Bulova Men’s Watch (96C002)

Three sub-dials laid out on a paved silver ground, with blue hands over the top. The blue is the whole trick here: on a dial this bright, a pair of steel hands would vanish, and the colour gives you something to find at a glance. Case and Wrist Presence A cushion case with a crystal-set bezel and stones continuing down the sides. The bezel is wide, which pulls the dial in slightly and gives the sub-dials a defined field to sit in. Short lugs mean the watch takes up less wrist than its width suggests, and the flat profile keeps it from rocking. Dial and Legibility The main dial is paved and finished with a fine radial grain, so it reads as textured silver rather than flat white. Applied polished batons mark the hours. A printed minute track runs around the outside with 15, 30, 45 and 60 called out in blue. The three sub-dials are plain silver discs sunk into the pave, which is what makes them legible – flat metal against sparkle. Movement and Functions Quartz multifunction. The register at nine carries the days of the week, the one at three steps around the date, and the lower register at six runs a 24-hour scale so you can see at a glance which half of the day the watch is set to. All three are read by a pointer, not a window, so nothing on the dial is hidden behind a frame. Bracelet and Fit A stainless steel bracelet in the same crystal-set treatment as the case, with stones through the link centres. It is sized by removing links, and it should be sized snug: a multifunction dial needs to be square in front of your eye to be read quickly, and a loose bracelet lets the case roll. Who This Watch Suits A wearer who wants both the display and the information. Plenty of dress watches with stones give you two hands and nothing else; this one keeps the day, date and 24-hour readouts and still puts on a show. Care and Maintenance Dry the watch and leave it dry. Stones set into metal trap moisture in the claws, and standing water is what eventually lifts them. Clean with a soft dry cloth, keep it out of the shower, and set the day and date by the crown rather than forcing the hands backwards past midnight. About the Brand Bulova, founded in 1875, has run crystal-set watches in its range for a long time and generally builds them on the same case and movement platforms as its plain models, so the specification under the stones is a working one. Technical Specifications Attribute Specification Brand Bulova Reference 96C002 Case shape Cushion Case Crystal-set stainless steel Dial Silver pave Markers Applied batons Registers Day, date, 24-hour Movement Quartz Hands Blue Bracelet Crystal-set stainless steel Gender Men’s Warranty 24 months Buying With Confidence Movement cover runs for 24 months under the international manufacturer warranty, with the battery and ordinary wear excluded. Every watch leaves us new and unworn, boxed with the manufacturer’s paperwork, and goes out by tracked courier anywhere in the country. An unworn watch in its original packaging can be returned under the Consumer Protection Act.