Reddit mentions of Bulova Men's 97A109 Bulova Series 160 Mechanical Watch

Today my new Bulova 97A109 came in. I decided on this watch after seeing the open in dial, and the kinda square pattern in the middle.

This caught my eye late in the game. I saw it after looking at a bunch of other watches, but couldn't decide on one. After convincing myself to get the Seiko Spirit SCVE005, this caught my eye.

The main reason I went with this watch was how eye catching it is, but also subtle. Oh and I also I could not find the Seiko Spirit.

I am quite happy with my purchase as this is my first niceish watch. Previously I have just had a $30 G Shock and a $50 Pulsar. So this watch being ~$170 is the start of my collection.

If any wants the link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Bulova-Mens-97A109-Mechanical-Watch/dp/B00CQ7I3WW/ref=sr_1_18?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1482115205&sr=1-18&nodeID=6358539011&refinements=p_lbr_brands_browse-bin%3ABulova

I fucking love watches. I used to post to /r/watches a lot but they're just too faggy.

I love this Seiko: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EULBLSK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Orient Bambino: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dfashion&field-keywords=orient+bambino

Bulova: https://www.amazon.com/Bulova-Mens-97A109-Mechanical-Watch/dp/B00CQ7I3WW/ref=sr_1_11?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1466100609&sr=1-11&nodeID=7141123011&keywords=bulova

Hey guys.

I'm looking at buying my first automatic watch.

I'm male, with 6.75" wrists and about 200-250 bucks to spend.


Here are pictures of my Huawei Watch and my Citizen Drive by Eco-Drive BM6990-55L Mens CTO on my wrist to give you an idea of how these 42mm watches fit me.


The criteria I'm looking for are an "open heart" and a translucent case on the back.


So far, I've narrowed it down to three options.


Option 1: Bulova Men's 97A109 Bulova ($170 on Amazon right now). I really like the look of this watch, but the only issue is that it's a 45mm and I believe it would probably be too big for me.

Option 2: Bulova 96A120 MEN'S AUTOMATIC WATCH ($206 on Amazon right now). I like the way this one looks almost as much, and it's smaller so it should fit me better than the previous option.

Option 3: Orient Eclipse ($210 on the OrientUSA website with the holiday promo applied). I also like the way this one looks.


My main questions are:

Question 1: Is the 97A109, in fact, waaaay to big for my wrists?

Question 2: From a quality perspective; is it better to go with Bulova, or Orient? I know that they are owned by Citizen and Seiko, respectively.

Quesiton 3: Are there any similar options to these three that I've entirely missed?


Any advice/info would be very much appreciated!

Thanks!

I was going to say the Bulova #96A143, but that seems to be closer to around $250. I swear I saw it for $140 on Amazon before though.


White version, but it's not in stock: https://www.amazon.com/Bulova-Mens-96A143-Mechanical-Watch/dp/B00CQ7I6E2/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1427124758&sr=1-1&keywords=bulova+96A143

Firstly, that watch you linked to has Dual Time in its name, which is kind of misleading. I can assume that they mean it is dual time in the sense of the hands and the day-night indicator showing the time, but it is the exact same time, not dual time which would imply two different times. Is that a feature you want? In which case that will severely limit choices. Nope, it does have a second time zone at the 6 o'clock. Thanks /u/oldaccount!

Anyways, I see that you are rather set on a skeleton watch and three brands I would suggest that may have something you want:

• Bulova (1, 2, 3, & 4)
  
• Hamilton (1 & 2)
  
• Orient (1, 2, & 3)
  
  Hopefully those may be close to what you want and they are brands that people here consider to be better quality.

I have a similar style watch with a leather strap, but it's a different color. Bulova also sells a black-on-black version with a leather strap. I'm not sure where to find pics of the white face on a leather strap, though.

Mine is currently $198 on Amazon. It was $220 when I bought it 2 months ago.

Hi /r/Watches!

This is the Bulova 96A143. Unfortunately it seems that this particular model is discontinued, but you can get the same watch in a different color here.

I’m a big fan of this watch, especially the rose gold accents on the textured white dial. Unfortunately, the bracelet isn’t the best quality around. I finally got around to changing it today, and boy, was that a good decision!

It’s now on a Rhein Fils 924 Cognac Crocodile textured leather band, showcased in the first two pictures. The last shows the watch on its old steel bracelet.

Inexpensive skeleton watches you usually find have Chinese movements in them (nothing wrong with that, but just something to know). I recognize the movement in that Theorema as a Hangzhou skeleton the likes of which can be purchased uncased for 17-35$. So yeah, they're not really high quality, and IMHO, they don't look it either, the finishing is obviously not done by hand for example.

Better bet is to shop for a more well-known brand and then looking for an open heart ... many people on here like the Bulova 97A109, but there are countless options out there.

You could also go the route of exhibition caseback, again, lots of options out there, especially in the sub-1000 category.

Looking for an Open Heart with Date around $500.

Would love one that had the date around the dial, or one like the ORIS 7481

Considering a few Seagulls, but wanted to see other options. If I had the chance to grab an ORIS 7481 I likely would, though ones closer to 40mm would probably be a better fit for my wrists. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I currently wear a Bulova 97a109 that I got for $80 on exchange, but it gains about 60 seconds a day and that it frustrating so would love one more reliable.

Oops, well I found another one well within your price range. But I don't know whether this is your style or not.

Edit: Another one (which is partially see-through).

I've been doing so looking in the past few minutes and I've come down to these...

(the only thing I don't like about this one, it appears the tick marks are on the glass and not the watch face.... seems weird) Kirkwood

97A109

marine star

http://www.amazon.com/Bulova-97A109-Series-Mechanical-Watch/dp/B00CQ7I3WW/ref=pd_srecs_cs_241_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51fH6Wq%2BCjL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL225_SR149%2C225_&refRID=1JVGZQTH2TWPD82CPM34