Bulova Announces a New Collection Paying Tribute to Frank Sinatra

Bulova, just in time for Father’s Day, has announced a fairly extensive collection of vintage inspired watches dedicated to the life of Frank Sinatra. A total of ten watches make up the Frank Sinatra Collection, in a range of case styles that hit price points between $495 and $1,350. The watches are clearly conceived as gifts for the Sinatra lover in your life (each is packaged in a distinctive presentation box, and the watches feature a representation of Sinatra’s signature on the dial), but if you happen to be a dedicated Sinatra fan, or just dig the Art Deco inspired designs and don’t mind the name of one of the twentieth century’s great crooners on the dial, there might be something here worth taking a look at.

Bulova Frank Sinatra Collection

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Various
• Dimensions: Various
• Crystal: Sapphire                               
• Movement: Miyota Caliber 1L45 Quartz (My Way), Sellita SW215 (The Best is Yet to Come), Miyota 8215 (Fly Me to the Moon & Young at Heart)
• Strap/bracelet: Leather
• Price: $495 – $1350
• Expected Release: Staggered releases through 2020 

The collection can be broken down into four styles. First up is the “My Way,” a tank style rectangular watch with a quartz movement in both stainless steel and gold tone cases. Next is “The Best is Yet to Come,” a 40mm watch in a dressy style with flared lugs.  The three watches in this style feature interesting dials with a brushed, cross-hatch pattern that would seem to add quite a bit of texture and visual interest, and are powered by a Sellita SW215 manually wound movement. 

The three “Fly Me to the Moon” watches are 39mm in diameter and feature a cushion-like case that feels a bit more modern in comparison to other watches in the collection. This watch will be available in white and black dials with a stainless steel case, and also a gold tone case with a white dial. It runs on a Miyota Caliber 8215 Automatic Movement and includes an exhibition caseback. 

Finally, we have the “Young at Heart,” which is perhaps the most formal and unique watch in the collection, with a tonneau shaped case (gold tone only) and a brown or silver dial. These are also powered by the Miyota 8215. 

This is a large collection, and Bulova is pacing the release of these watches throughout the rest of 2020. The My Way is available this summer, with the other watches coming later this year. They appear to be well made, with applied hour markers and numerals throughout the line, and the 50s and 60s style cues have been well executed. They’ll also exist at competitive price points, and if recent releases are any indication, there will be a strong value for money element here. But, and this is a big but, you have to be OK with an image of Sinatra’s hat and/or signature on your watch. 

While that type of branding might not be acceptable or desirable for the average enthusiast, these watches are a good reminder that a large percentage of the people who actually buy watches are not enthusiasts. They’re extremely casual about watches, and if they happen to be Sinatra fans (or know a Sinatra fan), the watches in this collection are going to have a very obvious appeal. The major plus side here is the quality that these casual watch buyers are going to be experiencing. Bulova doesn’t make a cheap product, and this could be the type of watch, particularly the mechanical pieces to come later, that serves as a gateway to a deeper interest in watches and collecting. Bulova