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Bulova 98A319 Maquina Automatic Bracelet Watch - W09375
Ref. 98A319
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 £1,250 across 120 Bulova watches in stock.The Maquina line is Bulova's exercise in making skeleton work genuinely dramatic rather than quietly horological. The 8N26 inside is a Miyota automatic, openworked specifically for skeleton applications — robust and self-sufficient, with a 42-hour reserve, and visible in full through both the dial and the caseback. The tonneau case wears larger than its nominal 40mm because the integrated bracelet pulls the eye outward; what you actually get on the wrist is a watch with real presence, softened by curves that follow the arm rather than sitting square against it. The contrast work on the dial is where the design earns its character: blue patterning and a deep blue bezel against black bridges, with rose-gold PVD on the crown, hands and indices. That rose-gold thread ties the controls to the dial without overwhelming the steel bracelet beneath. The lume fill sits inside those rose-gold baton indices and the main hands, which means it charges and reads clearly without the movement architecture getting in the way at night. The deployant clasp uses dual push-button releases and sits flush when closed — at 186 grams on the wrist, a clasp that holds without bulk is not an afterthought.
- Reference
- 98A319
- Brand
- Bulova
- Collection
- Maquina
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 13mm
- Lug width
- 24mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Tonneau
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Fixed
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 8N26
- Functions
- Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 42 hours
- Origin
- Made in Japan
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 7 collections
This watch appears in the Bulova Maquina range (5), Back in Stock (3,629), Stainless Steel Watches (3,600), Automatic Watches (1,904), Blue Dial Watches (991), Automatic Watches Under £500 (401) and Skeleton Watches (356).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Bulova's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Bulova 98A319 Maquina alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 98A319 | SSA459J1 | T1584072203100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £499 | £500 | £450 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40.5mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 42 hours | 41 hours | 80 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
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?
24mm. 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 40mm 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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