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Bulova Archive Series 98A325 MIL-SHIPS Blue Watch - Special Edition - W09374
Ref. 98A325
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 MIL-SHIPS Bronze exists because Bulova found, in its own archive, a 1957 prototype built for the U.S. Navy that never entered production — and decided its 150th anniversary was the right moment to revisit it. The sandblasted CuSn8 bronze case connects the design to the copper diving helmets of the nineteenth century, and it will continue to change: bronze develops a patina at its own pace, making each example progressively more individual. At 41mm across and 15.42mm tall, this is a substantial piece, and it does not apologise for that. The double-domed crystal rises noticeably from the case, giving the profile a period-correct presence that a slimmer modern reissue would have lost. The push-to-rotate bezel mechanism — press it down before it will turn — is borrowed from professional diving equipment logic rather than added as a stylistic gesture, and the bi-colour moisture indicator strip above six o'clock is a faithful reproduction of the original prototype detail. The hybrid Cordura-and-rubber strap handles wet conditions without the stiffness of plain nylon. The Miyota 83S0 inside is made in Japan by Citizen, which is Bulova's parent company — so the movement and the case share a supply chain, and the 60-hour reserve means a watch left on the nightstand Friday evening is still running Monday morning. The caseback carries an embossed diving helmet: something worth looking at once, and then largely forgotten, which is the correct relationship between a caseback and its owner.
- Reference
- 98A325
- Brand
- Bulova
- Collection
- Archive
- Case size
- 41mm
- Case thickness
- 15.42mm
- Lug width
- 18mm
- Case material
- Bronze
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 83S0
- Water resistance
- 200m
- Bracelet / strap
- Fabric strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 50.7mm
- Power reserve
- 60 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 (3,629), Automatic Watches (1,904), Blue Dial Watches (991), Sports Watches (882), Dive Watches (634) and Limited Edition Watches (229).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch built to be worn hard and got wet.
Strengths
- 200m water resistance, rated for actual diving
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Bulova's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 15.42mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff
Bulova Archive Series 98A325 MIL-SHIPS alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 98A325 | SRPL51K1 | C0324301604100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £599 | £580 | £695 |
| Case size | 41mm | 41.7mm | 41mm |
| Water resistance | 200m | 200m | 200m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Fabric strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 60 hours | 41 hours | 80 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 200m it is rated for swimming, snorkelling and recreational diving.
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 60 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
18mm. 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.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 50.7mm, which suits wrists from roughly 17.5cm (7 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
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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