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Bulova Marine Star 98P227 Series "B" Two Tone Bracelet Watch - W83214
Ref. 98P227
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 43 Bulova watches in stock.The Marine Star line sits at the point where Bulova's sport credentials meet dress sensibility, and the 98P227 makes that balance literal: a crenellated bezel borrowed from dive-watch design language, an 18mm lug width that gives the case real presence, and yet a mother-of-pearl dial set with eight hand-placed diamonds at the hours. The iridescence shifts with the light in a way that reads differently indoors and out, while the two-tone bracelet — alternating steel and gold-tone — ties the case and dial together rather than treating them as separate decisions. At 36mm it sits well on most wrists without demanding attention, and the push-button deployant keeps things flush and secure, which matters more than it sounds on a bracelet that will be taken on and off regularly. The Miyota 2036 inside is a Japanese movement with a practical maintenance rhythm — roughly three years between battery changes and nothing temperamental about it. The luminous fill on the gold-tone hands adds usable low-light legibility, though this is not a watch that pretends to be a serious diver despite the 100m rating suggesting otherwise.
- Reference
- 98P227
- Brand
- Bulova
- Collection
- Marine Star
- Case size
- 36mm
- Case thickness
- 10mm
- Lug width
- 18mm
- Case material
- Two-tone
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Fixed
- Movement
- Quartz
- Calibre
- 2036
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Two-tone
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
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 4 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (3,538), Watches Under 37mm (1,908), Women's Watches (1,786) and Two-Tone Watches (526).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 36mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Bulova's more premium watches
Bulova Marine Star 98P227 Series alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 98P227 | 14288AP19GD | AX4331 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £239 | £248 | £219 |
| Case size | 36mm | 35mm | 36mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 50m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| 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 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for 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?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWhat 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.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as women's, though at 36mm 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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