Bulova Men's 98B226 Precisionist Analog Display Japanese Quartz Black Watch

So, normally I would not knock a star off of a review when the product is not at fault (and five stars is not entirely warranted anyway), but I guess my first caution here is more directed to having some vendor problems, rather than watch issues, to the point of suggesting maybe not even buying it on here, which is sacrilege for me to say, because I'm a huge Amazon fan and shop here constantly.However, the first vendor I bought this from, Teely's, sent me one with deep scratches and no protective cover on it -- and several others here have complained about receiving ones with scratches too, so what gives? Is this Bulova sending junk stock, or what's going on? Teely's blamed Amazon, saying that any item "Fulfilled by Amazon" is sitting in a warehouse, waiting to be shipped, and so the vendor does not inspect the products they send, since Amazon has their inventory, I guess. They went so far as to say they could not guarantee that a replacement wouldn't also be damaged. Wow, like, what the heck?! So, what's the point of them as a vendor then? Disappointing to say the least.Second effort, from a seller named Authentic Hour this time, arrived NOT in the beautiful Bulova Precisionist presentation box, but instead arrived in the cheapest Bulova box ever, like it was one of their lowest end watches. I know, both from seeing this watch at high end retail spots, and from my first order of it (the damaged one from Teely's, which I sent back for a refund) that, specifically as Precisionist model, which is Bulova's top show piece line at the moment, it is supposed to come in a really great looking box, which also doubles as a terrific place to store it, when not on the wrist, keeping it clean and protected, while additionally serving as an attractive display box. But, instead, I get stuck with a crummy cardboard box with the watch wrapped around a fake velour black pillow. Useless.This was meant as a gift, for Christmas, this specific make and model. First one arrived damaged, and the second arrived (on Christmas Eve day -- for which I paid extra for expedited shipping, hoping to still be able to give it as a gift) in a lousy cheap box, AND, to add insult to injury, it seems the watch had been sitting around so long that, although it did have a plastic protective covering, the plastic film on the back was nearly impossible to take off, and it wound up leaving gummy glue residue all over the case back of the watch.Thanks, vendors, for Grinching out on this Christmas effort.So, all in all, pretty frustrating from a buying point of view. It's nice that the price here is lower than retail, but, come on, we're not trying to buy stuff left out in an alley somewhere or whatever. I'd rather pay a higher price, and at least get a watch, and box, in proper condition.Makes me think these vendors are selling used or knock off versions maybe, I don't know. Blaming Amazon seems a cop out, since a vendor should stand behind their products, or just let Amazon sell it then. And, if Amazon is mucking it up at the warehouse, then shame on them too.It's pretty rare, honestly, to get screwed over here at Amazon, so this was really a let down, since I normally order with the utmost confidence, to the point that I don't worry about getting things, sight unseen. So, I didn't think twice on relying on this service for a Christmas gift, since I couldn't find it locally, but it sure turned out to be a bad idea and it's a shame it made this special gift impossible.A further issue is that it arrived from Authentic Hour not even set to the right time or date (a courtesy many watch sellers provide, without question, as a mark of being a quality seller) and, topping that off, the hands were mis-aligned on the chronograph, so that was just further aggravation. But, let's talk about the watch....It IS a very beautiful watch, despite these vendor problems -- but not worth five stars, and we'll talk about that. First, some highlights:Big and bold, without being at all obnoxious, can easily be dressed up or dressed down for the occasion at hand, has the distinction of being among the most accurate watches on the planet, has a great looking movement (including that mesmerizing sweep second hand), very detailed styling (looked much better in person than what the pictures showed) and, for anyone who likes that "Panerai" look (or even Bell and Ross, to some degree), but doesn't have (or want to spend) thousands, or tens of thousands, of dollars, this is probably one of the best looking (and performing) military/aviator style watches available, period. At a few hundred dollars, it's actually pretty stunning to get a watch that echos so much of what is found in the high end luxury watch marketplace, at least in terms of styling.Drawbacks? Well, if Bulova was going to go all out, they should have opted for a sapphire crystal. Even some of Wenger's watches (which have a true Swiss lineage) give us sapphire, or, if you look carefully, even Tissot, Citizen (and even Invicta!) for not a whole lot more than this general price area. So, it really diminishes the quality of the brand when going "cheap" with mineral crystal and, if Bulova wants to sit at the table with the respected brands, they need to up their game -- particularly when claiming a MSRP of over six hundred dollars.By going cheap, instead of opting for higher quality, this only adds to another drawback, which even sapphire wouldn't entirely solve, which is that, when it comes to sitting at that table, no matter how stellar any Bulova might be, it's still a Bulova. Kind of like the Lexus LFA -- amazing supercar, but still just a Lexus, meaning a less performing Ferrari, for example, still trumps it, in the brag department.Now, if considering a Bulova, one is probably not a massive watch snob in the first place, and this isn't the kind of price territory in which much is available from the Swiss glitterati anyway, without going up at least a hundred bucks or more, so maybe this is all a moot point, but, if you do happen to be mindful of brands, for quality and recognition, another hundred or so does brings you into some "classier" territory, if that matters, not just in terms of brand exclusivity, but also for the fit and finish of the watch itself. Do you get more, for spending more, in this regard? Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no, but again, this only comes to mind given that Bulova is seeming to want to pass this off for more than what they've put into it, and it's never nice to be let down, as a consumer, thinking, OH WOW, look what I got for only two hundred bucks, only to find out you got much less than you thought you did.This is the case also, when it comes to the strap. Looks nice, don't get me wrong, it fits the overall style and design extremely well, and actually makes the watch appear more upscale than the stainless steel versions of the Precisionist line (which almost lean toward being a bit gaudy, somehow, in some iterations) and it gives it that military/aviator flair, for sure, plus means you can pair it with a suit, quite nicely, BUT, the leather is a bit stiff and unwieldy and it seems like a better quality of leather could have been provided. Again, Bulova needs to back up its high end placement wishes with high end materials, to be convincing, rather than disappointing, to the consumer.So, especially with the mineral crystal, it seems overpriced even at the Amazon price of being "discounted" from the high MSRP (which really is outrageously silly) and somehow this watch just doesn't have that extra special feeling one expects from a flagship model. Look at one of Invicta's recent offerings, around this price point, claiming to be a "special" model, and indeed it was -- titanium case, sapphire crystal, half a mile of water resistance, helium release valve etc. So, while it's fine to have lower priced and lesser equipped products within a brand, leave those bargain aspects on the bargain models and, for the "this is our best" versions -- put your best on it.All in all then, Bulova has something here that truly could push their brand forward, but not when they are cutting corners.Four stars then, even without Vendor issues, is likely warranted. It's kind of sad, actually, to see a watch like this that is so NEARLY amazing. It's like someone building a Porsche competitor for a fourth of the cost, but then not including wheels and tires in the purchase. This watch is really close to an epic mark, but then just misses it by inches -- which means it assets far outweigh its liabilities, and, hey, it's a really gorgeous piece, but, for those mindful of watch world stuff, it just is frustrating that Bulova didn't do more with this beauty.In conclusion then, for an almost-stunning work of wrist art that boasts some distinctive qualities, this is worth it for a few hundred dollars, but not at any price much more than that.In terms of the Precisionist line, overall, in my humble opinion, this is likely the "best" version of the Precisionist models, so if you like the Precisionist effort from Bulova, you'll be very happy with this. Not only does it bring a sense of the stylistic flair of world leading time pieces, much more so than the stainless versions (which seem to be "trying too hard" and wind up looking a bit cheapened in appearance -- not different enough to be distinct, but not similar enough to any proven designs to suggest quality or luxury) but manages to accomplish this while being priced a solid hundred or so less than the steel counterparts Bulova offers in this line up -- which, despite being much more expensive, still don't offer any more in terms of quality than this model does.So, all in all, a solid four stars, but only at this price level.. Paying any more than that brings you too close to other brands that offer far more, to make this "worth it" at a three to five hundred dollar price tag. Improve the leather on this, and swap in sapphire, and it's easily worth three or even four hundred, and would be a steal at that cost point. But, cheaping it out like this is a detractor. While luxe brands can get away with it, their brand recognition and other quality aspects give them a bit of a pass, but, for a "lesser" brand like Bulova, there's much more to prove, and cutting corners on quality only proves that they are still not ready to compete with the 'luxe watch houses.I do recommend this watch, if you're okay knowing what you're getting for what you're paying, and I do think Bulova shows strong promise here, as something to build on for the future. Caution does remain on where you buy it -- obviously some folks have had good luck here, but I'm sure disappointed in my buying experience on this round and will probably turn to Ebay or some other source to where the vendor actually takes accountability for the product being sold.

This watch is gorgeous. I have very small wrists for a man and it fits me loosely, but comfortably in the last slot on the band. The continuous sweep and tick of the second hand is mesmerizing and gives a feeling of prestige. I thought the leather band would be cheap, but it's nice and thick, with a very stylish tang buckle. Feels nice on the wrist, too.There are a few reasons I give this watch 4 stars instead of 5:-First and foremost, the hands were not calibrated when I received the watch. Even after calibration per the manual, the hands on the small dials are slightly off the mark when they are at their zeroed position, which is certainly noticeable if you're looking for it. If there is a way to fix this, I'd really appreciate some help. It's a bit annoying.-The box is garbage. I was really hoping for a nice hard Bulova box to store the watch in, but it's just a thin cardboard box with a pillow inside. It's a nit-picky thing, but I do appreciate a nice box with an expensive watch. Something sturdy to keep it from getting dusty when I'm not wearing it.Overall I'm very impressed. I feel that I will be a returning Bulova customer, but perhaps from a different seller. Would definitely recommend.

I love the watch for the price. The leather strap is surprisingly robust. It is weird to have a 300M rated watch with a leather strap...not your ideal water sports combination. The minute dial is not perfectly zeroed and is hard to read so I have to do some guessing. Which I don’t actually mind because when tracking racing laps being able to read the minute counter is not essential. Of course I can not really record to 1/1000 second acuracy because human reaction time is not that fast. But I can get a good feel for which car is running faster using this watch. The only annoying thing is that there are four mirrored recessed areas at each corner, outside of the watch face. These recesssed areas tend to fill up with dirt and have to be cleaned out with a toothpick.

This is my first Bulova watch. I had my eye on it for a while but just couldn't quite pull the trigger, but I'm so glad I did. This watch is just stunning. It's beautiful and a nice change of pace from my divers. The smooth, black bezel and black face contrast the silver case and pushers in a very elegant and sophisticated manner. The white minute markers also blend well with the white stitching on the textured leather strap. Speaking of the strap, it is better than I expected, and it has plenty of room for my 8" wrist. It isn't that stiff, "plasticky" feeling leather. It has some thickness to it without being too stiff to flex. It is pretty good quality and is supple enough to fit comfortably on the wrist. The 47-48mm pillow case is a perfect shape...not too round and not too square. The blue sweep hand and sundial hands and markings give it a touch of color without being gaudy.Of course the movement is the star of the show from a timekeeping perspective. I haven't had it long enough to gauge the accuracy of the movement, but I love the way it works. The smooth sweep had is mesmerizing, and in chrono mode it has a "soft' one-second tick as it counts up. When finished, simply press the pusher at the 8 o'clock position to put it back into the timekeeping mode. Then, watch the second hand fast forward in its smooth, sweeping motion to the current seconds count for the time. It truly is fascinating to watch.I find myself staring at my wrist to take in the elegant beauty of this watch. I have nearly forty watches, and I try to be selective, but I may just have to buy another Precisionist. Yeah...it's that good.