Men's Archive Series Surfboard Chronograph Strap

Others have stated that this watch will get looks. I can attest. The first time wearing it I caught an attractive woman unable to resist the urge to glance at it. You know that look. She couldn’t help herself, I can’t blame her, it’s a great looking watch. But that’s not entirely why I bought one. You see there are not many watches like this. The first thing that caught my attention was the dial design. While there are many watches with a chronograph feature, there are not a whole lot that give you dive watch elements as well, especially at this price point. This watch places the subdials inside a contrasting oval which gives them a home, and makes them feel more integrated into the dial as a whole. The subdial on the right ticks seconds, while the one on the left keeps track of minutes, up to 60, when you have engaged the chronometer. The long orange hand keeps tracks of seconds for the chrono, and will sweep back to zero when it is reset with the lower pusher. It is a clean design in my opinion, a dissent from the traditional ‘panda’ look. Powering this watch is a Miyota quartz movement, which provides plenty of accuracy and remains maintenance free, other than replacing the battery every few years. I think a quartz movement makes a lot of sense in a watch like this, and gives me peace of mind so that all I really have to worry about is enjoying the watch itself, which is proving fairly easy. This watch is not just a retro cool looking chronometer though. It has some classic elements of a dive watch that give it more than just good looks. Of course you see the Pepsi style bezel, which I think works wonderfully with the gold case and crème colored dial. It remains in place only until it is deliberately turned, gliding smoothly around the case. No clicks, no grit. It’s bidirectional as well, so you will never have a problem getting it to align with the 12 o’clock position. The watch also incorporates a screw down crown, meaning the crown will be securely in place and not pull out, even if you decide to take this watch for a deep dive…Bulova rates this one for 200 meters after all. The classic shape of the case just rounds out the package, and in Gold, looks superb. The top of the case has a brushed finish, so as not to reflect light into the wearer’s eyes. The sides of the case however are highly polished, as well as the crown and pushers. I almost forgot, the applied indices on the dial are faceted, and glimmer when the light hits them right. All around, the gold shines in all the right places, and in my opinion creates the best looking colorway for this model. The domed sapphire crystal is perfectly clear and with mineral distortion near the edges, is a wonderful touch in this price range. One last thing to mention, since it is so frequently an afterthought on even watches several times more expensive than this one, the strap. I find it very comfortable for silicone, and the perforations make it breathable enough that perspiration shouldn’t be much of an issue to you. The double deployant clasp mechanism is quality and is easily adjusted. Should you choose to ditch this strap, there are plenty of other strap options available. Overall I find this a very well executed stylish and functional watch at a very fair price that will be enjoyed for years to come. One last thing I forget to mention…the hands and indices are lumed, as well as a lume pip on the bezel at 12. It’s not a lume monster, but it’s adequate, and together with everything else I’ve mentioned, combined with the fit and finish, really is a lot. If you like the way it looks, buy one. You do get a lot of style and function for the money. PS, this watch looks much better in person, I was truly surprised how great it looks and the pictures don’t do it justice.

Really nice watch. Definitely an eye catcher. Very comfortable.

basura

Beautiful piece. Eye catcher; retro look. Very well built. It arrived pretty fast to Chile, just in 10 days. 100% recommended.