Bulova Marine Star 98B203 Watch Review
My rating: 8.5/10. Very good watch. Value for money.
Today I’m doing a Bulova 98B203 review. Bulova began with a flagship store in Manhattan and since then have grown to become one of the longest established watch brands worldwide. Creating anything from stylish dress watches to impressive ultra-high accuracy timepieces Bulova appears to have something for everyone. You can read my full Bulova watches review here.
The Bulova 98B203 that I’m reviewing today is part of their Marine Star collection that has been extremely popular since it was introduced in 2014, I’ll be putting together a full Bulova Marine Star review soon.
This is a fairly affordable watch which a diver’s style design. It features a Japanese Quartz movement, luminous markers, and 100m water resistance. I think this is a pretty cool looking watch so I’m looking forward to getting into the detailed Bulova 98B203 review below.
If you are interested in buying this watch then at the bottom of this page I have links to my where it is available at my recommended retailers. It’s worth checking between them for the best price.
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Bulova 98B203 Technical specifications
To begin with I’ll just showcase the Bulova 98B203 technical specifications for anyone who wants to quickly skim through them. We’ll take a look at everything in detail afterwards.
- Model Number: 98B203
- Crystal Material: Mineral
- Case Diameter: 43mm
- Movement: Japanese Quartz
- Extra Features: Date display / luminous markers
- Water Resistance: 100m / 10 bar
- Strap Material: Stainless steel
Bulova 98B203 Design And Build Quality
As with all the Bulova watches the 98B203 is built to a high quality finish. I have a few Bulova watches in my collection now and have always been extremely pleased with them. The case is made of a solid hypoallergenic stainless steel with a brushed stainless steel finish.
98B203 Dial
The dial of this Marine Star has a simple yet effective design to it. I like the simplistic style with the elegantly written ‘Marine Star’ branding. It has that easy to read style and includes luminous markers and hands, this makes it easier to read in dim lit conditions. There is a nice little date display at the 3 o’clock position that fits in perfectly with the rest of the dial.
98B203 Sizing
The 98B203 has a casing diameter of 43mm, you may have noticed anything in the 42mm range is very popular for men at the moment. It’s a large case size but I personally really like the look of them. The thickness of the case is 10mm which I would consider average. Overall the Marine Star is sized to appeal to the mass market really.
98B203 Crystal
This Bulova features standard mineral glass as you’d expect to find on many watches in this price range. Mineral glass is specially hardened to be resistant to scratches and knocks. The next step up would have been sapphire glass but you don’t often see it at these lower prices, not on Bulova watches. Mineral glass offers fair value for money in my opinion.
Strap & Clasp
The strap of the Bulova 98B203 is made of solid stainless steel and features a standard push button deployment clasp with a safety catch. Personally, I’m not a fan of safety catches but I can see why they’re useful. I just find it a pain operating them. There’s an image below this section if you wanted to take a closer look at the strap.
98B203 Water Resistance
The Bulova Marine Star 98B203 has a water resistance of 100m, so whereas it may have that divers style design to it, sadly you can’t go proper diving with it. 100m / 10 bar water resistance is suitable for recreational surfing, swimming, snorkeling, sailing and water sports. It’s still a pretty good level of water resistance in my opinion.
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The Bulova 98B203 Movement
This Bulova Marine Star features a Japanese Quartz movement. Quartz movements are fairly common due to their affordable price and great accuracy. The work by synchronizing a quartz crystal with an electronic oscillator. The electric current then causes the quartz to pulsate at a precise frequency which gives you this great accuracy for a modest price.
Bulova 98B203 Pros & Cons
Next up let’s take a look at some of the Bulova Marine Star’s pros and cons in an easy to read skimmable format.
Bulova 98B203 Pros:
- Quartz movements offer a good level of accuracy and require very little maintenance
- Has a lightweight design to it
- Features a Japanese Quartz movement
- There are luminous markers and hands for easier reading in dim lit conditions
- 100m water resistance is suitable for recreational surfing, swimming, snorkeling, sailing and water sports.
- Mineral glass offers a good level of protection from scratches and is what I would expect to find at this price range.
- Built with a round hypoallergenic and tarnish resistant stainless steel case
Bulova 98B203 Cons:
- 43mm casings are a little large so may not be so suitable for those with smaller wrists
- 100m water resistance isn’t suitable for diving
A Final Word On The Bulova 98B203
So that completes my detailed review of the Bulova 98B203. If the design of the 98B203 isn’t quite for you, colour wise etc, then I suggest you check out the rest of the Marine Star range as they have a wide variety of designs available and they’re all very good watches in my opinion. Hopefully, you can now have a better idea of what the 98B203 is like and whether or not it’s suitable for you.
Overall I really like this watch from Bulova, they’re one of my favourite brands and I love their Marine Star collection of watches. I think this model offers good value for money and is it a fairly affordable price point. Having looked at build quality, materials, design, and pricing we decided to give this watch a 8.5/10.
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Where To Buy The Bulova 98B203
This model is available from a few places online. Personally, I always stick to recommending retailers I’ve actually purchased from. Below you’ll find a link to the sales page for this watch on each of my recommended retailers websites. I’d suggest checking out all 3 to find the best value for money available to you.
Thanks For Reading
I hope you enjoyed having a read through of this extensive 98203B Bulova Marine Star review. As always let us know in the comments what you thought.
I enjoyed your Bulova Marine Star review. You should feature more from this collection when possible.