Throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, Bulova manufactured quality affordable skin divers under their “Caravelle” sub-brand. The basic idea was to apply Bulova’s QC process to assembly lines outside of Switzerland using non-Swiss movements to keep costs down. The Caravelle Sea Hunter is a close cousin of Bulova’s infamous “Devil Diver” of the same era, these were also advertised with a waterproof rating of 666ft (about 200m).

Mysteriously, this 1969 Sea Hunter (ref. 665-1) is the only Caravelle diver that was entirely Swiss-made; A little contrary to Bulova’s cost-efficient ethos behind the otherwise affordable Caravelle sub-brand. You may notice more than just a passing resemblance to the Longines Nautilus, with its blued snake hands and boldly dashed minute markers. The 35mm polished stainless steel case houses a robust ETA 2472 automatic movement that is keeping even better time than my modern ETAs. The black gloss dial looks almost as fresh as the day it left the factory a half-century ago. The tritium lume on the other hand, has aged gracefully to a creamy butterscotch – a patina lover’s delight!

The Caravelle Sea Hunter originally came on a striking coffin-link bracelet. Sadly, I have yet to source one. However, this watch looks equally at home on a Nato or even a generic oyster. If you happen to find a complete example, it’ll probably run you significantly more than the original 1969 retail price of $59.99 USD. Good (sea) hunting!