. This is truly next generation even if they did it a few years back.
precisely what i was thinking. a 39 or 38mm classicaly inspired piece with a movement like this would be amazing
42-45mm is perfect for my wrist
@@119fatty in that case this watch is a no-brainer! My skinny ass arms probably make a watch of that size look like a wall clock
Not everyone has small wrists
Love the Jetstar - and with that red dial! Huge kudos to you for showing it with all those different straps too!
Just ordered mine after watching this review. Thank you so much for your attention to detail and honest review. Cheers! 🙌🏼
Thanks, hope you will enjoy it.
@@RelativeTime - And I thought the Rolex waitlist was long. 5 years for a Bulova. Wow.
@@JohnBowl14690 its on amazon bro
@@JohnBowl14690 rolex doesnt give u a specific date they just tell u we might call u but they never unless u buy their trash models first ones that u dont like just so u can get a better one
@@JohnBowl14690 owhh bro u misunderstood he meant he waited for the realease not waitlistt cause he wanted that movement but with a good color and smaller case size u can go to any bulova store and get it
Really excited about this one. I absolutely love high accuracy Quartz watches. Another really great affordable high accuracy Quarts is the Seiko dolce line. It comes with their 4J Movement that they used in their older grand Seiko‘s and the price is around $300 for a new one. They’re definitely dressy watches, but a really cool affordable option if you are into this sort of movement. They are +- 10 seconds a year as far as accuracy and they are thermal compensated
I have twelve 262 kHz Bulovas: four 3-hand movement like the reviewed watch, three 8-hand chronographs, four with the Lunar Pilot movement and a Curv chronograph. On the whole, they are more accurate than regular quartz watches. The best is off
Hey brother, what kind of battery does these precisionist movement use? Also how much do they cost?
@@absar8304 The Precisionists use a CR2016. The Lunar Pilot and Curv models use a SR927.
CR2016 - very common button battery, selling for about $5 from many drug stores.
@@absar8304
@@absar8304CR2016. The watches vary in price, batteries are cheap.
I was worrying about buying two more watches when I already have two. Now I do not feel so bad. Thank you. My Bulova 97B110 Longwood Precisionist (my second of that model, the date function stopped turning over after about 8 years on my first one) runs slightly fast, always gaining seconds. Think it's in the five seconds a month or so league, as it's the older 102 movement. It will be interesting to see if the 96B401 keeps better time. EDIT: Tested the 97B110 and it gained 11 seconds over one month.
The sweep of the minute hand is absolutely impressive. Better than many automatic watches I have owned.
Some of the most sophisticated quartz technology this side of a Grand Seiko
An amazing watch! If Rolex had released this movement, this watch would be $7,599. Great review as usual.
Try $25K and you'd be closer to the Rolex mark but... a QUARTZ! Only common people wear those... things.
I bought the gold version as soon as it came out. Couldn’t resist waiting for discounts. It’s a beautiful dial and if you’re into the 70’s ostentatious look, the one to go for.
Makes you want to buy shag pile carpets for your living room.
My only wish is that they had offered it with the bracelet the others have in gold. So I bought an aftermarket butterfly bracelet and man! It pops!
The 70’s had bling, before it was ever a thing!
I’m from the UK and I’ve seen the black and gilt version. To me, it’s not all that.
The dial is a matte anthracite colour which doesn’t do much in the way of making the gilt pop. If they had done it in a deep gloss black, maybe it would hero the indices.
But as it is, it kinda looks boring. So anyone outside the UK, you’re not missing much unless you want to blend in with the crowd and convey a restrained dress sense…which I guess is popular in the UK which I can confirm as a born and bred Englishman and probably why Bulova made it specifically for this market.
bought the same one. You have to, that's what the 70's was. Gold, bold and bling. I love GOOOLLLDDD. lol
Yes Love The Gold and leather strap is nice on this. I prefer the lighter weight of Titanium so a full metal bracelet of steel might be eighty
Also got the burgundy which is striking, here in USA, but the silver bracelet is too heavy IMO but it is still a beauty (it has sliding pins to remove, hope they don't slide off all the way accidentally - may switch out fastening pins with the old standard style pins). Both keep great matching time. The silver and burgundy is actually easier to read in the dark even with low lume vs the brown butterscotch face.
It is a real 70s throwback and I think a classic.
I have two Bulova Lunar Pilots and their accuracy for keeping time is in the range of 10 - 12 sec/year
I also have the complete Casio Duro collection (white included) and their accuracy varies from 4 to 8 sec/month
On the other hand, I also have a Casio (Tifany blue for 50 euros) which has a precision of 1 sec/month... which classifies it in the Precisionist category!!
With low-end watches it's a question of luck... with a Precisionist you are assured of consistency... no unpleasant surprises
BTW ... great review
I love red dials. Blue. Yellow. Orange. I would love that movement in a ton of other watches.
It will come.
Oh my God what a beautiful watch. I don't mind being it quartz! It's just EPIC. Great review as always friend!
As a fellow Jetstar owner, I went for the limited edition silver dial, I would like to add how very well made watch this is, it is better made than a lot of mid range Swiss watches in my collection from companies like Glycene, Tissot and Maurice Lacroix.
I completely agree. I love the Bulova Precisionist movements....but they are usually too large and some of their designs too over the top.
This is a big step in the right direction for Bulova Precisionist. I'm very tempted by this.
I hope you cover the battery change if you do it yourself. Bulova is on the right track. I want a white dial and even smaller.
That's a nice watch with a gorgeous dial. The sweep is mesmerizing.
Great review and a great watch too Shane. This movement has been used by Bulova in deed for several years. I actually have two in my collection, a military style (I think 96B229) and one kind of sport-dress surveyor line, both models I believe are long discontinued. They are both a bit larger though but this second hand is an absolute joy to look.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks! I'd love to see them use it more types of watches. Maybe a Devil Diver with it.
Since it's an in house movement, it would not be a stretch to customize the date wheel. Black with orange date would go well with the colors of the indexes.
This is a awesome watch. Great movement, very good finish and great value for money ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have this watch with the silver dial on a black leather strap
Beautiful watch! I own a Bulova WWII ORD watch from 1943. It’s nice to see Bulova make a comeback.
I picked up this exact one days after seeing it at Windup Watch Fair a few months back. The sweep, the dial color, the case shape, and surprisingly the bracelet all work. Not sure why I needed another quartz at this price, PRX was the first, but I find myself grabbing them before any other mechanicals I had.
I just got the Bulova Surveyor in red yesterday. I’m pretty impressed. I went with this one over the Jetstar because the dial, for me, has more character with the indentations for the minute tracks and gold indexes and hands. I am gonna miss out on that Jetstar H-Link bracelet, but I might get one down the line.
Another nice review. Thanks! Quick question - How did you determine that your watch deviated by 1/10 of a second over the last month?
My guess is he meant 1/10 sec/day - if he measured 3 sec/month deviation.
I definitely need to pick this up soon. Just bought 2 Bulova Surveryors with Precisionist movements (black dial and blue dial) I absolutely love them.
I bet this is the most common comment: “Looks just like Spring Drive! “ I am interested in this very watch. Thanks for another great review Shane.
Timex and a French company have teamed up to make a smooth sweeping second hand also without the accuracy of a high end. It is coming.
@@exexpat11any more information on that?
Red is like the alpinist green…. It just works with everything. You think it wouldn’t but it does.
That butterscotch dial model is my favorite.
Great Rview! I am an old Bulova guy, I was given my first one in 1963. Bulova has a great history, for years it was considered "America's Watch;" I mean Frank Sinitra was the company's main Celebrity Spokesman. Ever since Thum was ousted as CEO it looks like Bulova is sort of treated like Citizen's unwanted division, sort of ignored in the budget process. They did away with the Accu Swiss line and acquired Frederique Constant / Alpina as their Swiss luxary brands. I truly wish Bulova could return to a more American Brand, but those days are done. Hey Swatch Group, want another old time American name brand, with some spiffy offices in New York's Empire State Building?
Man I man that's a good looking dial. And it has my favorite movement to boot!
My only gripe is that the red, white/silver and blue colorway is a limited edition. That model just looks awesome
I think it's like a 7000 piece limited edition. So it shouldn't be too hard for you to get one
I'm more annoyed the black gilted version is only in the UK.
I own two Bulova watches both have that funky counter-balance. I like that and wish they’d stayed with it. I have an older Citizen with the same color of dial as this one. It’s a little small for me, but I still wear it every so often because I love the dial. I’d definitely wear it!
7000 lol love the limitless limited edition
I really like this watch. I wouldn't usually go for a red dial but it looks great on this watch. That sweeping second hand is awesome. I do think they should offer some other colors also.
Beautiful. I love deep red dials, and this design integrates all the elements really well. The hands complement the dial. The tan leather strap looks terrific with this watch.
Hey pal love this . This watch spoke to me and I picked it up. ( I’m not rich ) so I don’t pick up watches all the time. I’m picky and make my $ go thr furthest . My prx being prob my most expensive. What is the red band u used? The sporty one ? Thanks cheif
Thanks! Its from a strap company I randomly found online. I think they are based in Vietnam, but pretty good leather.
babuhandmadeleather.com/product/dark-red-vegetable-tanned-leather-watch-band-sw065/
The red dial is gorgeous, I might keep an eye out for one of the mustard yellow though.
Thanks for the upload 🍻
Thanks for watching!
I've been looking for a crimson dial watch for a while now. I think this is the one. I can appreciate the 70s watch asthetic, just not clothes. I cringe when I see the pucture of me in my powder blue suit my mom made me wear. Nice balanced review Shane!
Thank you for this review! There’s not a ton floating around right now. My 70s gold version arrives tomorrow and I’m very excited.
I just checked what they do in this precisionist lien in terms of style. It looks like they are balancing the very fine line between the fines of hublot and subtlety of invicta.
In Australia we also get a silver dial with silver indices, on a black leather strap. That’s the one I went for, seconds hand has a baby blue tip on the distal quarter of the hand. So much more versatile than the other colourways
I'd like to get one but I also really enjoy looking at my Bulova Wilton. I would love to have a quartz like this though. Elegant smooth movement.
Just got mine today and absolutely love it!!!
Thank you for such a well made review and tons of well made shots and clips of the actual watch! The concept of high accuracy wtih *sweeping seconds* is very intriguing to me. I love them. Are there any other non-mechanical-watches with the same accuracy and sweeping seconds???
Yes Shane, my Lunar Pilot DOES need a new battery now. The way it lets you know goes beyond "no action," the hands reposition themselves to strange positions. Meanwhile, I've yet to replace a G-Shock battery of older vintage. Oh well.
I like red watches. I own a Marlin TW2T23200ZV (burgundy). It helps scratch my itch for vintage vibe, although not in any way my 1963 Bulova Sea King does. 17-jewel Swiss manual winds are excellent and affordable, despite obsolete. ($100 to buy, $100 to service.)
Among the Marlin's attributes are a simple (unpretentious) case, Miyota 8000-series, and acrylic crystal. Acrylic is not a good idea on cheap Casios but it entirely appropriate on many others. I own several watches with sapphire crystals and none of them let me forget I'm looking through "glass" to see the dial. AR coating isn't a panacea.
All of which is to say ... I'm not sold on this Jet Star's blocky-yet-blingy case and bracelet. The movement remains something Bulova still doesn't know what to do with, overall. Last time I saw a second hand like that it was on either an original Accutron or a Spring Drive.
A few years ago I trolled eBay for the 41mm Surveyors but never pulled the trigger. At least they had the good sense to put the date at the 6, but *I can't remember if they were Precisionist or just "regular" k262 models ... Bulova sold them as Accutron II.
I've had one of those Accutron IIs. Bought a green one off ebay. I'm still not sure what movement is in it. It has a similar sweep. One of the reasons I thought Precisionists were so big was because of the movement and battery. So I remember seeing someone say it was basically the Precisionist movement minus the high-accuracy bits. That was how they got the size down, but who knows. The line didn't last very long, and Citizen wound up spinning the whole Accutron name into its own strange brand.
Nicely done. I’m all about the gold on leather. Jared has them 25% off and this red is $$446.25! The others are shown discounted as well but I could only add the red dial to the cart. 😮
For the money it's a phenomenal movement. But you're right when the Precisionist were first released they were advertised with more accurate specs. These were labeled UHF (Ultra High Frequency). A few years later Bulova changed that labeling to High Performance Quartz. They aren't thermo compensated, so outside of normal high/low temperatures the accuracy becomes inconsistent.
Tissot's new 40mm quartz sea star is crazy accurate. +-10 sec/year! and battery life is 5 years. It's a great piece. I have the black one. Slim and beautiful. But not a sweeping seconds hand. But it's great. Would be a good review.
Would you ever consider doing a review on the reimagined Super seville from Bulova?
One of the coolest movements I've ever seen. I also saw a 2hz quartz movement. Which is cool, but it ticked only 4 times p/s.
I enjoy your channel. You really know your watches. Very professional, and in depth.
Thanks! I appreciate it.
Love it. Such a retro vibe
I'm going to get the silver one today... provided that it's not too small. After all, with my flat and broad wrists, I can pull off an OG Lunar Pilot, Tissot Seastar 2000 and Invicta Grand Diver. Those watches are 45, 46 and 47mm respectively. I'm hoping that the cushion case makes up for the dial size.
Just ordered the silver for a really good discount. It has been a long while since I have been so taken in by a watch design like this. Briliant balance of paying homage to the original, and being able to innovate and bring something new and unique to the table.
I have a lunar pilot that has been +- 4 seconds per year. Finally saw this and had to have it. The photos of the red do not show the sunray, your video does.
Thanks for the great review. You always seem to have some unique perspectives on watches, probably due to your engineering background. I personally think the silver, red, and blue one looks the best. Thanks again.
I LOVE IT!
i love everything about it!
Would like to have one in the future.
If Bulova/Citizen /miyota idk who. Will make this movement solar, it would be epic!
Agreed, a solar version would be awesome.
Hopefully it's a sign of better things to come from the brand using this movement plus a heads up to the design dept regarding their dinner plate offerings attempting to re-invent the wheel . Love the watch but not the msrp , a thorough & informative review Shane , in fact the best to date on yt regarding this piece , oh & let me know when you're tired of the Akura 😉.
I agree totally with your comments on the color choices. I would have one right now if it wasn’t for the colors. The red is nice but I am not a red person. Hopefully next models will include a black and blue option.
I love the movement! Will pull the trigger once they come out with rotating bezel.
I'd love to see a devil diver with this movement.
Awesome watch. Love the sweep and your overall review of it. You have good insights. My nit pick is the logo at the bottom. Seems to large or maybe just upsets my OCD with it’s angled placement. Either have only the logo or only the 262.
I got the limited edition and agree about the stainless bracelet. The good news is that if you don't like the blue optional leather strap that comes with it, a milanese looks absolutely awesome.
I'll have to try a Milanese on this one. I should have one somewhere around here.
@@RelativeTime
Who hasn't got a 20mm milanese lying around 😂
Re temperature compensation: On devices with power to spare (plugged into a wall) you can see crystals kept to a constant temperature, but never on a watch. It takes too much power. In a watch you will more commonly see a temperature sensor. Based on the temperature, the circuit will inject extra pulses to keep the total vibration frequency constant.
You say that most quartz watches are off by 15-20 seconds/month. Personally, I consider 3 minutes/year (15 seconds/month, 1/2 second/day) to be the outer limit of reasonable, and most of my quartz are within 1/10 seconds/day.
My Dan Henry skin diver has a Seiko 3 hand mecha quartz movement. It has 4 ticks/second, so not as smooth as a precisionist, but similar to a slow beat mechanical. I've had it 5 months and it is still not off by a second.
My guess on Bulova and their specified accuracy is they had more warranty claims than they'd like on accuracy, even though the majority are OK. Rather than "fix" the movement, they fixed the specification.
My word that is a handsome watch. The mix of brushed and polished surfaces strikes a good balance for a watch which wants to be looked at. I keep looking at one of the older Precisionist 3 handed watches with a black turbine style dial, but this is in a completely different category for style and finish. I would be all over this watch, except that I’ve had two new watches this year and I think a third would be a bridge too far. That said I will certainly have this at top of my list for next time I feel wealthy.
Bulova/Citizen need to combine the precisionist movement with Eco-drive to sort out the thirst issues. Wonder why they haven't considered it yet!
I'm guessing it's too power hungry.... otherwise they really need to get on it.
I wish Citizen could revive their cosmotron line up with eco drive. I wish they do, I even have name for them. it's Citizen Ecotron. 😊
There is an interview online with current Bulova President and this question was asked. He states that Citizen wants Eco-Drive proprietary to Citizen. And Bulova 262kHz movement proprietary to Citizen. Though Bulova is owned by Citizen they are still run as two separate companies. Citizen headquarters in Japan and Bulova still maintains its offices in NYC.
The gold and red dials are harder to find at Bulova ADs in Canada. Forget about any black dial. Most ADs have the grey dial version which also comes with a leather strap.
I love that you explained and questioned the technical aspects of the watch. So, it would be a battery eater. Not as much as the Lunar Pilot and one with 6 to 8 hands that could be set off accidentally and would need the ability to read and understand a BMW 7 Class Owners manual to operate and use all the functions. Even though Citizen has bought Bulova I wonder with the long term reliability of the watch having such a quartz fitted with both a turbo and supercharger type action. There is one other Precisionist that is normal that isn't a Jet that comes in Blue and Black textured faces without extra hands flying around. The oval of the original 70's vibe reminds me of those oval RADO watches. One of the few Quartz watches I would consider over Autos. Citizen... loan them the Eco Drive with these to really make this a watch with super powers as far as high end tech.
Epic is the right thumbnail for this one Shane. The colour is fantastic, that sweeping seconds hand is smoother than a Seiko high beat 36,000 bpm and can only be beaten by a Springdrive. On the accuracy claims I'm not worried about it. 2 years battery is ok too. I don't like fingerprints though! But I could live with that!
Great review. Good to see up close and personal. I've got the limited edition on my Christmas list.
Would love to see this in green with a DLC or hardening. Would be a home run. I can't get past the magenta with red, it's such an odd combo. Leaving out the red probably would have been better.
The indexes on my silver Jetstar LE look fine, at least to my eye. Haven't put it under a magnifying glass though and don't plan to. I really like how the blue doesn't pop on this watch except in super bright light. I'm wearing it right now in my room and it looks like it has black accents instead of blue. So for me It pops even more when I'm in a really bright environment, which is when the rest of the watch pops. People definitely look at it.
You got me buying one :-) I received mine today and I took a good look at the bracelet ... I am pretty sure it resembles a row with windows from the Empire State Building in which Bulova has been located since 2015. The similarities are pretty obvious. That makes this piece even more special!
I am 100% going to add one of these to my collection in the near future; it'll be the silver dial one that comes with the blue strap as well
Love the Red Rally leather strap
Please what size did you order for this watch? Great review!
I believe it was a 20mm
Really good and honest review. Kind of a sucker for a pretty red dial.
I just got the silver dial limited version. Stunning watch! Haven't sized the bracelet. I am using it on the blue band with the red stitching. Perfect for me. For the money, a real deal.
I got a nice dressy blue 3-hander precisionist for under 200. Since April, it’s gained around 2.5-3 seconds. That’s 6sec/year, under the 10s/yr advertised. Also, the battery should last the same as regular quartz, as far as I can see from some watch forums. And the sweeping seconds hand is mesmerising!
I bought that 70s gold bling arriving tomorrow. That's the best one lol. If you are going for that 70's look which Bulova is, then you have to go with the gold. That's what the seventies was all about.
Love the review - thanks. Love the watch. Just bought one. What is that cool red rally leather strap you have on the video. What brand of rally strap?
I love my jet star which I own for 3 months now. i reckon the accuracy is about 6 to 10 seconds a year depending on how often you wear it.
Now if they can make the Lunar Pilot in this size, I would be ecstatic.
On a side note, I think all of the retro and historic reissues from Bulova are a fantastic route for them to go. I picked up both a Banker in the beige sunburst and a Breton in the salmon (both used). There is very little like them, with the 20s art deco design, in the price range. I very much am looking at the parking meter reissue as well.
My silver dial Jetstar turned up today. So glad i decided to buy it, i think it just looks so good. This will be getting alot of wrist time :) Currently on the leather strap until i can adjust the bracelet at work. Prices seem to vary alot and i got it cheaper than some of the other variants were on sale for. The gold looks amazing but just not my style, the red didn't seem to have the legibility to me. I was tempted by the grey one for some reason and legibility question aside i may get one of those in the future but will try to see one hands on.
As mentioned in another comment, cheap wall clocks have smooth sweep quartz so why don't more watches have them even if not as accurate as this precisionist?
Nice review!!! I especially appreciate the technical info about the movement. I just might have to give this one some very serious consideration. This might make another great grab and go for me in some circumstances. Gotta love that dial & color!!!!
I love the movement. I love the red dial . The case is also great . Hate the Bracelet. Too shiny . I wish they kept it brushed. Still want to buy it but on a leather .
Great review as usual, Shane. I’ve been on a spree with new old stock Accutron II watches with a couple of Precionists for my wife. After your review, I figured I’d take a chance with the Jet Star. A few mall based jewelers have this one at less than $450. I bought one online and recieved another $25 off for siging up for the email list. Thanks again for the video!
Nicely done video. Great selection of strap options. That must have taken some time. It is beautiful. I own 2 red dialed watches. Maybe i need a 3rd.
Great watch. Love that seconds hand sweep. If only Bulova teamed up with someone like say, Citizen (Bulova is part of the Citizen group) for their case design to really give Grand Seiko and others a real run for their money. There is so much potential there.
Great review! I have been looking at this one myself! I like the silver vdial version myself. That sweeping second hand on the Precisionist line is great!
Love this watch. The main question is; that burgundy leather strap with the decorative holes. Where did you get it? Thank you
I enjoyed this review. I’ve been contemplating these Precisionist models, and I can’t figure out if I’d only be buying it to see the Seconds hand sweep. I have a 60’s era high-beat Longines which I think runs at 10 ticks/sec as opposed to the 16 on the Jet Star. The Longines closely mimics that smooth sweep with a mechanical movement which imho is much more impressive. I have what I think are the best, most precise, carefree watches out there-> both are Casios! One Oceanus and one Lineage level watch. Both are solar powered, radio, sapphire crystal and perpetual calendars. As for accuracy (+/-0 seconds a YEAR), it’s game over for the high precision quartz models. After all, if it’s dead-on accuracy as a goal, why not just get a radio controlled watch?
Thanks! I've never tried a lineage, but I love my Oceanus.
The only problem I've seen with radio (multiband) is that not everyone can use it. Depends on where you are, and where your watch sleeps at night. That and I know at one point the US govt was talking about shutting down their signal. Originally the atomic signal was set up to sync military systems, but they have moved beyond that now. So for them, there isn't much use in maintaining it.
@@RelativeTime Yes, it’s a shame that radio coverage is not universal. But it sure covers a great part of the globe. As for the shut down of the Atomic clock radio signal, we’ve been hearing that for years and years with no changes. Fingers crossed--
I really like my new Jet Star....my only beef is there is no battery end-of-life indication. In my books the reason why I like quartz watches is the accuracy and reliability: it's always close to being on time and if the battery is close to expiring there is a few weeks warning. I depend on watches to be on time for my business. My solution is that I'm going to preemptively change battery each year whether it needs it or not...
Anecdote: I got to try the Seiko Dolce in Japan. It comes in around this price, or cheaper than the Bulova Jet Star. If you haven't heard of the Dolce, just know that it's another thermo-compensated high accuracy quartz. So it has that going for it. But at this price the dressy-looking watch actually looked and felt like a cheap dollar-store watch. The way the seconds hand moved reminded me of all the cheapest quartz watches I've ever seen in my life. That is to say, most of the money went into the movement. So there is a cost to high-accuracy quartz and most people won't care enough to buy into that. But if you do, then it's probably worth checking whether the rest of the watch meets the standards of excellence set by the movement. Thus, luxury quartz watches...
The Bulova sea king is my favorite watch, even over my marine master, seamaster, orient watches, all of them. It’s everything I want in a tool watch. I like it so much I have two with on just sitting in a box.
Thank you for great review. I'm just wondering what model to choose. Whether yours with "Red" dial or Bulova 96K112 Jet Star Limited Edition ( white dial ). Are you happy after some months of using ? Thank you.
Yeah, I still love mine. In fact did a sort of STOC earlier this year. Where I didn't go over everything I have, but more picked out my favorites. I listed the Bulova as my favorite red watch right now.
I’m actually ok that they omitted the Precisionist logo counterweight on the seconds hand. It’s already on the dial, and that dial is pretty awesome as is. Great review.
Thanks!
Great vid Shane! As for the Jetstar, well, I would have prefered that Bulova would have made the case a bit closer to the original that is supposed to be representing, although I get what you are saying that, because it sort of looked like a Seiko Turtle they decided not to do it. As for the guilded looked one that is a UK only run, yeah, I'm with you and hope that Bulova/Citizen did not shot themselves in the foot like you said. I think they may have thought that offering the silver one, which looks as far the dial is concern to the original, for the US market, that it could sale more. I don't think most people even remember the original models, unless they are in their 60's and lived thru the 70's.
However, I wish that Citizen would look at the back catalog of Bulova and try to bring back some of the old models but with new manufacturing processes. I would think like you said, with more normal sizes and look, they could make Citizen big money if they would do something like that not as a "here and there" re-issues but as more main stream lines. Anyway, keep up the great work!
I have been waiting for a 40mm and 100m WR high accuracy smooth sweep watch from Bulova for some time as well. I really like the movement. Looks like I'm going to keep waiting. I have an accutron II dive watch and a dressy precisionist with the same movement.
The Accutron IIs were only out for a short period of time. I was never sure why.
Now this is a watch review! Thank you very much, it also makes me consider buying this Bulova
Glad I could help!
I like that strap at (6:54) in the video, where did you get that ?
All those straps were really nice.
The downloadable setting guide says change the battery every year. I suspect that the sizing has had something to do with the cell size.
Nice review as always. Finally a Bulova at a reasonable size. It seems like every Bulova is 44-45. I'm in the camp of not wearing red dials but this does look really nice. That smooth sweep is amazing. To each their own opinion but those who avoid quartz they are missing out on so many good watches.
I will say, that it is a good looking watch. I have several watches, some expensive and most are mid range. For some reason, I keep wearing my Bulova's the most.
You must have mist the Bulova 96B257 precisionist, with its blue sunburst face, precisionist movement, 100m water resistance and 43mm case size. Mine has only lost 3 seconds in over a year and looks great on a blue rubber strap.