Bulova Precisionist Claremont Watch Review (96B128)

First of all, I must let you all know that this is only my third watch. I never like wearing them when I was younger, and just recently started becoming more interested in watches.

My first watch was a dud to me, not in the sense that it didn't work, but it just wasn't comfortable. It was a leather strap, and the back of the face had very sharp edges that made it very hard to bear wearing for more than just a few short hours. It wasn't a very well-known brand, but I liked the design of it and spent about $40 on it if I remember correctly. So I was in the market for a new watch very shortly after purchasing my first one.

My second watch, I bought again without doing much researching, and was really just wanting to get a nice looking watch for a decent price. I stuck to eBay, and got a good deal (I thought) on a Citizen Eco-Drive. I can't find the exact model of it, but I wore it up to this day after owning it for about two years, and it was very comfortable and reliable as far as I was concerned. Although I am now skeptical if it was a genuine Citizen, because the plating on the reverse side of the metal strap started to rub off, and it started to leave a black mark on my wrist where it rubbed off, so I am assuming it was fake silver plating, although I have no regrets on how long the watch lasted me before it started to do that.

So that is the story of what brought me into the market for my third watch, which will most likely end up being my first successful watch purchase. When I started looking again, I had a budget in mind of $200. After a little bit of reading and researching, I narrowed the choice of brands down to Seiko, Victorinox, Bulova, and Tissot. I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to go with a leather or metal band, or what features I wanted it to have for that matter.

After a few days of looking through endless models and designs, I finally narrowed it down to the Bulova Precisionist, with the brown face and brown leather strap. Keep reading for my initial thoughts, pictures, and expectations.

While I didn't take any pictures of the box or packaging used, it was boxed very well, and wrapped in plenty of bubble wrap. I purchased it from Amazon, and the seller was Regal Watch Shoppe, which I can now comfortably recommend. I was bummed out but pleased because the day it was supposed to arrive, I was at work and they sent it requiring a signature, so I had to wait until the next day, but at least I knew my gift to myself was safe!

On Bulova's part, the box was a little bland in my opinion, and was contained inside a thin white cardboard sleeve. You can see my picture of the box without the sleeve above in the intro. Inside the box of course, was the watch and its pillow, the owner's manual, and its original price tag, reading $299.99 (not what I paid for it!). My guess is it came from a department store such as Macy's to make way for new or different inventory.

Here are the standard features found on the Bulova Precisionist Claremont:

• Curved mineral crystal face cover
• Calendar date
• Stainless steel case
• Leather band (also available in stainless steel)
• 30M water resistance
• Case diameter of 42.2mm
• Case thickness of 12mm
• 22mm wide band
• Japanese-Quartz movement

The first thing I did, of course, is set the date and time correctly. It was very easy and simple to do, as the watch uses a three-position crown, using the outside position to set the time and the middle position to set the date. The watch has a good weight to it, not too heavy on the wrist, but just enough to make it feel like a good, solid wristwatch.

The face of the watch is actually a little bigger than I had anticipated, but it doesn't bother me at all. The second hand also features a continuous, not intermittent, motion, which I was not expecting, but like.

Overall, I am excited and happy with my purchase, and I am sure the timekeeping of my new Bulova Precisionist will be accurate.