The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2023 - Issue 34

bitewatches While Bulova was not the first watch brand to walk the moon, its Ac- cutron chronograph watch finally reached the lunar surface in 1971 on Apollo 15 mission commander David R. Scott’s wrist. When the watch sold at auction for an impressive amount, Bulova commem- orated the sale with a Special Edition Moon Watch Chronograph equipped with a modern UHF (Ultra High Frequency) quartz move- ment, continuous sweep seconds hand, and a tricomplax dial with super luminous treatment on the hands and hour markers. Chronograph ‘C’, nicknamed the ‘Stars and Stripes’ by collectors for its combination of red, white and blue elements, was introduced to the market in 1970 but discontinued a year after its debut. It had a 43 mm steel case, a colourful dial, oddly shaped hands, a notched bezel that did not rotate, a lack of traditional lugs, and a heavy mesh bracelet attached directly to the underside of the case. The mechani- cal Valjoux 7736 movement powered the timekeeping and stopwatch functions. After Citizen acquired the Bulova brand in 2008, they released the Precisionist timepiece billed as “the world’s most accurate quartz watch with a continuously sweeping seconds hand”. The oscillator, which vibrates at 262,144 times per second, eight times faster than a standard quartz crystal, has three prongs instead of the usual two and functions as a ‘torsional resonator’. Instead of vibrating back and forth, the prongs twist to and fro, like in an electric guitar. At Baselworld 2016, the brand introduced Bulova CURV, the world’s first curved chronograph watch. They bent one of its proprietary UHF Precisionist chronograph movements, then fitted it into an ergonom- ically designed, slim, curved case. The model has a see-through dial, a titanium or steel case, a transparent back and a black rubber strap. It boasts a frequency movement of 262 kilohertz, eight times greater than a standard quartz watch movement. Inspired by its original watches from the 1970s, Bulova tapped into its rich heritage and New York City archive to present the latest additions to its classic Jet Star collection. The three new models powered by the Bulova Manufacture Precisionist High Precision Quartz movement boast a remarkable 262 kHz frequency for accuracy within +/-5 sec- onds per month, accompanied by a smooth sweeping second hand that beats 16 times per second. The new Jet Star timepieces retain many design elements from the 1973 model, including the hands, markers and bracelets. The tur- tle-shaped case has been updated with a contemporary 40 mm angu- lar shape, while the three original dial colours from that era feature a captivating and dramatic dégradé effect. The first model is crafted from stainless steel with a rich merlot dial and a matching stainless steel bracelet with a double press deployment buckle. The second model boasts a butterscotch dial and a gold-tone stain- less steel case, finished with a perforated brown leather strap adorned with yellow contrast stitching and a three-piece buckle for a sportier appearance. The limited edition stainless steel bracelet model of 7,300 pieces is presented in a unique numbered box set and paired with an extra blue leather strap. It features a clean, bright white dial with blue accents, red hands and indices. All styles in the collection have a domed sapphire crystal with anti-re- flective coating, luminous hands and cabochons at the hours, a date window at 3 o’clock, 50 metres water resistance and interchangeable bracelets and straps with easy-release latched spring bars. The highly anticipated Bulova Classics Jet Star timepieces are available online. https://uk.bulova.com Bulova Jet Star Images courtesy of Profile Public Relations