Wrist watches for the ordinary man - Bulova Marine Star

Wrist watches for the ordinary man - Bulova Marine Star 330 Ft. Chronograph Alarm

Bulova Watch Company makes a very fine time piece with a long history of creations since inception in 1875.  Just looking at the current line up of Bulova watch lines makes me stare in awe at how beautiful they are and how meticulously constructed the pieces are.  Bulova represents one of the venerable USA watch makers to ever become incredibly successful.

I purchased a Bulova Marine Star 330 Ft. chronograph back in 1996.  I spent about $330 for this time piece.  It became a daily wearer for a long time to come.  The watch is beautiful and dutifully suited for measuring time.  The watch is rugged yet stylish, dressy, and classic looking.  I was looking for something different back then but something I could wear in the Clinical Laboratory setting and not worry about getting wet, exposed to chemicals, and the dust contained in latex gloves.  I also wanted a time piece to keep elapsed time for me during lab operations.  Hence, I found this beauty in a jewelry store window.  I took it home and have been amazed by its function ever since.

This watch has been worn in laboratory settings, during skateboard runs, on bicycle treks, in ocean surf, swimming pools, and during home maintenance and auto repair procedures such as painting, lawn care, and oil changes, etc..  To this day the watch shows some wear but could easily pass for a time piece of a year or two old.  The gold finish is just as bright and polished as the day I purchased it.  The hard mineral crystal has one tiny ding but no large scratches to give away its 18 year age.  Due to cracks the original black rubber strap has been replaced with a rubber replacement that was easily obtained.  The current band contains a small compass.  This rubber strap band is also showing age so I have another strap waiting in the wings when the time comes.

I love this watch.  I love gadgets.  This watch has gadgets.  It does much more than keep time accurately with super quartz precision.  Stop watch function is converted from the sweep second hand with the touch of a register button.  Standing at the ready the second hand is at 12 waiting for start.  Stop watch time is recorded on three registers; 1/10th second, minute up to 60, and hours up to 12.  Stop and start can be repeated multiple times without resetting stop watch function.  Another push of a button returns the watch to sweep second hand movement.  If a count down timer is more of what you need this Marine Star has that as well.  With sweep second hand sweeping press and hold the button at 10 to move the indicator in the 1/10th sec. register to a desired amount of time from 1-49 minutes.  The register has dual indicator markings.  Press the button at 2 and the count down timer gets underway with three audible beeps.  An audible alert will sound at the end of the count down which is silenced with the press of any button.  The count down time indicator can also keep track of manual counting from 1-50 and beyond such as golf swings, laps, reps, etc.  Very handy!

There is also a rotating bezel with ratchet clicks marked with a gold dot at 60, 10,20,30,40,50 and alternating hash marks in gold.  If a real alarm is what you need the Marine Star has that as well.  Pull out the stem at 4, then the stem at 3.  The hands will then wildly rotate to an alarm time previously set on the watch.  Turn the stem clock or counter clock wise to advance the hands to a new alarm time on a 12 hour clock.  Rapidly turning the crown will put the watch into continuous motion.  When desired time is shown rotate the crown slowly to make final adjustment of alarm time.  With desired alarm time indicated push in the stem at 4 and leave the stem at 3 out.  The watch will now return to current time and the watch will alert at the desired set alarm time.  I have amazed many with the antics of this watch.  When I say I can make time go backwards I can amaze anyone who doubts that I can do that with just a pull of the stem at 4 to 1st position and a clockwise turn of the stem.  Add the stop watch function and the watch looks like it is going absolutely bonkers.

 

Does this watch indicate time?  Yes very accurately so with function and innovation of a fine Bulova quartz movement.  Although this watch does not have a screw down crown I have successfully worn this watch in swimming pools and ocean surf many times without harm to the watch.  It still keeps time reliably and functions beautifully.  Watch batteries last 1.5 to two years depending on usage and those can easily be obtained from various battery retailers.

Finding this exact watch for purchase on line can be tricky. I spotted another used beauty on EBay in June 2014 with a bid of $200.00  If you search you can find.  Although, the current line up of Bulova time pieces includes both quartz and automatic varieties.  Take your pick "Ordinary Man"...  New or used with Bulova Marine Star you will not be disappointed.


As time marches on make the most of your time.  Enjoy your watches for all occasions.

Scott R. Mayorga  A.A.S., BS MT(ASCP)H CLS

Wrist Watches for the everyday man - UZI Protector UZI-001-R

Wrist watches for the ordinary man - UZI Protector UZI-001-R

Many tactical watches have striking looks, luminous hands, and rugged reliability.  The UZI Protector is no exception to that genre.  Quartz movement, rotating bezel, black with white graphics, date window, heavy rubber strap, and Tritium luminous markers.  All that said and done this is a rugged watch.  Add a screw down crown and this really is a rugged piece of tactical style machinery.

The Protector by UZI is a piece I have owned for 2 years.  It is well worn.  The condition of this two year old watch looks spectacular because of the materials it is made of - not because it sat in a drawer not seeing light of day.  Hard polymer case, stainless case back, hard rubber strap, and hardened mineral crystal all contribute to durability beyond what you would expect in an ordinary watch.  The only aspect about this time piece that is ordinary is price.  The UZI Protector can be purchased from various retailers or on-line including Campco.com for under $100.00.  That being said this is an inexpensive watch with expensive time-piece features.

The best part about the UZI brand is the Tactical Weapons that have show cased on television many times with police and global security forces sporting high power weapons spitting out lead at incredible rates of fire.  For UZI enthusiast there are companion UZI products that complement the watch.  I have easily acquired knives and a tactical pen to make an UZI collection of tools to get me through a harrowing day of activities.

The UZI Protector comes in various face colors of which I have black.  Face markings include 24 hr enumeration, date window, highly luminous tritium 12,3,6,9 hour markers and same markers on the hour and minute hands.  The 12 hour marker glows orange while the others glow green.  Emblazoned right under the 12 marker is the unmistakable UZI trademark of the Israeli Weapons Industries company.  The one way rotating bezel has 5-60 numbered markers that ratchet click loudly upon circling the face.  Hardly a stealthy sound during covert operations but none the less, the bezel also features the same strength and durability built into the rest of the time piece.  Water resistant to
200 M with a screw down crown I have been successfully confident wearing this watch to swimming pool depth and repeated showers and yard work.  The watch still looks great and functions like new.

The UZI Protector is wearing like it will be protecting my wrist for many years to come.


As time marches on make the most of your time.  Enjoy your watches for all occasions.

Scott R. Mayorga  A.A.S., BS MT(ASCP)H CLS

Wrist Watches for the everyday man - Invicta Specialty #17259

Invicta Special Model 17259

The Invicta Specialty model 17259 is a manual wind movement time piece with a skeleton analog design.  This watch is special to me for a couple of reasons.  It was a 2014 Fathers Day gift from my Daughter Jessica, it is a manual wind time piece of 2014 technology, and it is a skeleton design of which this is the first in my collection.

The watch is blue faced accented with 12 luminous bars and 48 white minute marks.  Time is displayed with luminous minute and hours in needle like points with a stainless sweep second hand.  A non movable bezel with 10,20,30,40,50 and 60 minute marks alternating with Invicta trademarked crosses.  The case is 45 mm with a leather band of blue to match the dial.  A regular buckle clasp finishes this brushed stainless steel specimen.

The dial has a skeleton movement exposed via the Flame Fusion Crystal and also viewable with the backs observation window.  Documentation does not state how many jewels are contained in the movement derived from Chinese components but close inspection reveals at least 10 jewels.

This is a manual winder mechanical movement so 40 winds of the hefty crown are enough to power the watch for well over 24 hours.  Viewing the watch either through its face or observation back reveals 4 moving parts while in operation. During winding there are two cogs and a connecting pinion that spin.

This is a basic manual winding timepiece of 21st century manufacturing technology.  The specialty about this analog is the skeleton movement and sporty appearance in dazzling blue color complimented by brushed stainless steel.  This is not a heft of case virtuous of the usual Invicta kind.  I find that having a small wrist the usual Invicta brand is rather too big of a case for my dimensions.  I don't mind a thick case but mid forty diameter is about as big as I am comfortable with. 

This is a well observed watch either day or night with luminous markings.  Comfortable and not too heavy to sport around.  Best of all it's unstoppable manual wind movement will fare well in a electromagnetic storm.  At 50 meter rated water resistance it should withstand brief encounters with faucet water splashing on it.  I would not submerge this timepiece into any depth of liquid with any confidence.

One of the niceties about the Invicta brand is the hard shell plastic case that comes with the watch.  This is a durable all black double clasp case lined with foam and emblazoned with the Invicta Logo.

I enjoy wearing the watch day after day and could easily use this watch as my daily wearer.  Easy to read, stylish sportiness, the 17259 is a real nice piece which can be obtained in store, at various retailers, and on line for less than $100.

Thank you Jessica - I really enjoy this watch in my collection.

As time marches on make the most of your time.  Enjoy your watches for all occasions.

Scott R. Mayorga  A.A.S., BS MT(ASCP)H CLS

Wrist Watches for the everyday man

Why wear a watch if you don't enjoy it.  You don't need to spend thousands for a great watch that you can enjoy.

There are plenty of websites, blogs, and magazines that spotlight and review watches.  These are grand publications full of exploded diagrams of the latest versions of time piece technology as well as venerable classics; all of them though have one thing in common.  Price tags to acquire these wonderful pieces of chronological equipment vary from thousands to millions of dollars.  Not the lot that someone ordinary like me can afford.  Sure, we all can appreciate the grandest of product lines in each genre of luxury or necessity such as the best stoves to cook on, the biggest diamond rings, the best piano to tinkle, the best grill, or the classic Ferrari roadster.  There are plenty of sources to find information of the grandest of all the types of items.  But, not much on the everyday items that not only inspire us to appreciate the finer more technological far reaching specimens but also serve mankind on a daily basis.  This series of posts therefore can become the real mans resource for watches that serve as daily time keepers on the everyday mans wrist.

Brands such as Omega, Tissot, Bell & Ross to name a few maybe the pinnacle of a watch collectors dream but hardly are they affordable on any given day in the life of a hard working individual.  Brands such as Citizen, Timex, Casio, and Seiko do the same thing that high dollar brands do - They tell time, track minutes elapsed, display date, sound alarms at the appointed minute, and can even record and display atmospheric conditions like barometric pressure, temperature, and the inverse depth below surface all for hundreds of dollars to less than $1000.  Whether it is the latest from Rolex or the entry level Pulsar;  watches display time.  Beauty and appreciation of function are in the eye of the beholder.  I see people walking around with retro-LCD digital display watches from the eighties.  I too had a Seiko digital LCD watch that I wore for years and years.  To some folks the watch is just a piece of daily equipment which is part of an arsenal of devices that serve to get one through the day like a pen, car keys, glasses, cell phone, and a wallet.  Some folks don't own a watch at all.  Some folks like me love watches and have dozens of them much like someone would have shoes, ties, or belts.

The watch is a technological piece of wizardry with a long history of development.  Since the early 15th century the time piece was an important tool which kept ships and explorers on track and was part of an integral system of tools the navigator needed to accomplish the almost impossible; circumnavigation of the globe.  Today's, watches are also grand technological tools in that for minimal sums of money the time piece of today is accurate, fashionable, functional, and special to the beholder.  I like sporty chronograph type timepieces.  I also have some classic simple analog pieces which are decades old and others just a few years old.  Automatic pieces are my favorite but I do appreciate some quartz-battery models as well.  Of all my watches I enjoy them because they look great, they serve function to me in the Clinical Laboratory, and I marvel at the technological wizardry of there components.

The discussion of watches for the everyday man can be viewed by some as akin to a boring discussion of the virtues of the 1970's era Ford Pinto.  However, all watches have something special, something gravitating that appeals to its owner in ways similar to the facets of a diamond in the owners beholding.  Style and function basically sum up the basic attributes of a wrist watch.  Purchasing a wrist watch starts with answers to two questions.  What style and what function do you want your new watch to serve?  Manual wind and basic analog?  Chronograph with LCD quartz technology?  Automatic movement?  Moon phase? Tourbillon?  Whatever you decide to put on your wrist it will be special to you and bring enjoyment.  That is why there are hundreds of thousands of watches available from manufacturers all over the globe encompassing pieces that satisfy those two questions; Style and function.

So stay attached to this series for discussion of watches for the everyday man.  Lets celebrate the venerable utility of the wrist watch in all its glory with an affordable eye for the regular guy.  Yes - if we won the lottery a Fossil Watch probably would not be my next choice for a wrist watch.  So, we will not bash the glorious brands we cannot afford in a jealous fit of rage.  We can appreciate from afar their grand movements, dazzling features, and expensive components.  This is a discussion and review of the ordinary that is special.  The wrist watch for the everyday man...

As time marches on make the most of your time.  Enjoy your watches for all occasions.

Scott R. Mayorga  A.A.S., BS MT(ASCP)H CLS