# Bulova Precisionist 98B142 review



## TRW Motorsport (Jan 12, 2010)

Well after I saw an add for this watch in a recent F1 Racing magazine, stating accuracy within 10 seconds per year and a "sweeping second hand" I figured the price tag would be near $1,000. Much to my surprise, amazon had this model for $370! I made an impulse buy and it landed on my doorstep the next day (yesterday). I am not completely anti quartz and especially towards HEQ's. I have owned a Breitling Colt Thermocompensated quartz watch and desperately want it back! As mentioned, the Bulova is advertised to keep 10 seconds per year and is NOT thermocompensated, I am not a movement guru by any means but find that pretty cool! The second hand ticks 16 times per second also! Because of this the battery life is reduced to around 3 years instead of 8 for the Breitling, but this is absolutely not an issue for me. I will say the movement is the main attraction of this watch for me but once I saw this watch in person, the style grew on me substantially!

Now for a review of different aspects of this watch:

Starting with the case: 
It is rather big. The dial measures 46mm across and is slightly curved (more in the dial part). The bezel DOES NOT ROTATE! This is a big deal for me. It looks cool as is, but for a watch rated to 300m, it is a very capable dive watch. I dont dive but often time things with a timing bezel. The crown is fantastic however! It has a cool spiral to it that looks cool, but it is absolutely buttery smooth. I am talking as good as my Breitling Superocean! 
The black Ion plating is also good! I have not experience with DLC coating, but I think PVD coating is harder and more scratch resistant than Ion plating? anyway, the Ion plating is evenly applied and varies from polished to a matte finish on different surfaces which is way cool! It has 24mm lugs also.

Dial:

I absolutely love the dial on this watch! The carben fiber is awesome and some serious detail is put into the look and "depth" of the dial. Anyone who has looked at Carbon Fiber knows the "depth" it has from different angles and different ways the light hits it. Different weaves catch the light and others dont, etc. The CF is a major factor for me purchasing the watch also and it did not disappoint! There is a 24hr ring screwed to the dial that looks fantastic, the screws are perfectly flush with the conical inlay on the ring. The hour indices are applies on top of another plate that has a circular pattern cut into it! The lume it actually raised up off of the chrome hour marker as if it is an entire different part! Then the chapter ring has number in blue for the minutes and has white second dash lines every second. I understand that this was confusing and poorly written but the dial on this watch is extremely detailed and has a total of 6 levels of plates and markings!!! That does not include the hands. Unfortunately the crystal is not sapphire but mineral... At the price it should be sapphire imo. The lume is average. Nothing special but is there. Very legible at night also.

I will talk about the rubber strap briefly here: It does the job. It is not as soft as other straps I have used but looks cool and has an awesome buckle with Bulova engraved. The top surface is polished Ion plating while the sides are brushed! As mentioned, it has a 24mm lug width.

I understand that the look of this watch is not for everyone. I was looking for a watch to wear at the race track that was exotic and this fit the bill perfectly! Much to my surprise, in real life I just plain like the way it looks! Yes it is different, but it has a fantastic movement to add a "real" feel to it!

Overall I am extremely pleased with the watch! I think it has good value for its price range as well.

And for the reason everyone is here, pictures!


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## JohnWatch (Jun 26, 2010)

Very nice watch, congrats and wear it in health! 
Yep, i also love that carbon fiber dial, gives it a sporty look.
As a watch "fanatic"(lol), i´m always looking for something different and i love that seconds sweeping hand and high precision and that´s where quartz watches shine! 
That´s a great watch, imo!

If I can, i´d like to tell you of another unique watch, the Airnautic AN-24 ( you can see pictures of it in "our"forum here at watchuseek ), i´m not part of the company but just love that watch because it´s unique and is one of those watches i cannot forget about and altough i don´t have the $$$ for it now, i hope i will have someday!!!  ( Maybe next year, ppplllsss!  )


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## jermyzy (Aug 19, 2007)

Thanks for the review! I just noticed this in the jewellry store while shopping for my wife's present today  I've been in the market for a DLC/PVD black watch with black dial and blue markers - the selection is quite limited. Then I saw this in the mall today! I'm tempted to pick this up just because, as you mentioned, the price is so cheap, it would make a fun play watch at the least! Only problem is the watch is huge! I thought my Chronomaster was already quite big! My only other concern is that it has a front mineral crystal. Anybody have any experience with how easy it scratches? Also quick question, is the lume white or blue? Thanks!


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## TRW Motorsport (Jan 12, 2010)

The lume is green on this watch. It is not outstanding but because of the size of the hands and markers it is easy to read at night.


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