It can be difficult to find a good, dependable wristwatch these days.
Many knock-off brands copy the look and aesthetic of well-known watch companies but fail to incorporate the quality and attention to detail that made those brands popular to begin with.
It can be tricky finding the quality watch company that works best for you, looks great, and implements ethical business practices.
Fortunately, Bulova is one of those brands that fits the bill on all three of those features, ensuring you get a great product built with high standards.
Founded in 1875 in Queens, New York, Bulova has become an American brand synonymous with perfection.
Is Bulova a Good Brand? (10 Reasons It Is)
1. Large Collection of Quality Watches
Bulova offers a wide inventory of quality watch products, jewelry, and more.
They offer watches for both men and women and have almost every style and design you can imagine.
Prices range from the hundreds to the thousands depending on the availability and exclusivity of the watch.
Their men’s collections include Precisionist, Military, Classic, CURV, Marine Star, and Regatta, while their watch styles are numerous, including styles like automatic, classic, sport, modern, diamond, crystal, bracelets, and straps.
The women’s collections include Regatta, CURV, Marine Star, Precisionist, Rubaiyat, and Gemini.
Women’s styles include classic, sport, diamonds, gold-toned, modern, crystal, bracelets, and straps.
There are also a number of special collections such as watches inspired by Frank Sinatra, Frank Lloyd Wright, Marc Anthony, the Latin Grammys, Joseph Bulova LE, and the Apollo Theater.
The Archive Series marks memorable moments in time with watches such as the “Parking Meter” Chronograph, American Girl, MIL-SHIPS, Lunar Pilot, Oceanographer, Chronograph A, Chronograph C, and Computron.
Limited edition watches include the Banker, Commodore, Breton, Precisionist, and Chronograph.
Bulova also offers boxsets that pair watches with complementary jewelry pieces like bracelets and necklaces for both men and women.
2. Long History Of Quality
No matter what you may think of a company, it’s hard to discount a long history of perseverance and consistent quality design and manufacturing.
Joseph Bulova first had the idea of an innovative watch company in 1875 after the Industrial Revolution.
Some of Bulova’s biggest achievements to date are standardizing the production of watches, making the most accurate watch of its time in the world by developing the first fully electronic watch with proprietary tuning-fork-based technology, and making the first watch for women who only had pocket watches available to them up until then.
Bulova’s marketing also utilized American TV and radio by creating the first commercials.
Additionally, they’ve worked in tandem with modern history as official watches and timekeepers in the world of sports, alongside Lindbergh, and with NASA operations.
Bulova is still driven today by the same standards that its founder held: craftsmanship, innovation, technology, and the interest in always looking to push the envelope and break boundaries in the timepiece industry.
3. Great Customer Service
Along with its quality products, Bulova is dedicated to great customer service.
One of their best customer care features is their three-year global warranty that covers watch parts that have failed due to original defects in materials or workmanship under normal use.
If Bulova cannot fix the problem, they will replace the watch with one that’s comparable.
4. Part Of The “We Are Family Foundation”
Bulova partners with three-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Nile Rodgers, who founded the non-profit We Are Family Foundation.
The foundation uses platforms like TEDxTeen and Three Dot Dash to give young people a voice and connect them with brands, mentorships, and partnerships at the forefront of global impact.
The foundation has allowed young people to speak at the White House and the United Nations and has been included in Forbes 30 under 30.
Between 2004 and 2010, We Are Family Foundation funded 17 schools in Malawi, Mali, Nepal, and Nicaragua and helped educate more than 3,698 students.
To help support the We Are Family Foundation, Bulova created a special edition “We Are Family” watch in honor of the 40th anniversary of CHIC’s global hit “Le Freak.”
A percentage of sales from the watch are donated to the foundation.
5. Collaboration With The Frank Sinatra School Of The Arts
Bulova collaborates with the nonprofit group Exploring The Arts as partners with the Frank Sinatra Enterprise, supporting The Frank Sinatra School of the Arts based in Queens, New York.
The school they imagined would integrate the arts along with academics and require its students to commit to community service.
In 2009, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts moved out of its temporary home and into its new permanent home at the Kaufman Astoria Studios complex in Tony Bennett’s hometown of Astoria, Queens.
6. Veterans Watchmaker Initiative
The Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking was founded in 1945 after World War II by Arde Bulova, son of Joseph Bulova, as a tuition-free school for disabled veterans.
The school was created as a way for disabled veterans to rehabilitate from war injuries using master watchmaking skills and to receive subsequent job placement.
The first class of veterans graduated from the Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking in 1946 ready to put their new watchmaking skills to good use in the workforce.
The school lasted for several decades before it closed.
However, in 2017, a retired Baltimore police officer and Swiss-trained master watchmaker named Sam Cannan created the Veterans Watchmaking Initiative (VWI), following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking.
The VWI was designed to give back to those who served their country by providing them with jobs and a purpose.
Bulova has pledged to support the program as a founding sponsor and carry on the company tradition.
The VWI has been so successful that its system has been replicated around the world and used by many other foreign countries.
7. Dedicates Sale Proceeds To Help Children
In collaboration with Jewelers For Children, between April 1 and June 30, 2020, a portion of Bulova’s watches sold online went to the “Big Hearts, Little Hands” initiative.
The “Big Hearts, Little Hands” initiative was founded to help children across the nation through the beginning of COVID-19.
The U.S. jewelry industry started Jewelers For Children with the mission of helping children in need.
Along with “Big Hearts, Little Hands,” proceeds also went to other charities Jewelers For Children supported to assist children and families in need, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Make-A-Wish® America, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and the National CASA Association.
8. Partners With the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Dating back to the 1990s, Bulova has collaborated with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
Inspired by the architectural innovation and design of Frank Lloyd Wright, Bulova created a line of watches and clocks using Wright’s signature geometric shapes and organic natural flow.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation was established in order to preserve the legacy of the famous American architect and designer, but also aims to influence the work of future designers by collaborating with universities, scholars, and practitioners.
They also work to educate a worldwide audience about the relevance and importance of Wright’s architectural and cultural legacy through tours, exhibits, performances, school and youth programs, and online events.
The Foundation keeps to a strict policy of inclusion, diversity, equality, and accessibility and strives to extend Frank Lloyd Wright’s core belief system to all of their work.
The team behind the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation also works to encourage diversity of skill and background and strives to build a more sustainable, thoughtful, and innovative future.
9. Bulova Will Price Match
Bulova will price match if you buy a qualifying watch from Bulova.com and then find the exact same watch for less at an authorized online retailer.
If this happens, you can submit a price match request via the Contact Us page on their website and by selecting “question about a product.”
In order to qualify, you must submit the competitor’s website link and screenshot as proof.
Once Bulova receives this, they will send you further instructions.
To help move the process along, they ask you to create an account with them.
It’s also important to include whether you need band sizing, as well.
You must request your price match either at the time of purchase or within 30 days of the purchase date.
If you submit the request after the time of purchase, you’ll receive your price adjustment on your original form of payment.
Additionally, if Bulova or an authorized online retailer marks down the price of a watch you’ve already purchased within 30 days of your shipment date, they will also allow a price adjustment.
You can only receive the benefits of their price match offer under the conditions that the item is identical in the model number (color and size) and the Bulova watch must be in stock at the authorized online retailer and on Bulova.com.
Bulova is also unable to match order-level discounts, gift card promotions, and shipping offers, and does not offer price matches or sale adjustments on non-U.S.-based online retailers or “marketplace” prices from third-party sellers.
Price adjustments also do not apply in combination with current or previous promotions.
Bulova will only make one price adjustment per item, and the price adjustment will be credited back to the original form of payment used to purchase.
10. Bulova Watches Are Collectibles And Go Up In Value
It’s a rare occurrence when an item, such as a watch, goes up in value over time.
Usually, products only depreciate over time.
However, Bulova is a rare exception as its products go up in value over the years.
In fact, there are Bulova collector groups that spend their time and energy on valuing these collector pieces.
Bulova states that they do not provide valuations on their vintage watches, but other outside communities do.
Their watches are quite popular in the world of vintage collectibles.
Mybulova.com offers a variety of resources to help you find the value of your vintage Bulova watch and connect on forums with other Bulova collectors.
You can also browse their huge vintage Bulova catalog and compare watches, styles, years, and values.
It also provides owners with helpful tools to help date their timepieces using serial numbers.
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