When I was looking for a field watch the Bulova hack watch caught my eye , sure I love the classics and this is a modern interpretation of a World War Two watch supplied to the U.S Army by Bulova , as I understand they are now owned by Citizen and have released a few retro models over the last few years .

The watch wears well on my wrist, it’s a 38mm diameter case and is thick but not overly noticeable at 13.44 mm. Weird , but it just works well, probably because the lugs are 18mm and it makes the watch standout I think .

The Bulova hack watch case is a PVD coated stainless steel which is growing on me , I think all my watches are stainless steel so it’s a bit new and I didn’t check it before I ordered the watch. Other versions are available in stainless steel with white dials for example .

The dial is well done and it has an almost vintage look and feel to it. The cathedral hands are luminous as are the Arabic numerals and the 5 minute plots along the outside of the dial. The smaller, red, 13 t 24 hour indices  are what sold it for me , not that I need them as I work in 24 hr time anyway, but it is a field watch after all and the aesthetic is great. It’s all topped off with an anti reflective scratch resistant mineral crystal and the crown has that cool Bulova logo on it.

So what’s the Bulova hack watch running on ? A Miyota caliber 82S0 automatic, a basic automatic movement I’ve seen in more expensive watches. It’s easy to service if there aren’t any issues down the road , but like most automatics from Japan I’m confident it will run for longer than the 2 year warranty. Oh, and by the way it HACKS !! This means you can pull the crown out to set the time and the seconds hand stops, great for synchronisation of watches for that dawn raid or for that Hodinkee pre sale countdown.

The strap was a nice surprise. a thin leather green Bulova stamped nato style that secures to the spring bars rather then passing through them. It does not add much bulk over all and I think I’ll take it off for the summer to save it and add a nato or a canvas 2 piece instead.

Am I happy with the Bulova hack watch ? It was a good buy, it’s keeping good time, looks great and it’s a watch I can wear to work and not worry about wear and tear. I probably even take it on a hike next time. It’s only rated to 30 meters water resistance ( the crown does not screw in ) so I won’t be swimming ashore with it but that’s neither here nor there for me .It’s a simple set, wear and forget watch classic and after a week on my wrist I’m happy with it.