Bulova Curv Review (98A162) – The Curved Watch

In this article, I’m going to write about Bulova Curv review, a watch that has made headlines for its drop dead gorgeous look and curved shape. The watch was released early last year (2016) to wide, and it sure did grab lots of attention.

So what’s so special about this Bulova Curv? For a start, it has the “world’s first curved chronograph movement” – that’s taken straight from Bulova’s ads. Well, I don’t really care about the world’s first and all, but what truly matters is this curved watch is something really unique, and best part of all it’s a gorgeous and cool watch.

In this review, I’m going with the 98A162 gray titanium version because it has the coolest look among the Bulova Curved watch lineup. Without any delay, let’s go for the Bulova Curv review.

 

Bulova Curv (98A162) Specification

Diameter: 44 mm
Thickness: 10.1 mm
Case: Gray titanium case
Strap: Black rubber strap

Dial: Gray exhibition dial with rose gold accents
Watch Crystal: Sapphire Crystal
Hands: Skeleton hands
Markers: Index markers
Subdials: 3 Subdials: 60-minute subdial (right), 12-hour subdial (left), 60-second subdial(bottom)

Movement: Bulova Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Quartz Chronograph Movement with 262 kHz frequency
Water Resistance: 30 m
Battery: 2-3 years
Other Features: Exhibition caseback, Curved case, Curved sapphire glass

Best Place To Buy: Amazon at $680, MSRP is $899 from Bulova’s dealers

Bulova Curved Watch Case

Let’s start with the elephant in the room, the curved watch case. It’s truly a remarkable design for sure. Well, there’s not much curved watches in the market right? I’m not sure whether somebody has done this or not, but as far as I know, Bulova’s curved watch is the current watch with this form. Just look at that circular curve! It’s totally outrageous and looks great.

Besides being unique, the curved case also makes wearing it a very comfortable experience. It just hugs your wrist while sitting on it. Many brands have produced watches with a curved lugs to achieve the same thing (such as the Seiko SARB033 and SARB035), but this watch brings it to the next level.

The watch has a 44 mm diameter, but it’s very wearable even with small wrists due to the curved form factor. At just 10.1 mm thick, it’s very stylishly thin and looks exquisite.

The case is made of titanium with gray color which blend well with the gray watch face. Made from titanium, it’s also very light and lends to comfort while on wrist. The watch only has 30 m water resistance but I believe that would be enough for most people. It’s not really a sports watch and honestly I don’t think anyone is going swimming wearing that lol.

Take a loot at the Bulova Curv from the side. It’s truly something unique to have a full curved watch like this

Perhaps the only thing “off” about this watch is the usage of black rubber strap on it. And worse of all the strap cannot be changed out since it’s attached to the case with a special attachment.

I won’t deny it actually looks good with the titanium gray case, but to have a rubber strap for a watch at this price range is just not right and not value for money. A compatible titanium bracelet would have been perfect in my opinion =)

 

Modern And Stylish Watch Face Design

On the dial or watch face of this Bulova Curv is a very stylish gray dial with openings on it to show some of the quartz movement inside it. Due to the opening, the dial looks to have multiple layers on it which gives a nice depth perception.

There are index markers and skeleton hands on the watch with 3 subdials. The bottom subdial is for 60-second chronograph, right subdial is for 60-minute measurement while the left subdial is for 12-hour measurement. (more explanation on the chronograph function is written a few section below)

A great addition to the watch face design is the gold accents that’s used for the index markers and hands. It’s beautifully done and totally looks great with the gray dial.

 

Curved Sapphire Glass

On top of the watch is a curved sapphire glass which is absolutely great to have. By having a curved watch, there is a higher chance the watch crystal might be bumped with many things. So for Bulova to use a sapphire crystal is definitely on the mark here.

Sapphire is the best among the 3 common watch crystals as it’s super resistant to scratching and have a higher impact resistance than normal mineral crystal.

Exhibition Caseback To Show A Quartz Movement?

Another weird design selection by Bulova is to use an exhibition caseback on the Curv. But isn’t exhibition caseback a great thing because it allows people to see the watch’s movement from the back? Well that’s correct for an automatic watch. But for a quartz? I beg to differ.

Looking through the caseback of the watch, I hardly see anything interesting at all. The back of the movement is finished in gold color with many cut out for some solenoids and transistors. Bulova did try to make it more pleasing by some well positioned logo and signatures on the movement’s back but that’s it.

I don’t know about you, but having an open caseback to show a quartz movement is not a really good decision to me. Just take a look at that thing.. =P

I’ve read some other reviews that the caseback is interesting and they liked it. For me, it’s interesting too but I’d prefer a titanium caseback with normal engraving on it rather than seeing this. Quartz movement is accurate, but it does not have the same unique characteristic of an automatic watch and this caseback just proved my point.

 

Ultra High Frequency Quartz Chronograph Movement

Inside the Bulova Curv is a high performance quartz chronograph movement, or what Bulova likes to call Ultra High Frequency (UHF) quartz movement. Actually, I think it’s using a similar movement as the Precisionist since it has the same 262 kHz frequency but I’m not sure why Bulova does not use the same movement name in their website and ads.

But regardless, this movement has the cutting edge quartz movement that comes with vibrates at 262 kHz – 8 times faster than a normal quartz. The result? A much more accurate quartz movement.

Consider this: A normal quartz (the cheap Casio that can be had for $10 off Amazon) can gain or lose 15 seconds per month. Bulova’s UHF (and even the Precisionist before it) will only gain or lose that much time in a YEAR. Now that’s a huge improvement.

 

Chronograph Function – No Main Seconds Hand?

Bulova Curv is a bit different than normal watches because it does not have a main seconds hand. It also does not have a running seconds hand – the 60-seconds subdial at the bottom is the chronograph seconds hand.

So in normal usage, there is no running seconds hand which is quite unsettling for me because you never know when the watch might drop dead lol.

To run the chronograph, simply push the top pusher at 2 o’clock. This will move the seconds hand at the bottom subdial to start the stopwatch. Push the top pusher again to pause it. The time will then be shown at the left subdial (hours) and right subdial (minutes). The bottom pusher at 4 o’clock will reset the chronograph to starting position.

Who Is This Watch For?

Anyone that want to set him/herself apart from the others should get it. The strength of the Bulova Curv watch lies in the curved form factor, which is something that is very rare ,in fact I’ve never seen any curved watch before lol. It’s truly unique, not to mention the dial design is just terrific.

Titanium lends to its lightweight case which is another great reason to own this watch. Coupled with the curved form, it’s very comfortable on wrist – something that will surely gain the watch many fans. And have I mentioned it looks super cool with that gray dial and gold accent?

 

Who Should Not Get This Curved Watch?

Without a doubt, it’s $680 price tag will deter many people from it. It’s very stylish and all, but the fact is this is a normal chronograph quartz watch. Unlike its older brother the Precisionist, it does not have a very smooth seconds hand movement (that doubles as running seconds hand as well as chronograph seconds hand). On top of that, the Precisionist also can measure up to 1/1000th of a second.

From a technical aspect point of view, the Curv is definitely not that high on the scale. For anyone wanting a watch with a great chronograph function, you might want to look elsewhere.

I’ve listed down some of the best chronograph watches I’ve reviewed on this site here for you guys to check it out.

 

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Unique curved watch case
• Stylish watch face design
• Titanium case is lightweight and anti-allergic
• Very high accuracy UHF Quartz movement

Cons:

• Rubber strap is used instead of higher end material
• Strap cannot be changed due to special connection design
• No running seconds hand will make it hard to know if the watch battery is low or dead

 

Watch this video to see the Bulova Curv up close and how its chronograph functions 

Want To Get The Bulova Curv? Buy It From Amazon!

Bulova put a hefty price tag on the Curv at an MSRP of $899 (the other versions with stainless steel cases are cheaper though). Fortunately, there are sellers on Amazon that sells it for just around $680, giving a nice 25% price reduction from the MSRP. Click the link below to get it from Amazon.

->Click Here To Check Out Bulova Curv At Amazon<-

Final Thoughts

Bulova Curv is a very unique looking watch with the curved case. It’s also designed beautifully marrying the gray dial with gold accents. The gray titanium case compliments the watch nicely as well as being very light on the wrist. Stylishly built, this is a watch to get for those that want to try something new and set him/herself apart from the crowd =)

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I hope you guys like this article on Bulova Curv review. Drop your comments and questions down below. I really love to hear what you guys think about this watch. Also, don’t forget to share and subscribe to my site. Just fill in your details on the box at the right sidebar to get notified of future awesome stuffs.

Cheers!
Isaac