Bulova

Bulova Men's 98A112 Automatic Mechanical Black Pearl Dial Strap Watch

• Men's automatic-mechanical strap watch black pearl dial
• Curved mineral crystal; baton, pointed imp, 2 section skeleton hands with white luminous filled in outer section
• Stainless steel black/titanium case and black leather strap

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Bulova Men's Automatic Mechanical Watch is a meticulously crafted timepiece that combines a legacy of watchmaking expertise with an innovative, contemporary style. Accented with hexagonal screw details, the blocky titanium bezel frames a uniquely patterned, black dial with an exhibition window and wide baton indexes with bright luminous accents. Black-outlined hands with luminous fill track the hours and minutes, and an outside minute track is marked with a combination of red and white Arabic numbers in five-minute increments. The brushed and polished black stainless steel case highlights the black of the dial and complements the patterned, black leather strap that wraps comfortably around the wrist. Water resistant to 330 feet (100 meters), this bold and stylish timepiece will be with you for years to come.

Product Description

Bulova, BVA Series, Men's Watch, Stainless Steel Black Ion Plated and Titanium Case, Carbon Fiber Over Leather Strap, Mechanical Automatic (Self-Winding), 98A112

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Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002WJIQBM
• Item model number: 98A112
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,991 in Watches (See Top 100 in Watches)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Timepiece, November 29, 2010

By 

Seattlite - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bulova Men's 98A112 Automatic Mechanical Black Pearl Dial Strap Watch (Watch)

From someone who has worked in a clock shop, this is truly a great deal for a beautiful timepiece! With a wonderful domed crystal, an unobtrusive sweep second hand, and the full skeletal look, I am very satisfied with the purchase. The appearance is relatively dressy and very prominent (it is large, and it is noticeable to a casual observer), but I feel comfortable wearing it to client meetings or out hiking. That said, my personal experience is that domed crystals are easier to mark up- I would be caution any buyer looking at this to treat that portion of it with care, though the rest of the case seems extremely durable.

As other reviewers aptly noted, this is not a small watch. I am accustomed to the larger feel on my wrist from previous timepieces, but I was a little surprised when I put this on for the first time. That said, it is very comfortable, and doesn't slide around or feel overly bulky where I wear my watches just above the wrist on my forearm. Thanks to the titanium, this is actually a little lighter than I would have expected, which is a perk considering the size.

The band is relatively thick as well, and starts out a little stiff (as expected) until worn a couple of times. It is difficult to use the smaller sizing at first (my wrist is rather thin), but quickly forms to fit well.

Obviously, don't buy this if you're looking for the absolute accuracy of a quartz mechanism, but it's worth every penny any more with a sale price under $300. I expect to be happy with it for many years to come.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in class, December 26, 2010

By 

Borislav Mihaylov - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bulova Men's 98A112 Automatic Mechanical Black Pearl Dial Strap Watch (Watch)

I'd set my sights on this particular Bulova BVA model and was debating whether I should get this one, with the black dial and the leather strap, or go for 98A113, with a white dial and metal bracelet. Amazon made it a no-brainer by offering this watch on a great Black Friday deal, so I went ahead and got the 98A112.

First impressions - in terms of packaging, there's much to be desired, as 'rockatanski' has already mentioned in his review. Then again, watches are made to be worn and collectors probably own their own watch boxes anyway, so Bulova's basic packaging didn't really disappoint me too much. A word of advice to anyone who's getting this as their first automatic watch - give the manual a read, it won't take longer than 5 minutes and might save you a few headaches.

On to the actual characteristics of the watch then. In terms of build quality, it's an impressive watch with a leather band that not only looks the part, but is also in fact rather durable. The slight creases do not damage the band's carbon-styled finish and seem like they won't be a big problem in the long run. Which is not a thing that can be said about quite a few of Bulova's competitors, even in higher price ranges.

The titanium case contributes to this watch's fine finish - understatement rocks and even though 'understated' is probably one of the last adjectives you'd use for this particular model, I firmly believe that the combination of black and gunmetal helps the case look much less tacky than the one that 98A113 presents you with. In that sense, the partial "black pearl" dial does complement the watch's open-heart structure rather nicely. Some might consider the face to be a bit too busy for their own liking, and they'd definitely have a point, in which case however they should probably stay away from skeleton watch models. As far as skeletons go though, this Bulova is definitely a beauty which - at least to me - manages to combine mechanics and visuals in a great all-round package.

I was a bit scared off by comments regarding the fact that the 'open' dial makes telling the time harder than it should be, but after having worn/used the watch for quite some time now, I can safely say that this is not the case - and it wasn't on the first day of wearing it either. As to precision - this is an aspect which is definitely not a priority to me, so I wouldn't take any points away from this watch for being a couple of seconds off - as long as it functions properly. And that it most definitely does - as to the slight 'stutter' that can be observed at times, that is down to the movement (a very fine Miyota movement, by the way) and is in no way a sign of a faulty watch. In fact, that stutter/backlash exists because of the need to provide some sort of relief to the indirect sweep seconds design of the movement, which would in turn ensure accurate work for many years without the need for constant servicing. By the way - the indirect sweep seconds design is very common (and used in some of the highest-quality Swiss watches as well), which should go a long way towards putting your mind at ease about the watch's movement.

All in all, even if I didn't have to take the price into account, I'd consider this one of the best additions to my watch collection. And when you do take the price factor into consideration, there just aren't too many skeleton automatic watches in this price range, or even in higher price ranges, that can compete with the quality and style of this one.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice watch., October 12, 2010

By 

rockatanski - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bulova Men's 98A112 Automatic Mechanical Black Pearl Dial Strap Watch (Watch)

I was looking for an affordable, automatic, skeleton watch that would be useable for smalltime dressy occasions (I work in an office...the beat up 10+ year old Swiss army watch, though running just fine, was looking about due for an update.). I've browsed a lot, researched a lot, and came across this watch...it looked right up my alley. Kind of hard to find reviews or pictures of it other than what has been posted on here, but I took a chance and ordered it. I've owned it for a few weeks now.

Packaging is pretty basic, but...are you wearing the packaging? Probably not. The watch itself looks better than in the pictures...the crystal has a curve to it, interesting patterning on the band, you can see all the way through the movement. It's a synthetic jewel Miyota movement from my understanding. The solid part of the face have an engine-turning moire-type pattern on it. Pics on here seem to indicate silver hands, which would be hard to see against the silver of the skeleton movement, but the one that I got had black hands with white inserts - not too difficult to tell the time at a glance, despite the business of the face. No date, but I knew that before I bought it.

You can't "hack" the movement while setting time - the second hand keeps moving, even with the crown pulled out to set the time. No big deal - if you want a cheap, accurate watch, buy a battery operated quartz watch. If you want something interesting, take a look at this. Accuracy seems ok for me - automatic mechanical watches in this price range aren't going to be as accurate as a quartz. Similar for "standby time" - I can leave it unworn/unmoved for a day or two and it still maintains the time, but after 3-4 it stops. Again, no biggie for me.

The meat of the watch is more bulky than what I'm used to, but a) it's kinda the style now, and b) it feels alright and doesn't look weird, even on my admittedly skinny wrist. My only gripe would be the band - it seems to be constructed of an outer layer over a thicker, sort of padded inner layer, which, when cinching down on a smaller hole, seems to kind of permanently crease after awhile. This has happened on every non-metal banded watch that I've worn though, so its not really a surprise...and even though this comes in a metal band version, I liked the leather band better, just for a change of pace.