I was actually thinking of featuring Bulova’s (in)famous “Devil Diver” (depth rating of 666 feet, hence the “Devil” tag) watches in this segment, but then thought of Bulova’s rather new Snorkel Collection. These watches cannot “dive” that far, being good for only 100 metres, but they are no less appealing. And they are more angelic than devilish.
There are actually four watches in the collection (more could be on the way) featuring ocean and marine life. These are thoroughly modern analogue timepieces with quartz movements, domed mineral glass crystals, and cases crafted from a new composite material called Hybrid Ceramic by Bulova.
Hybrid ceramics are composites that combine a polymer with ceramic, and Swatch’s Bioceramic material used throughout its popular MoonSwatch series (we will feature these watches next week) is also a hybrid ceramic. However, the MoonSwatch has a rather low water resistance of 30 metres, which is only good for some rain and splashing.
Bulova describes the Hybrid Ceramic used for its Snorkel collection as being “luxuriously smooth with enhanced durability” and it also mentions that the material is both resistant to scratches and able to adapt to the body’s temperature as the day wears on.
Despite featuring a somewhat different style for its dial(s) and hands, the overall appearance of the Bulova Snorkel collection is indeed very similar to the various iterations of the aforementioned Devil Diver, with a domed crystal, cushion-shaped profile, and a signed crown at the 3 o’clock location.
Celebrating Marine Life
The collection celebrates four sea-faring animals which are facing various dangers in a changing world. The Blue Tang Snorkel honors the Caribbean’s Blue Tang fish with a royal blue dial and straps with a yellow case accent. The Sea Turtle Snorkel showcases the elusive reptile’s ocean habitat with a brown dial and a green strap and case. The Clownfish Snorkel design comes with a bright orange strap and a white dial to symbolise the iconic reef dweller, as featured in the hit animated movie “Nemo”. The Great White Shark Snorkel watch represents the apex predator with a white dial, gray case, and a blue accented bezel.
According to Jeffrey Cohen, CEO of Citizen Watch America, Bulova’s parent company, the Snorkel collection was created with diverse customers in mind. “It is meant to create an extremely price competitive sport or casual watch, utilising innovative materials while also celebrating what makes us passionate about the oceans, the seas and marine life, a universe and biosystem which is mysterious, vibrant, exciting and inspiring—all values we seek to embody in Bulova watches.”
The watches have luminescent hands and markers for low-light readability and a unidirectional timing bezel. They use a Miyota 2115 quartz movement that is accurate to 15 seconds a month. Due to their stainless steel case components, Bulova’s new Snorkel models will likely offer a more hefty wrist presence compared to the MoonSwatch, and the solid screw-down case backs feature laser engravings of the marine animals after which the watches are named. For more information, go to Bulova.com.
