Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I had been looking for a classy yet sporty skeleton watch for quite some time now and when I found this on on Amazon for under $300 I couldn't pass it up.

After a week of having the watch it appeared to have gained some time, so I reset the time and paid attention to the accuracy over the next few days. After another week had gone by the watch had gained 3 additional minutes. This is quite disappointing for a watch with a $600 MSRP.

Pros: Great looks, good price.

Cons: No Date, runs fast.

I sent mine back for refund. May purchase again, may find something different.

To anyone who has not owned an automatic mechanical watch:

Please understand that these are not meant to be the most accurate time pieces in the world. A $50,000 automatic watch will gain/lose time as well... the price is not the issue. People buy this type of watch for their beauty and craftsmanship. If you want an exceptionally accurate time piece, get a quartz or digital watch.

I don't think a minute a week is a big deal for most people anyway.... what are you? A train conductor?

I'm in the Netherlands, Europe, and when Amazon stated that the watch was beeing delivered in 4 days I was a bit sceptical. But it actually arrived exactly on time, Great !!

The watch itself is very nicely made, it fits well and comfortably to my wrist, the leather strap looks like it's made out of carbon fibre (it's leather) with the woven pattern and it goes well with the dial (same patterns). It runs very precise, I'm not a guy who would mention a couple of seconds a day off, it's precise enough.

I think it looks very well, but the only (small) thing I can say against it, is that the dial(face) is rather cluttered, due to the insight to the mechanical part of the watch. This makes it sometimes hard to see the hands, and certainly the little hand, of the watch. You really have to focus and not be in a hurry. Just look at the picture of the watch and tell for yourself if you can see the little hand easily.

I'm enjoying it and I hope you will too.

Regards, Ron

This watch is beautiful. Love the weight, size, design, etc. I think it's more of a man's watch because I don't know that any of the women I know like it, but I certainly love the design. It just runs slightly fast. Otherwise, great!

I just got my Bulova watch. I really like it. It look's like it cost $1,000+. Deal on Amazon was great considering I found watch elsewhere on web for $500+. It's only 1st day but based on my 1st impression this is an excellent deal on a Skelton style watch.

few days ago the price was 180, i wanted to buy it and now its so high, it makes no reason.

This is a nice watch. It is very fashionable and fun to wear.

Cons: The face is very thick and the band is not very flexible. It is also very difficult to see the hands of the watch against the mechanics.