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Bulova 97A182 Surveyor Automatic Bracelet Watch - W09335
Ref. 97A182
Sits in Bulova’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Bulova watches we list, which start at £100.
Price range £100 to £995 across 53 Bulova watches in stock.The Surveyor collection takes the open-dial aesthetic that usually requires spending considerably more and applies it to a 39mm case that sits proportionately on most wrists without overwhelming them. The champagne dial gives the skeleton aperture a warm context — the movement visible beneath reads as decorative rather than technical, which suits the gold PVD finish and the overall register the watch is pitching for. The power reserve indicator is a practical addition, telling the wearer at a glance whether the 82S0 needs some encouragement before being put away. The Miyota 82S0 is a reliable workhorse of an automatic calibre — nothing exotic, but it hacks, it winds manually, and its 42-hour reserve means a weekend off the wrist will not leave it stopped by Monday morning. The deployant clasp with push buttons is a better fastening than the case price might lead one to expect, and the bracelet's quick-release fitting makes swapping to a strap straightforward without tools.
- Reference
- 97A182
- Brand
- Bulova
- Case size
- 39mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Gold PVD
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Champagne
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 82S0
- Functions
- Small seconds, Power reserve indicator, Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Gold
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 42 hours
Learn more about Bulova
Joseph Bulova, a Bohemian immigrant, opened a jewellery shop on Maiden Lane in New York in 1875 and moved into watch manufacturing in the early twentieth century, building a plant in Sag Harbor and later a substantial operation in Queens.
Bulova's instinct for firsts was commercial as much as technical. It ran the first national advertisement for a watch brand in 1926, broadcast the first radio commercial in American history — a time announcement — in 1926, and aired the first television commercial ever broadcast in 1941, paying nine dollars for the slot.
The engineering came too. The Accutron of 1960 replaced the balance wheel with a tuning fork vibrating at 360 Hz, driven electronically. It was accurate to within a minute a month, far beyond mechanical watches, and it hummed rather than ticked. NASA used Accutron timing mechanisms in spacecraft, and one was left on the Moon in the equipment package of Apollo 11.
Bulova also made an enormous contribution to American war production, supplying military timing devices, and founded a school of watchmaking for disabled veterans.
The company was acquired by Citizen in 2008. Modern collections include the Precisionist, with a high-frequency quartz movement producing a smooth sweeping seconds hand, and reissues of the Accutron and the 1970s Computron.
- 1875
- Joseph Bulova opens his New York shop.
- 1941
- Airs the first television commercial in history.
- 1960
- The Accutron tuning fork movement is released.
- 1969
- An Accutron timer is left on the Moon by Apollo 11.
- 2008
- Acquired by Citizen.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (3,547), Automatic Watches (1,871), Gold Watches (746), Automatic Watches Under £500 (376), Skeleton Watches (331) and Champagne & Cream Dial Watches (204).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 39mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Bulova's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Bulova 97A182 Surveyor alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 97A182 | RA-AP0106S30B | SRPB41J1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £349 | £330 | £349 |
| Case size | 39mm | 38.4mm | 40.5mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 42 hours | 40 hours | 41 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 42 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 39mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
F.Hinds is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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