Tap the image to enlarge
Bulova 98A343 Series X Automatic Green Suede Strap Watch - W09419
Ref. 98A343
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.Series X started as Bulova's answer to a specific question: what does an industrial watch look like when the case is square rather than round? The answer involves exposed screws on the front of the case, a skeleton dial supported by hunter green bridges, and a geometry that reads more like architecture than horology. At 41mm the case sounds moderate on paper, but the square format and 50.5mm lug-to-lug distance mean it wears with considerably more presence than that figure suggests. The movement is a Miyota 8N26, built within Citizen's own manufacturing group — which is also Bulova's parent — and visible through both the open dial and a display caseback. That relationship matters because it means service parts and institutional knowledge sit in the same corporate family. The green suede strap is a considered pairing, picking up the colour of the bridges without matching them exactly, and the pin buckle adjusts without tools through standard strap holes.
- Reference
- 98A343
- Brand
- Bulova
- Collection
- Series X
- Case size
- 41mm
- Case thickness
- 13.05mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Square
- Dial
- Green
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 8N26
- Functions
- Chronograph, Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Green
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 50.5mm
- 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 6 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (3,629), Stainless Steel Watches (3,600), Automatic Watches (1,904), Chronograph Watches (1,400), Leather Strap Watches (1,191) and Rectangular & Square Watches (532).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 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 98A343 Series X alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 98A343 | T1224071605100 | H64455523 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £599 | £620 | £640 |
| Case size | 41mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 42 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.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 50.5mm, 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.
More Bulova watches like the 98A343 Series X
In stock, and close on style and price
