Vintage Eye for the Modern Guy: Hands-On with the Bulova Oceanographer Devil Diver

About a month ago, after writing on the Citizen Tsuno Chronograph Racer, the publicist I was borrowing the watch from for the article let me know they were the first to have the retail model of the Bulova Oceanographer Devil Diver in New York To refresh, the new Devil Diver was released in 2018 after a survey jointly conducted by the Citizen-owned brand and the New York based vintage watch dealer Analog/Shift asked fans which of three models they should re-issue, and the 1972 Bulova Oceanographer was chosen When I first received the modern Devil Diver, my mind was quickly drawn back to the days when I was regularly selling vintage watches and these Bulova Snorkel watches in particular.

After about a week with the watch, when the initial luster having something shiny in your possession begins to fade, I still appreciated the vintage features of the piece, but I did begin to reach for my regular wearers Whereas their other vintage style pieces are priced significantly lower, with the Lunar pilot initially retailing for $675, and the Chronograph C "Stars and Stripes" listed for $750 That the watch hasn't completely sold out yet at a relatively low production run of 666 models may further speak to a slight overestimation of interest in the re-issue, though some buyers may be opting to the more modern neo-vintage style black version at 44-mm and priced far below at $795.

Sales aside, it is an interesting design reviving what was and is a pretty popular vintage model Is it the best re-issue to emerge from Bulova in the past few years? No But it speaks to the brand's continued effort in the vintage re-issue and neo-vintage space, and further indicates their likely continued willingness to produce watches within it going forward.

Caleb Anderson is a freelance writer with a primary focus on vintage watches. . Source