Fingers-On: Restricted-Model Bulova X Complecto Super Seville Stone-Dial Watch

One of many important fascinating watch developments of 2024 has been the common rise of stone dials. All through the enterprise, and significantly on the sub-$3,000 worth stage, 2024 has seen a swing in course of funky, ‘70s-style semi-precious dials, in hues ranging all through the spectrum. For its latest launch, Bulova brings the ‘70s-inflected Super Seville in on the sample, delivering further focused, minimal takes on its built-in TV-case design with dials in turquoise, tiger eye, and snowflake obsidian. Developed in partnership with watch fanatic neighborhood group Complecto, the model new restricted model Bulova x Complecto Super Seville Stone Dial will be the funkiest, most compelling deal with the stone dial sample for 2024, with show-stopping dial ending paired with a simplified, focused deal with Bulova’s built-in case design.

Although the 37.5mm enormous dimensions of the Bulova x Complecto Super Seville Stone Dial are unchanged from the same old Super Seville, the overall impression is markedly completely totally different. Obtainable in each bare stainless-steel (for turquoise fashions), rose-gold tone (for obsidian dials), or yellow-gold tone (matched to tiger eye fashions), this cushion case is mainly outlined by two components: its ending and its bezel. The high-polish, dramatically fluted bezel has always been the seen centerpiece of the Super Seville case, and due to the dearth of brightwork on the dial and bracelet, it performs even heavier seen lifting proper right here. This retains focus squarely (no pun meant) on the dial, nevertheless it certainly moreover works to highlight the simplicity of the rest of the case. This slab-sided, built-in case is totally coated in linear brushing, with arduous correct angles between the upper surfaces and case sides. A slender polished lug chamfer might have added vital depth to the design proper right here, nevertheless as a result of it sits the case is cleanly executed and wears exceedingly properly on various wrist sizes. The cyclops-topped sapphire crystal is a in all probability controversial inclusion, nevertheless inside the context of the Super Seville Stone Dial, it pairs handsomely with the bezel design and extra reinforces the underlying ‘70s-era actually really feel. Spherical once more, Bulova opts for a screw-fastened caseback adorned with a lightweight laser engraving. Screw-fitted casebacks are a rarity at this worth stage in the present day, and a claimed 30 meters of water resistance illustrates part of why that’s the case.

To have the ability to give the stone surfaces center stage for the Bulova x Complecto Super Seville Stone Dial, the mannequin takes a minimalist index-free technique. Other than a 12 o’clock Bulova tuning fork emblem, a date window cutout at 3 o’clock, and balanced, minimal dial textual content material, the first dial flooring is evident and featureless. No matter this, the Super Seville Stone Dial is way from illegible. The polished baton handset is straightforward to be taught at a glance, and the outer raised minutes scale (with Roman hours numerals that add a wealth of persona to the design) nonetheless makes actual learning straightforward. The unadorned dial moreover gives the ultra-smooth sweeping seconds hand room to shine, highlighting some great benefits of Bulova’s distinctive ultra-high frequency quartz powerplant. As for the dial flooring itself, Bulova does not disappoint. Our hands-on sample arrived with the turquoise dial, and the combo of a vivid robin’s-egg blue with fractal webs of black matrix makes for a dramatic spectacle on the wrist. With that talked about, it’s worth noting that Bulova makes use of reconstituted turquoise for this dial (versus the entire pure stone finishes of the tiger eye and snowflake obsidian fashions), nevertheless the willpower for this probably comes all the way in which all the way down to supplies properties reasonably than any form of cost-cutting or poor prime quality. Merely put, pure turquoise is form of a fragile, brittle stone, and it tends to fracture or chip when greater gadgets are flat-surfaced (as is vital for watch dials). Most turquoise jewelry tends to utilize rounded, curving stone surfaces for precisely this trigger. Alternatively, reconstituted turquoise is crushed and strengthened with epoxy, and may resulting from this reality be planed all the way in which all the way down to the flat flooring needed for a watch dial. The tip consequence’s a mix of spectacle and subtlety on the wrist, making for a retro-style assertion piece versatile ample for regular placed on.

Like the rest of the Super Seville line, the Bulova x Complecto Super Seville Stone Dial makes use of the mannequin’s in-house HPQ Precisionist quartz movement. Boasting a dizzying 262,144 Hz frequency – a full eight situations earlier than an bizarre quartz – the HPQ Precisionist blends a mesmerizingly {{smooth}} seconds hand sweep with an accuracy of +5/-5 seconds month-to-month. This ultra-high frequency format does embody its private trade-offs, nonetheless, as these actions are notoriously battery-hungry.

Bulova makes perhaps its largest change to the established assortment methodology with the Super Seville Stone Dial’s stainless-steel bracelet. Although the tapering, built-in three-link design is carried over from prior iterations, the center hyperlinks abandon the same old polished finish in favor of a very linear brushed look. Whereas the look is arguably cleaner than the brighter, further attention-grabbing polished vogue, this moreover works to highlight merely how straightforward the bracelet’s sort really is. As with the case, chamfered outer hyperlink edges may need lent a contact of brightness and complexity proper right here. Alternatively, the butterfly-style deployant clasp is genuinely superb, with a lightweight, cozy movement.

2024 has been a standout 12 months for stone dials, significantly as a result of the coveted semi-precious look makes its methodology proper right into a broader, further cheap swath of the watch enterprise. Amid this new expertise of trendy, minimal entry-level stone decisions, the model new limited-edition Bulova x Complecto Super Seville Stone Dial stands as one in every of many funkiest, most partaking, and biggest executed of all. Solely 718 examples of the Bulova x Complecto Super Seville Stone Dial will possible be made for each variant, and the watch is accessible now fully by the mannequin’s e-commerce platform. MSRP for the watch ranges from $1,095 USD for the turquoise model as a lot as $1,295 USD for the tiger’s eye variant, as of press time. For further information, please go to the mannequin’s web page.