This July while on vacation, I took a day trip to Halifax, (Nova Scotia). I had barely left my home province of New Brunswick since Covid started, and a short trip was due. My province only has one good AD. Halifax is the closest city with multiple dealers. The purpose of my trip was two-fold; visit the touristy oceanside boardwalk, and watch shopping.

After a nice walk along the boardwalk, it was time for watch shopping. Tried on some Tudors and Omegas, but didn’t pick up anything. I really wanted to see some CasiOaks, so off to the next AD. I did pick up a CasiOak, but that might be a review for later.

While trying on other random watches, I saw this bright safety cone orange Bulova Oceanographer ‘Devil Diver’ in a sea of black and blues. Other than knowing it was based on a historic 70’s model, I had never cared much for it nor sought out any information beyond press releases.

In person, the Bulova Oceanographer ‘Devil Diver’ hit differently! Its flat bright orange dial is mesmerizing with a lovely thin crosshair in the middle. The hour markers standout, each one sits on a small metal throne and must be 2mm in height. Upon the square throne sits a cylindrical bit of sapphire, under which the Superluminova is applied. At night it puts on quite a lightshow as the sapphire bits light up. Spectacular might be too high a praise, but it certainly is remarkable.

The height of the hour markers means that the hands cannot pass over the markers, resulting in a shorter handset. The thin lollipop seconds hand and the wide minute hand meet up with the printed minute markers located close to the center of the dial. The hour hand is short and stubby, and I’ve nicknamed it the DeVito!

The date on the dial of the Bulova Oceanographer ‘Devil Diver’ is at 3 with a small lume dot on the right-side of the date, necessary to attain an ISO diver rating. There is no brushed steel anywhere on this 41mm 70’s style C-shape case. From the framed date window to the signed crown, this watch is very reflective, and I for one love it!

Not being a movement nerd, the Miyota movement (821D-21B) suffices. Some have argued that a more modern movement should have been used at that price. (Find a sale.) When I set the time, I can feel the gears and their teeth move, providing a less than smooth experience. The rotor is not as noisy as other Miyotas, but noticeable. The first time I wore it and flossed my teeth, I thought I was hearing noises… Took me a minute to realize the source of the noise was the rotor, not in my head.

Crisis averted! A 42-hour reserve is acceptable, but the lack of a hacking seconds does get on my nerves. Since I can’t set it precisely, I don’t know how much time the Bulova Oceanographer ‘Devil Diver’ loses. When worn daily for a few weeks, I only seem to miss a few minutes.

Rubber/silicone straps are usually too long and stiff for my liking, which are often my excuse to not buy it. Here, the strap is quite supple and a perfect length. The 19mm strap width is disappointing as I barely have any replacement straps to swap out. The crown screws down quite solidly, but moving between date and time setting is not always crisp.

The crystal is a gorgeous box-shaped sapphire, with an utterly useless magnifier glass for the date on the underside of the crystal. The acrylic bezel further enhances the vintage vibe, and features minute markers making it useful for timing everyday events.

Although the devil is in the details, here, it’s also on the dial. Although rated to 200m, the dial states it at 666ft, hence its nickname as the Devil Diver. This was marketing genius, making it stand out from others with an interesting story.

The old advertisements were fantastic, with one of them saying “This Bulova Oceanographer was designed for the man who is very brave. Or slightly crazy. Or terribly accident-prone. It was also designed for the man who absentmindedly dunks his watch in his soup”! I don’t know which category I fall into, but it was made for me.