Benetton by Bulova Shaking Salsa

Sorry about the lack of posts at the moment, but I've been a little snowed under, but I've managed to find enough time to squeeze in this quick post. Normal service will hopefully be resumed soon!

Today, I'm picked one of the watches from my Benetton by Bulova range. The range started in the 90s, but so far I've not found out when they stopped. This watch was part of a line that they made called "Time of the World", and they all seem to have had this general case design.

This particular model has a white case (which is a first) with a bright green strap. The face is also green, and has the words Shaking Salsa in purple and black written across it.

I got this model in its box, so I found out that the original sale price was ¥7,000. Unfortunately, the guarantee card hadn't been stamped, so it didn't help with the date (but I think these models may have been from the 90s).

Benetton by Bulova Cartoon Exclamation

As it's Friday, I decided to wear something colourful, so picked a watch out of my seemingly very large Benetton by Bulova watch collection.

The watch was made by the watch manufacturer Bulova for the Benetton fashion brand, and I've covered so many of these watches in previous posts, so I won't go into details here.

This model is the typical 3 hand dial design, with the standard case shape, but this time with the case in black. The design for this particular model is a pop-art cartoon style, with the face covered in green dots on a light blue background. Instead of the 9 on the dial, there is a curvy apostrophe symbol, and in front of the 3 is a giant exclamation mark. The strap has a matching design, but this time with back dots on a green background, and has cartoon explosions and a 'One Way' sign.

The Benetton by Bulova range started in the 90s, but I don't know yet when they ended.

Bulova Astronaut Day and Date Wheel

A few days ago, I posted a watch I called 'Date Wheel' by Benetton, but not part of their Benetton by Bulova range. Today's watch is a Bulova with date wheel, but nothing to do with Benetton!

I don't have a definitive model name/number for today's watch, so I've decided to call it the Day and Date Wheel based on its features, but there is also the name Astronaut in tiny writing on the dial. The watch is a quartz analogue model with a 3 hand dial design for telling the time. The unusual part is how the watch shows the day and date. The date is done with a wheel behind 7 equally spaced windows, with the middle of the bottom window showing the date. The days are written around the edge of the dial in gold capsule shapes with a small window at each end. The day is shown by the dots behind the windows showing red instead of white, and interestingly, the transition between days is shown with one dot in each.

The watch is made of grey painted /anodized base metal with a grey steel back, and there is a gold cog tooth pattern around the edge of the glass. The strap is a matching grey metal and there is the Bulova tuning fork logo on the clasp.

The watch is made by the US watch company Bulova. They were founded in 1875, starting the first dedicated watch making plant in 1912, and bringing mass production into watchmaking on a scale never seen before. Over the years, they were good at embracing advertising technology, being thought to have had the first official radio and television adverts. In 2007/08, the brand was incorporated into the Citizen watch making family.

This model has no indication of a date in the watch as far as I can tell. If they use the same format for serial numbers as Citizen, that would suggest a manufacture in X7, and based on the design, I'd suggest 1987. There is a second number on the back 8988501 which could be a model number, but the imprinting style suggests it was a number which changed regularly...

Benetton by Bulova - Pastel Coloured Abstract Pattern

Today is another from my collection of the Bulova watches made for Benetton. This brand is another one with many different face designs that I have to work out a name for each time.

The Benetton by Bulova range started around the late 80s or early 90s, and are a collection of watches with similar cases but with many different face designs. At least some of the watches came with the phrase "Time of the World" so I think this may have been the logos tag-line.

All of the Benetton by Bulova watches I've seen so far are quartz analogue watches, and this is no exception, and this watch has a 3 hand dial design. It has the same case shape as the rest of the range, but in an aluminium colour, and features the Benetton logo at the bottom.

For this particular model, the face design is hard to describe. It has a purple background with abstract shapes drawn on. The shapes are in pastel yellow, purple, blue, and green, and all have a black scribble pattern over them. The Benetton name is written down the centre of the watch from the 12 o'clock position to the 6 o'clock position (where the only number is on the face), and 'by Bulova' is written at the 3 o'clock position.

The back has the usual info, saying United Colors of Benetton, By Bulova, and Mod. Dep. in the middle and stating this has a stainless steel back and base metal bezel.

Benetton by Bulova - Black and White

I seem to have quite a collection of these Benetton by Bulova watches now, and so I'm going to try to research them a bit deeper to find out more about the background.

Most of the models I've blogged before have been highly colourful, but today's model is quite a plain design in comparison. It has the usual shaped case for the range, but this time in shiny silver. The face here is white, with a black ring where the hours numbers are shown. There are also minutes numbers and markers outside the ring in black text and the Benetton name and logo inside the ring. The design is completed with a brown leather strap, but I can't be sure that it is original (although it does have a Benetton buckle).

The watch is a 3 hand dial design, and is powered by a Swiss Ronda quartz movement.

The Benetton by Bulova range appears to have started in the late 80s or early 90s, and I'm still trying to narrow that timing down (as well as when the range finished). Other models have shown to be assembled in Hong Kong, so I'd guess that was common for the range too.

Bulova DayDate with crystal bezel

Today's watch is a shiny looking design with lots of crystal, but it's got me wondering about its authenticity.

The watch is by Bulova, and is a model described as a DayDate (all one word on the dial). Unsurprisingly, this means that it has both a day and a date window on the dial, but the day window actually has the full word rather than the first 1-3 letters. It is a 3 hand dial design with a quartz movement and a stainless steel case. The dial is in a shiny royal blue, and the hour markers are small crystals (or glass). The bezel around the dial is also filled with many small crystals too, making the whole watch catch the light. The strap is also stainless steel, matching the case, and has a hidden clasp.

Bulova are an American watch manufacturer who were founded in 1875 (which is quoted on the back of the watch), but have also manufactured watches in Switzerland. Since 2007, Bulova has been part of the Citizen Watch Co family.

The thing with this watch is that something doesn't feel right about it, but it may just be me. The weight and build quality do not match the normal products from either Citizen or Bulova, although both brands have produced cheaper lines of watches, so that could be the reason. The design is also one which I've seen before, supposedly from different manufacturers - I've seen an almost identical watch with Rolex branding, and the consensus where that was posted was that it was fake. So I think that this is either a low price original which has been copied by others, or someone has been making this design and branding it with all manner of different names.

Benetton by Bulova - United Chronos of Chronos

It's now the start of a new year, and the continuation of my collection.

I'm starting 2015 with a set of watches I've covered before, but this is a much more complicated model than any of the others.

This watch is from the Benetton by Bulova range, which started in the late 80s or early 90s and produced a wide range of colourful watches. Most of the models are basic 3 hand dial designs with a distinctive case shape, however they also produced a chronograph model.

The chronograph watch is called United Chronos of Chronos and is a 2 hand dial with 2 smaller dials. The top dial is a for the seconds while the bottom shows the many different modes the watch has. Modes included in this watch are a calendar, 2x alarms, chronograph, timer, and dual time. The different modes are shown at points around the dial, for example the months on the bezel, and the date around the outside of the dial. There is also a 0 option on the modes for aligning the hands (although I've not completely worked out how the setting mode works). This model has a stainless steel case with a screw back and this has a 5atm water resistance.

There is a number on the back of the watch which suggests a possible model number of BN202. It was a very expensive watch when originally released with a retail price of ¥38,000.

Benetton by Bulova - Surfers

Time for number 5 in this Benetton by Bulova sub-collection.

This watch is part of the range of watches that Bulova made for the Benetton fashion brand. I think I've been drawn to this range because of the many different colourful designs they seem to have made. The range seems to have started in the late 80s or early 90s, and (mostly) follow the same case design but with different patterns on the face and strap. There is more detail on the brands themselves in the previous posts which can be accessed through the tags (down the right side on the non-mobile version of the site).

This particular design I've called "surfers" based on the text on the strap. The word surfers has been written across the two parts of the strap in a square pixel type of font with sur on one side and fers on the other. The dial is in red and yellow with blue numbers, and has a large B in the middle. As the B is in the same orientation as the strap letters, if you follow the letters all the way it actually says surbfers.

As with the other models, it is a 3 hand dial design powered by a Swiss Ronda quartz movement, and I think it is a 90s model.

Benetton by Bulova - Ecology

It seems that the Benetton by Bulova line of watches is now becoming its own sub-collection as this is the 4th I've blogged, and I have more to come.

The watch is a collaboration between the Italian clothing brand Benetton, and the American watch manufacturer Bulova. This collaboration seems to have started in the early 90s or possibly the late 80s, and has many different designs of watch. More can be found on the brands I'm earlier posts (found using the tags linked on the right of the page). Most of the designs I have use a similar case style, but with many different colours, patterns, and text. The case is round, but with a wider tapered section where the straps attach, and a Benetton logo imprinted on the bezel just below the dial.

This particular model has the text 'ecology' in a handwriting style font across the centre of the dial along with stylized drawings of two fish. It comes with a leather strap which is covered with a jade green fake crocodile skin coating.

It is a quartz 3 hand dial design, and inside is a Ronda movement.

Benetton by Bulova - yellow roses

It seems like I've now become a collector of another line of watches - the Benetton watches by Bulova.

The Benetton by Bulova range seems to have started in the very early 90s and produced many different designs over the years. Many of the watches have the same style with a round case with the Benetton logo on the bottom of the bezel, and a decorated face.

The Benetton group was started by the Benetton family in 1965. Their United Colors of Benetton line is one of the more well known lines and normally contained very colourful designs. Bulova are a US based brand making luxury clocks and watches. They were founded in 1875 in New York, and started a dedicated factory in Switzerland in 1912, (leading to a debate as to whether they are an American company or not, but it was founded in the USA). Since 2007 the brand has been part of the Citizen Watch Co family, who they had been working with since 1958.

This model is a 3 hand dial design, and has a purple face with a picture of 2 yellow roses on. Rather than the more unusual silver case, this model has a black case with a green Benetton logo, and has a matching black leather strap. Om the back is the usual Benetton by Bulova stamp as well as a sticker saying this is made in Hong Kong.

Bulova Neo-classic by Benetton

Today is one of the collaborations I blogged about last April, but this time, maybe with a hint on their release date.

The watch is one of a series of watches which were a collaboration between the watch maker Bulova and the fashion brand United Colors of Benetton.

The Benetton group was founded in 1965 and named after the Benetton family. The United Colors line is well known for their bright colours, and many of the watches follow this theme. The Bulova brand are an American brand making luxury clocks and watches. It was founded in 1912, but has been part of the Citizen Watch Co. since 2007.

It seems like the collaboration with Benetton may have started in the late 80s, and this watch from 1993. The dial states 1965 - 1993 neo-classic by benetton, so seems to be promoting the 28th anniversary of the Benetton brand. I've seen others online, so know that it came in gold with a green face, or this silver version with a silver face and green writing (and green strap). In the centre of the dial is a stylized version of the Benetton logo, and the Bulova name, and the logo is also imprinted into the rim of the watch face.

The watch is a 3 hand dial design, and inside there is a Swiss made Ronda quartz movement with 1 jewel and a metal construction. I don't know of it's bad luck, but this movement has failed on me more than the Japanese movements, as I've recently found a couple that I couldn't get working. The sticker on the back states that the watch was assembled in Hong Kong, so it isn't an entirely Swiss made watch.

Wittnauer Hexagonal Dial Mechanical Watch

A relatively plain watch for me today, but I don't know much info about it.

The watch is by Wittnauer who were founded in the end of the 19th century in New York by a Swiss immigrant. The company no longer exists, and the name is now a brand under the Bulova company.

It is a two hand dial watch with a windup mechanical movement. Each of the hands has a "diamond" on the end, and the black hand on the black face makes it look like these float around the dial. The dial is a rounded square mounted in a gold ribbed hexagonal face. The strap is an expanding metal bracelet in gold and black to match the face.

There are no model numbers or any other information on the watch, so I don't have any details. I'd guess from the design that this is from the 70s.

Bulova Benetton Blue, Pink, and Green

Today is another dial watch and another collaboration.

This watch was made for the brand United Colors of Benetton. The Benetton group are a global fashion brand, based in Italy, who were founded in 1965, and named after the Benetton family. They are renowned for their bright colours, and provocative marketing campaigns.

It was made by Bulova, who are an American based luxury manufacturer of clocks and watches, and best known for their tuning fork watches. It was founded in 1912, and since 2007, it has been part of the Citizen Watch Co. The collaboration with firms like Benetton started in the late 80s.

The watch itself is a 3-hand dial in a stainless case. The dial and strap features a pink, lime green, and navy blue abstract pattern. The strap is a vinyl and fabric band, and due to age is prone to cracking.