Loud, chunky, and I kind of love it
By Dave Kowalski, Chicago ·
This is a watch for people who think most modern divers are too polite. The Devil Diver is a reissue of Bulova's 70s Oceanographer, the one with the big red-and-whatever bezel and the 666 feet depth rating on the dial (that's where the "devil" nickname came from, if you didn't know).
Specs. 44 mm, 13.5 mm thick, 20 mm lugs, 200 m, sapphire, steel bracelet, Miyota 8215 automatic with 42 hours. The 8215 is the old reliable Miyota, a little ticky in its seconds hand, a little noisy, will run forever.
Here's the rub. $700 to $795 for a Miyota 8215 is pushing it. That's an entry-level movement. You can get a Seiko-powered micro diver with the same depth rating for half that. What you're paying extra for is the vintage design and the Bulova name on the dial, and only you know if that's worth a couple hundred bucks.
On my wrist, it'd be a weekend watch. Too loud for a wedding (somebody's aunt would definitely comment), too nice-looking to bang against conduit. Somewhere in between, it's a riot.