This is the big selling point of the watch, at least for me, and much like the Devil Diver, the effort they put into the dial really shines through. The Surfboard is offered in a few different color variants, but mine is the navy blue and red one. One important thing that I didn’t notice and that the product photos don’t show, and that you can’t see in the store, is that in very intense sunlight, the blue and silver portions of the dial are actually sunburst. When the light catches the face just right, the blue is incredibly intense. I bought this watch thinking it was just a really dark, flat navy blue, but I’m incredibly pleased with the discovery. The design itself is pure 60s/70s. The indices are the little faceted polished rectangles you see on vintage watches, and have a tiny sliver of lume in the center, as do the hour and minute hands. Both the running seconds and the chronograph hands are unlumed. The subdials (running seconds and 60-minute counter) are located in the large silver oval that gives the Surfboard its name. A tachymeter runs around the dial above the minute indices. All of this is covered by a double domed sapphire crystal that produces virtually no distortion, even at crazy angles. Bulova’s two biggest innovations were to follow. The Accutron watch and the Lunar Pilot that I included on this list. That’s not because of an innovation or a groundbreaking design. This watch is famous because it’s one of a select group worn in space. What makes the story even better, is that it wasn’t meant to be there.

It’s a busy design, but the dial isn’t cluttered. I’m not normally a fan of overcomplicated designs, but this works for me. Because of the Harley Davidson input, what may have seemed messy now looks mechanical. Case size here is mere 40,5 mm and it is safe to call it reasonable. It fits nicely on the wrist and I don’t think there will be any issue with average-sized hands. Moreover, silicone strap adds to ease of use, so there are no issues with everyday use. Sapphire glass is slightly raised over the case and it creates nice edge distortions. Don’t worry – dial is still legible and you won’t have any problems here. Inside of the Surfboard Edition, you’ll find a quartz Miyota Caliber 6S21 chronograph movement. Yes, not automatic for this specific model, although the creamed coloured dial version is automatic. At this price, it would have been nice to see a mechanical movement.

Points of Mention

With summer finally here, and given that I live 15 minutes from the beach, it’s dive watch season for me. I’m not a super formal guy, and I like the versatility of having a watch that can handle being covered in sunscreen, dunked in the waves, and still look good enough to wear to work. For me, that usually means my Seiko Samurai or Bulova Devil Diver. I wasn’t planning on adding anything to my collection this year, but two weeks ago I spotted a Bulova Surfboard chronograph behind the counter of my local jeweler. The retro style caught my eye, and after about a week, I decided to buy it. I’ve been wearing it for the last week, and I’m now comfortable giving a fair review. The Case

The curved sapphire crystal enhances the vintage style, again using a material favoured by today’s watch fans. With 200M of water resistance and a silicone strap, this is a legit watersports watch. The idea is simple. This watch is curved. If you look at it from the side you can see that the case is shaped to compliment your wrist. The execution isn’t so simple. That means a 40mm case - larger than a vintage piece. And rather than a mechanical movement the watch has a modern reliable Japanese quartz engine. Take Bulova. Their inspiration comes from Harley’s, Surfing, the Military and the Moon Landings. What's more American than that? And it is a heavy-duty watch. I assume the idea is that a big bike and rider need a big watch. This model comes in at nearly 47mm - that could be a dealbreaker for some.Bulova has taken Harley’s brand colours and B&S logo and worked them into the design of a heavy-duty watch.