BulovaMen's Military Heritage Hack Stainless Steel 3-Hand Automatic Watch, NATO Leather Strap, Luminous Hands and Markers, Black Leather/Ivory Dial

Most watch manufacturers have field watches in their catalog -- simple designs, easy to read, no complications (that would make a good title for this review). Lately, it seems some of these have been marketed as military style, the watches that were issued to allied infantrymen during WW II. Hamilton has focused on its khaki line, but most watch manufacturers did their bit for the war effort. Bulova, which was then based in New York, was making these watches. They became the second wristwatch most of us kids had in the 1950s (after the Mickey Mouse watch) when there were plenty of army suplus supplies available. Today, Bulova is owned by Citizen, a Japanese company, but they tactfully don't say "made in Japan" In any event, the watch is offered as a reissue of the A11 -- that's the specification of the military watch, or was during WW-2.The dial is on the small side, which is sort of a relief from the oversized wristwatches that have become popular. It's simple -- three hands: hours, minutes, and seconds -- no day or date. It's both automatic (self winding) but can be wound by the stem as well. It has very poor illumination (lume?) so don't plan to read it in the dark without turning on the light. It's thick, and the strap is a very soft leather that stretches out after a few days of wear, It's a sort of NATO strap, going underneath the watch, which makes an already thick watch a little bit thicker, but not by much. I've had no problems with it.I've looked for information on the accuracy, but can't find anything beyond the -20/+40 rating, but can't find anything significant. After 5 days I didn't notice any variation worth reporting. It's pretty acurate. In the couple of years I've lived with this watch I've never had to reset it except when I let it run down, or for daylight savings.Overall, it's a nice wristwatch at an affordable price -- or maybe it just reminds me of my childhood. Also, you don't have to worry about "thirty days hath september.."

Recently I was browsing watches and found that there was a family of vintage field watches which were designed to resemble timepieces worn by soldiers in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. I started researching the watches and found they were designed to be easily read, rugged and durable, and simple in design. The Bulova "hack" watch got my attention with its ivory face and simple design. Plus, the price was very reasonable for an automatic watch compared to some of the other watches in the market. When I looked up photos of the original vintage watches from the 1950's, a watch with an ivory face really appealed to me because my father was in the Korean War and many of these were distributed to the military personnel.I ordered the Bulova Military Heritage Hack Watch and it arrived the very next day. When I opened the box and saw the watch, I wasn't sure this was what I wanted. It had a plain, black leather strap and the design was simple and very easy to read. No clutter with a day/date feature and the only adjustment was to set the time and start wearing the watch after giving it a couple of winds. This is an automatic watch, so it winds itself when you wear the watch. After I put it on and took my dog for a walk, I became more sold on this watch. It was extremely comfortable and I hardly knew that I had it on. It was very easy to see the time and, from a deeper emotional level, it was nice to get back to an analog watch inspired by a great history. Sometimes it's good to take a step back from digital technology, look back at history, and rediscover some great brands that served our parents well ... and still have a place in this hectic world. "The more things change, the more they stay the same." I appreciate the quality of the Bulova Hack Watch and am extremely satisfied with my purchase.

It's a handsome automatic watch at a decent price. The size is great for my baby 6.25" wristsI didn't care for the included strap - too many metal buckles that get uncomfortable when typing at a desk and the like. Plus, a tan strap makes the dial look much nicer than the black it came with. The 18mm lug width does make finding new straps a bit of a challenge, but not impossible.Accuracy is OK - mine runs a little fast out of the box, but tolerable for an automatic. The lume on the hands is good, but just OK on the indices.My only real gripe is the crown. It's a beautiful signed crown, but it is a little sharp and it digs into my hand from time to time. The included strap helps as it keeps the watch a little elevated off the wrist, so a NATO strap may also help with this