Bulova Debuts a New Military Collection with a Classic Hack and a Unique Pilot’s Watch

Bulova has introduced a new collection of watches inspired by their own military past. As one of America’s most storied watchmaking companies, Bulova has a rich history of providing watches to the military in various capacities. But that’s not the only way Bulova has supported the armed forces over the years. The Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking was founded, in part, to train disabled WWII veterans in the watchmaking trade, allowing war veterans to more easily find employment after making deep sacrifices for their country. This is just to say that Bulova clearly takes their history of being linked to the military seriously, which absolutely shows up in their new Military Collection.

Bulova Hack Watch 

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Black, white 
• Dimensions: 38 x 13.45mm 
• Crystal: Mineral     
• Water Resistance: 30 meters
• Crown: Push/pull            
• Movement: Miyota 82S0
• Strap/bracelet: Leather mil-spec
• Price: $395-$450
• Reference Number: n/a
• Expected Release: Available now

Bulova A-15 Pilot Watch

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Black 
• Dimensions: 42 x 14mm 
• Crystal: Sapphire     
• Water Resistance: 30 meters
• Crown: Push/pull            
• Movement: Miyota 82S6 
• Strap/bracelet: Leather
• Price: $695
• Reference Number: n/a
• Expected Release: Available now 

The new Bulova Military Collection consists of two watches, both with genuine historical ties. First up is the Hack watch, which is available in white and black dial variants. This, as you can see, is a simple field watch. These small, unobtrusive watches were meant to be worn by soldiers during battle. It was thought that a highly legible, yet discreet watch would be essential in a number of possible war scenarios. The 38mm case is easy to wear, and the dial includes a standard 12 hour track, as well as an inner 24-hour track, to make calculating military time designations a breeze. 

So, why is it called a Hack watch? As you may have guessed, it’s due to the hacking seconds function. If you pull the crown, the seconds hand stops, allowing the user to set the time exactly. This is a feature that we often take for granted in modern mechanical watches, as it’s incredibly common in even the most affordable, value driven timepieces. But during WWII, when Bulova first made watches in this vein for the US military, it was a novel feature, and Bulova had a hand in making it much more common. The benefit of a hacking feature in a military capacity is clear: it lets a group of soldiers synchronize their watches exactly to ensure the timely completion of missions.

Next up in the military collection is the A-15 Pilot Watch. This one is modeled after historic Bulova military issued watches, and features a unique set of inner rotating rings, controlled by dual crowns on the right case flank. The crown at 2:00 rotates the minutes ring on the dial’s outermost sector, while the crown at 4:00 rotates an hour ring just inside of it. There are many potential applications here, including the tracking of elapsed time, and keeping track of a second time zone. The A-15 Pilot Watch is powered by a Miyota 82S6 automatic movement. 

Military watches have long been a favorite among enthusiasts for their clean designs and timeless good looks, and lots of brands have gotten in on the act over the years with sometimes questionable ties to a real military heritage. So, it’s a nice bonus that Bulova is able to draw on real history with their Military Collection, and it will be interesting to see how this line develops over time.