Reddit reviews Bulova Men's 96B158 Precisionist Leather Strap Watch

I mixed up your response above and for some reason I though you preferred the "busy" watch. Sorry, here's a better reply for simpler styled watches:

Tissot again makes some simpler watches. The Le Locle (linked) is one of their trademark pieces that is a bit above your price range but is certainly timeless. It is more expensive because it is automatic and not battery powered, but they make similar quartz movement watches.

Seiko's simpler watches are nothing special, but their dive watches are very popular among watch collectors, especially the "Sumo" and "Marine Master" models which are more expensive than your budget allows. These are definitely "casual" watches which could be worn every day, whereas the Tissot might trend on too formal.

The Bulova Precisionist series is probably too busy if you preferred the simple model I originally linked; I've been waiting forever for them to make a conservative, simple Precisionist to add to my collection to no avail. The original one I linked is probably the simplest one they make.

Another option, stepping outside the three brands I originally picked, would be to go with a Hamilton. This is a historic American brand, now owned by the same company as Tissot. Their quartz movement watches start at just under $300. Many of these are military styled but they make some slightly dressier, very simple ones as well.

I'll leave you with one last option which is often overlooked, and that is a Chinese brand called Orient. They are very affordable, much under your budget, and while they are not built as well as fine Swiss watches they are certainly good watches from a dedicated watch maker. They tend to be popular as an affordable mechanical watch brand, and I have no personal experience with their quartz watches, but they have a fairly dedicated fan base so they are probably worth checking out.

As a watch nerd I would rank the Hamilton watches as head and shoulders above the others, but in your price range your options are more limited stylistically.

1. No, Seiko is very safe choice if you want a no-thrill everyday watch. My only criticism is that they are all a bit boring.
   
   
2. No Quartz is 'superior' in the sense that it will be far more accurate and reliable than the Seiko 5's automatic movement. However, watch enthusiast prefer automatic movement over quartz because it requires a lot more effort to make -- it's like the difference between a hand-crafted item and a machine-made item. The machine-made item may be better in quality and much cheaper, but people would prefer the hand-crafted one for the aesthetic.
   
   
3. Depends... are you one of those people who are mechanical watch purist? If not, the Chrono offers better reliability & accuracy, and it's in my opinion the best looking of the three
   
   
4. You're talking about a Bulova Precisionist. Seiko also produces the Spring Drive series, which are a hybrid of automatic and quartz watch. However, the Seikos are sold as 'Grand Seikos' and price start at a few thousand dollars.

Maybe some kind of Bulova Precisionist?

Personally really like the smooth second hand.

First of all, exact time is relative, no watch will ever tell the exact time as set by a reference atomic clock at NIST (even that will lose a second every 300 million years or so), it will always be off whether it be by seconds, milliseconds, or microseconds.

Pretty much any time-telling technology will drift eventually. Affordable (like under $500) mechanical watches seem to drift around 5-10 seconds per day, high-end mechanical watches like Rolexes, Seiko Spring Drives may drift 5-20 seconds per month which is probably on par with a standard $100 Quartz watch. Better Quartz movements like the Bulova Precisionist boast 10 seconds per year drift do to a higher frequency oscillator.

Even your computer running at 3Ghz still has to deal with Oscillator drift, more likely it's running at 2.999 or 3.001GHz and the computer clock would be wrong if it weren't for periodic network time protocol syncs with a reference.

So the closest you will ever get is with a device that uses wireless signals to keep in sync with an atomic reference. There are some RF controlled analog watches under $500 which are probably the best, followed by a Garmin GPS smartwatch (they sync time with the GPS signals coming from the satellite), and really any smartwatch that syncs time with your phone is going to be pretty close. Phones and computers use network time protocols to stay in sync with the reference. Any of these I would expect to be accurate down to the second. My Garmin Vivoactive is perfectly in lockstep with the RF controlled clock I have in my living room.

So short answer, every watch will gain/lose time. If you want a watch that auto-corrects itself so that this time loss never results in you getting the wrong time, get a smartwatch or an RF controlled analog watch. If you want a watch that is as accurate as can be without any syncing, then get a high-end Quartz watch. The Bulova Precisionist is actually quite affordable: https://www.amazon.com/Bulova-96B158-Precisionist-Leather-Strap/dp/B007006UA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485456899

So the obvious question is why mechanical watches still exist if they are so poor at keeping time. The answer is partly that they are jewelry, but for me and many others here they are just cool. An electronic or digital watch will be more accurate but mechanical watches are a feat of engineering, an intricate series of gears, springs, and levers that somehow tells fairly accurate time without requiring a battery. I recently got my first mechanical watch after every single one of my Quartz watches needed battery replacements and something completely self-sufficient appealed to me. Many of these mechanical movements have been known to run for decades without any maintenance and aren't that expensive (Seiko 7S26 for example).

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The sad truth is that the particular black minimalist style you're looking for is mostly associated with low build quality watches, as you've observed. Just buying one of the ones you like heavily discounted would be fine - watch snobs like me might sneer but as long as you didn't pay full retail price it's not actually a bad buy.

Here are some "legit" brands to consider. These would last longer, I don't know if it's the style you want.

https://www.amazon.com/Tissot-Mens-Gentleman-Swissmatic-T0984073605200/dp/B07BZPNVR1

https://www.amazon.com/Tissot-Mens-100-Chronograph-T1014173305100/dp/B07BZLLC5P

https://www.amazon.com/Bulova-96B149-Dress-Classic-Watch/dp/B004TB226Q

https://www.amazon.com/Bulova-96B158-Precisionist-Leather-Strap/dp/B007006UA2 <- The precionist has a particularly notable quartz movement with a smooth sweeping seconds, almost like a mechanical. Comes with a few different color schemes.

https://www.amazon.com/Junghans-Stainless-Quartz-Leather-Calfskin/dp/B00M9CPXTK

https://windupwatchshop.com/collections/watches/products/moonlight?variant=12634394198082

https://www.codekwatches.com/shop/spiral-midnightblue <- This one is a microbrand but looks to be quality components with sapphire crystal and ETA automatic movement, huge coupon at the moment bringing price to $220. Dang, now that I've found this I'm super tempted to get one myself. Great value for money in terms of quality of components to price. You rarely see ETA-based automatic watches below $500, let alone $200

I was about to pull the trigger on this watch last night but went with the precionist instead. Great looking watch though. Very nice.

Here's the one I ordered last night. Should be here Wednesday:

Bulova Men's 96B158 Precisionist Leather Strap Watch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007006UA2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tZsmxbFZ8AY9Y

Bulova makes some good affordable watches with textured dials. Here are just a couple:
http://smile.amazon.com/Bulova-96B158-Precisionist-Leather-Strap/dp/B007006UA2/ref=sr_1_24?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1464480017&sr=1-24&nodeID=6358540011&keywords=bulova+mens+watch

http://smile.amazon.com/Bulova-98B209-Stainless-Automatic-Rubber/dp/B00I6D67VE/ref=sr_1_95?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1464480109&sr=1-95&nodeID=6358540011&keywords=bulova+mens+watch

SOLD SOLD SOLD

For sale is my Bulova Men’s Precisionist 96B158

I purchased this from Amazon on July 16 this year as an impulse buy on Prime Day. I’m letting it go to make room for other watches.

Price: $85 or best offer via Paypal (+3% if G&S)

Condition: Like new, worn once for a few hours around the house. Protective stickers on crystal and buckle have been removed.

Includes: Original packaging including box, pillow, tag, instruction manual, and warranty registration

Warranty: This was purchased from Amazon so it’s likely the Bulova warranty does not apply.

Shipping: USPS to CONUS with tracking and insurance (covered by me)

Open to trade for a G-Shock 5600 or 5610.

Case width: 42mm

Case thickness: 10mm

Band width: 22mm

If you want an inexpensive, great-looking, highly-accurate and reliable quartz watch, this is a great option.

What attracted me to this watch was the dial which has a lot of 3 dimensional texture to it and the smooth-sweeping seconds hand. The band is a slightly stiff, but comfortable black leather with faux-croc pattern. This watch could be dressed up or down with a strap change. I think brown leather would look great on it.

The most interesting aspect of this watch is it’s Precisionist-class torsional resonator movement which uses a three-prong quartz crystal that creates a vibration frequency of 262.144 kHz. The Precisionist-class movement has been shown to be three times more accurate than standard quartz. This proprietary manufactured movement, including the signature floating second hand, also offers a resistance to gravitational error which further improves accuracy.

Timestamp: Here

Pictures: Here

Video of smooth second hand sweep: Here

Link to product listing on Amazon for reference: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007006UA2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Link to product listing on Jomashop for reference: https://www.jomashop.com/bulova-watch-96b158.html

If you have any questions, please DM me.

Thanks!

For the average person, a quartz movement is the best option. It is typically more convenient than automatic, and almost always more accurate. Some of the best quartz watches in your price range come out of Bulova and Citizen, and I might throw Casio in there too. I own and love my Bulova Precisionist, which has a souped up quartz movement and was under $200.

If you know or expect that your boyfriend would be interested in a mechanical movement, then the first place you should look is Seiko (this is mine) or Orient (the Ray and the Bambino are popular). They offer very high quality pieces for reasonable prices. Bulova also makes some mechanical pieces.

EDIT: You mentioned that he wants a stainless steel band. I expect what he's talking about is a "diver," which often comes on a bracelet (think James Bond's Omega Seamaster, or the ubiquitous Rolex Submariner). If that's the case, I would look hard at Seiko divers like the SKX007, 009, 173, etc. and Orient divers like the Ray or Mako. These are all well within your given price range, but for a bit extra you can look at the Steinhart Ocean.

I'm looking for a watch to go with something more formal. Around 40mm case, black leather strap, no numbers (Roman ok), $100-$200. I'm looking at this Bulova Men's 96A135 BVA-SERIES $161 and this Bulova Men's 96B158 Precisionist Leather $163. Any suggestions would be great.

The trinity that comes to mind is Certina, Tissot, Bulova.

Tissot and Certina have various nice models, you see many Tissots on the streets but Certinas are pretty rare and will be less known but more unique (at least where I live).

My friend however has this Bulova Precisionist and it is really really nice. I'm not into chronos and busy sundials, and most "impressive" quartz watches are complicated chronos, but you can find these simpler ones too that I think are more appealing and classy.

Also, if you want a less "nice", purely utilitarian watch, the Victorinox INOX is always the ultimate beater.

$70 for the Seiko, $60 for the Bulova, or $120 for the pair, shipped CONUS. I'm trying to finance my purchase of a SARB035. A little about the watches:

Seiko "5" SARZ005:

41mm diameter case with a 4R36 movement (hacking, handwinding). Comes with the original bracelet, all links. Condition is good, with some normal scuffs on the case and bracelet (more so the bracelet; I couldn't get the case scratches to show in the photos). It really looks it's best on a brown leather strap (pictured, but not included). It's a hair too big for my tastes, but it always gets compliments for its sporty wrist presence. The applied indices are prominent and have well-applied Seiko lume, especially at 12 o'clock.

Bulova Precisionist 96B158:

40mm case, 22mm lugs and the well known Precisionist quartz movement with a sweeping seconds hand. I bought it as a dress watch but it works way better as a smart casual watch. I picked this one up right before Bulova removed the tuning fork logo from 12', which seems crazy to me since it adds a lot of character to the dial. The crown and clasp are both signed with that logo. Again, good condition with some light scuffing on the polished case. I'm including the stock black strap because the clasp is cool, but it's well worn so I'll also throw in a barely-worn Hirsch "Camelgrain" strap as well (after all, this is my only watch with 22mm lugs!). Lovely match against the grey dial.

EDIT: Also for what it's worth, I think the Bulova punches above its weight. The face and crown are straight class, and that second hand is mesmerizing (not mine, but this video shows the sweep in 60fps). It's just not the smaller dress watch that I'm looking for.

EDIT: BOTH SOLD. Thanks everyone!

Once you're spending 160 you are spending enough to buy a quartz watch instead of a mechanical/automatic watch. Quartz watches generally keep better time than mechanical watches.

Here is a Bulova watch for example. And another

This Bulova is a bit dressier, but even cheaper at 100 bucks while still getting a quartz movement.

Skagen also offers quartz at this pricepoint with a bit of a simpler look

Or else there's a few sportier watches, like this Nautica.

I'm not a watch expert, but just know a bit from researching my own potential purchases.