Bulova is one of the most popular American watchmakers.
It’s also one of the longest-standing watch brands in the world.
The New York-based company has many groundbreaking contributions to the horological industry, about which you can read in our Bulova brand review.
One of the things people like the most about Bulova is the fact that it caters to people with contrasting budgets. Despite offering flawless design and oftentimes ultra-reliable movements, the vast majority of these timepieces are affordable.
Granted, if you’re not willing to dig deeper in your pockets, you might not get the world-renowned Bulova Moonwatch. However, the list of reliable Bulova models that oscillate in the low-to-mid price region is really satisfactory.
In today’s article, we will help you pick the cheapest Bulova watch in 2021. Spoiler alert: the lowest-priced model is listed for less than $100!
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At a Glance:
- Lowest Price Overall: Bulova 96A000
- Cheapest Leather: Bulova 98B254
- Cheapest Chronograph: Bulova 96A215
- Cheapest Gold-Tone: Bulova 97B174
- Cheapest Automatic: Bulova 97A150
- Cheapest Ladies: Bulova 96P209
- Cheapest Skeleton: Bulova 97A138
Cheapest Bulova Watches (Top 7 Reviewed)
Bulova 96A000
We open up today’s list with what is currently the cheapest Bulova watch on the market. Bulova 96A000 is the only model on the list available for less than $100.
The product is officially labeled as a men’s watch but with the modest case size (38mm), it wouldn’t look too out of place on a women’s wrist either. Both the case and the 5-link bracelet are made from stainless steel. It comes with a solid caseback.
The model boasts a unified silver-tone design which is nicely complemented by the snow-white dial. The simple, three-hand complication points to 4 Arab numerals at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock, as well as line-shaped indices. There are also minute markers between each. At three o’clock you will find the crown whilst at noon o’clock is the Bulova logo.
The dial window is made from mineral crystal glass. When it comes to protection against water, the timepiece has a modest 3ATM (30m) rating.
Bulova 96A000 runs on Japanese quartz movement, providing an accuracy of around +/- 15 seconds/month.
Bulova 98B254
Fancy an even more elegant approach? Bulova 98B254 is the cheapest leather strap model you can find at the moment.
It comes with a nicely polished stainless steel case measuring 39mm in diameter. The caseback is solid. The strap is made of calfskin leather and uses a standard tang buckle closure.
The white dial includes three hands and line-shaped hour markers. All elements are gold-tone. The highlighted hours are 3, 6 and 9 o’clock which are arrow-shaped, and noon o’clock which presents the Bulova logo. At three o’clock, apart from the crown, you will also find a date window.
Protecting the dial against cracks and scratches is mineral crystal glass. The model matches the water resistance of the Bulova watch above (3ATM / 30m).
The timepiece is powered by a Japanese quartz caliber, with +/- 15 seconds/month accuracy.
Bulova 96A215
If you lean towards a more sporty style, Bulova 96A215 should provide further food for thought. Currently, it’s the cheapest chronograph model from the American brand.
Like all chronograph watches, it naturally comes with a larger case. This model measures 44mm in diameter and includes a stationary bezel. Both the case and the 3-link bracelet are made from stainless steel. It uses a solid caseback.
Most noticeably, the deep ocean blue dial features three chronograph sub-dials with a stopwatch function for 30 and 60 seconds, as well 24-hour display. The dial includes three hands, two of which are luminescent. The hands point to indices that also strongly glow in the dark. On both sides of the main crown, there are two pushers designed to operate the chronograph.
Characteristically for Bulova watches in this price range, the dial window is made from mineral crystal glass. Being a sports watch, Bulova 96A215 offers much bigger resistance against water damage – 10ATM (100m).
Bulova 97B174
Nothing beats an old-school feel of a gold-tone watch. The 97B174 model is currently the cheapest Bulova watch of this type.
What clearly distinguishes this model from the rest included on the list is the so-called Tonneau shape of the case. With a 44,5mm diameter, it’s fairly big as well and will definitely turn many heads. The case and the 7-link bracelet are made from gold-tone stainless steel. This Bulova timepiece features a solid caseback.
Certainly, the dial has a strong vintage feel to it. That’s mostly down to the large Roman numerals to which point three gold-tone hands. At noon o’clock you will find the Bulova logo while at 3 o’clock, opposite the crown, a date window.
The dial uses solid protection against damage in the form of mineral crystal glass. However, it comes with a very modest WR rating. The model is water-resistant up to 30m.
It’s another timepiece on the list running on the Japanese quartz movement. Accuracy-wise, it shouldn’t gain or lose more than 15 seconds monthly.
Bulova 97A150
Do you value the bigger complexity of automatic movements? Bulova 97A150 is the lowest-priced model powered by the kinetic movement of your wrist.
The neat-looking timepiece boasts a rose-gold stainless steel case with a 42mm diameter. Like many Bulova automatic models, this one too comes with a transparent caseback through which you can peek at the intricate workings of the movement. It’s also the second leather strap model on today’s list.
The warm grey dial includes two main hands responsible for telling minutes and hours. The second hand operates on the additional sub-dial with the “Automatic” label. Next to it, is the so-called open heart exhibiting the workings of automatic movement. All hands, as well as indices, match the rose-gold theme of the case. At 3, 6 and 9 o’clock there are large Roman numerals while at noon o’clock there’s the Bulova logo. Standardly, the crown occupies the 3 o’clock position.
The comment-worthy dial is shielded by mineral crystal glass. On the waterproofing front, the timepiece offers modest protection up to 3ATM (30m).
Bulova 97A150 is powered by a Japanese automatic movement. It delivers an accuracy of around +/- 20 seconds daily.
Bulova 96P209
A list of the cheapest Bulova watches wouldn’t feel complete without the inclusion of a ladies-only model. At the moment, Bulova 96P209 is the biggest bargain.
Because of its distinguishable rectangular case, the timepiece presents the so-called Tank style. It was first introduced by the luxury watchmaker Cartier but since has been a popular feature of many brands, including Bulova. The case is made from stainless steel and has a diameter of 18mm. It has a solid caseback. The watch also includes a stainless steel bangle bracelet.
The black mother-of-pearl dial includes two silver-tone hands, as well as diamonds set at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. At noon o’clock located is the Bulova logo.
On the durability front, the timepiece comes with mineral crystal glass and 3ATM (30m) water resistance.
It’s powered by a Japanese quartz movement, delivering an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds monthly.
Bulova 97A138
Closing the list of cheapest Bulova watches is this head-turning model from the Sutton collection. At the moment, it’s the least pricey timepiece with the so-called skeletonized design.
The model arrives with a gold-tone stainless steel case that measures 43mm in diameter. Characteristically for an automatic Bulova watch, it has a transparent caseback. It uses a genuine leather strap.
Of all the models on the list, this one by far has the most distinguishable dial. The skeleton design takes up a large part of the face and exhibits mechanical movement really neatly. The three hands and indices are gold-tone. At noon o’clock is the Bulova emblem.
Such a head-turning dial should have solid protection against damage and it does as the dial is made from mineral crystal glass. The watch is also water-resistant up to 30m which makes it splashproof.
The Japanese automatic movement delivers an accuracy of +/- 20 seconds/day.
