After looking at over 300 watches from every online merchant over a period of two months, I find the majority of watches to be too flashy and cheap looking regardless of price.  A high price does not necessarily buy you a good looking watch. Except for the movement (quartz, automatic, chronograph features, etc.) there is very little a manufacturer can do to make a $3000 watch all that much better than a $300 watch.  I believe that the optimum combination of watch quality and value happens between $100-$300.  This is the price point where the cost of watch materials, quality movements, and workmanship hit a ceiling for mass produced watches.  Go higher than $500 and you may run out of reasons to justify the price save for the prestige of a brand name, the complication of the movement, or precious materials used in the construction.

I currently have two leather band watches (Bulova and Citizen) that I wear throughout the week but wanted to add a diver watch with a metal bracelet to the mix.  I also have a nice, matte gold and silver Tag Heuer 2000 diver on a metal bracelet but I no longer find a gold watch appealing as a daily timepiece.  I prefer the stainless steel look, preferably with a dark-colored dial and easy-to-read hands and indicators.

I've looked at nearly every watch from every manufacturer up and down the price scale. I was sure I would purchase a Tissot or Swiss Army.  However, very few designs (regardless of price) attracted my attention. The Tissot PRC200 are way too flashy and the Swiss Army designs are a bit too bland. I almost went for an Invicta Pro Diver but the carbon-copy Rolex design is not unique.  I also liked the Orient Mako's clean looks but it only comes in an automatic movement (I've had automatic watches and now prefer quartz or eco-drive).  Then, when I came across the Bulova Marine Star 98C62 quartz, I knew I had found THE one.

The Bulova has the clean looks of the Mako (with similar case and bezel) but has greater detail in the dial design and hands.  The second hand has a white bubble marker and a bright red tip --an homage to the classic Omega Seamaster.  In addition, Bulova has a great looking logo (the Accutron fork) and the script "Marine Star" and the "200M" depth surrounded by ten stars is marked clearly on the dial.  It is clean and sophisticated.  The dial and bezel are a deep, navy blue that is difficult to describe but that may be one of the watch's most tasteful design elements.  NOTE: I uploaded photos to this product page to show just how nice the blue color works with the rest of the watch design (see the photos area for Bulova 98C62 above).

Another feature that most owners love is the bracelet.  I haven't seen anything like it on any other watch except on much more expensive Swiss alternatives.  The bracelet has solid, brushed stainless steel links with two, narrow polished insets that run down the middle.  I like it because it's not overly flashy or shiny like many Rolex-type bracelets that look chrome-plated.  In my opinion, the flashier the bracelet the cheaper the watch looks as a result.  The Bulova bracelet is heavy and is higher quality than anything you'll find under $300.

The crown is a screw-down type for water resistance.  However, like any true diver's watch with a screw-down crown, always check that the crown is tight before submerging the watch.  I've read too many reviews where people became disappointed that their watch became waterlogged and they subsequently blamed it on a defective watch.  In 99.9% of the cases, this would only happen if the screw-down crown was not actually tight or hadn't been checked in a while (who remembers to check the tightness of the crown? Ask any diver!). So don't forget:  Tight crown = dry watch!

Overall, I can't think of any undesirable features or design elements of the Bulova Marine Star 98C62.  It is a typical Bulova design --clean, detailed, and expensive looking.  Sure, I would gladly pay more for a sapphire crystal and for me the day indicator is unnecessary (the numeric date alone would be fine.)  The unidirectional rotating bezel is low profile (for a slimmer look) and so is not as easy to turn as on some other watches.  However, if you're a serious diver you would be looking at purpose-built master dive watches anyway.  The Bulova is designed to perform diving duty with its 200m depth rating and extension clasp but ultimately it's a classy, daily wearer watch.  Without question, the quality of this watch compares to any other timepiece at 2-3 times the price.

When I was watch shopping four years ago, I looked at hundreds of watches and chose a beautiful Bulova Marine Star 96G38 (black dial, black leather band) that has been my daily wearer ever since.  When looking for a stainless bracelet diver watch four years later, very few designs (regardless of price) attracted my attention.  But when I found this Bulova Marine Star 98C62 the search was over. Bulova is an excellent brand in the same watch ranking as Tissot and Swiss Army.  As for satisfied customers, just search on Bulova watches on Amazon and notice that their entire product line receives 4 stars or better from reviewers.  No other watch brand on Amazon garners that kind of satisfaction regardless of price.

Thanks, Bulova, for continuing to provide clean, sophisticated, and affordable watch designs in a market flooded with Rolex wanna-be's and gumball machine glitz.