Citizen and Bulova belong to the same group. Citizen Watch Co. lists Bulova among its watch brands, and Bulova Corporation became a Citizen subsidiary in 2008. Caravelle, in turn, is designed by Bulova. Each brand still has its own history, its own designs and its own signature technology, so the choice comes down to what you want from a watch.
Two long histories
Bulova is the older of the two. Joseph Bulova opened a jewellery shop on Maiden Lane in New York City in 1875. In 1960 the company introduced the Accutron, which Bulova calls the world’s first fully electronic watch, powered by a tuning fork.
Citizen was founded in 1918 to make Japanese watches and finished its first pocket watch in 1924. The two companies go back a long way: Citizen’s own history records an import-export agreement with Bulova in 1960.
What Citizen is known for
- Eco-Drive: most of the Citizen watches we carry run on light. A solar cell under the dial charges the watch from any light, so there’s no battery to replace. Citizen introduced the world’s first light-powered analog watch in 1976. Our guide explains how Eco-Drive works.
- Watches that set themselves: Citizen’s atomic timekeeping models, marked A-T, pick up radio time signals and correct their own time.
- Tool watches and tough materials: the Promaster line, built for the sea, the land and the air, and Super Titanium cases, which Citizen describes as lightweight and ultra durable.
For everyday wear, the Citizen Peyten BM7103-51L shows the simple side of the brand: three hands and a date on a blue dial, sapphire crystal, Eco-Drive, and 100m water resistance, so swimming and snorkelling are fine.
What Bulova is known for
- High-frequency quartz: Bulova’s Precisionist movement vibrates at 262 kHz, eight times the frequency of standard quartz, and its seconds hand sweeps instead of ticking. The same technology powered what Bulova calls the world’s first curved chronograph movement, the heart of the Bulova Curv 98A162.
- Automatics with open dials: many of the Bulova automatics we carry show their movement through the dial and the caseback. The Bulova Maquina 98A224 is skeletonized front and back, with about 42 hours of power reserve.
- Designs from its past: Bulova’s Archive Series includes the Lunar Pilot, a chronograph based on the Bulova worn on the moon in 1971.
Where Caravelle fits
Caravelle dates back to 1962 and is designed by Bulova, which describes its look as retro-cool. The Caravelle watches we carry are mostly quartz, with a few automatics, in dress and sport styles and lines such as the Sea Hunter.
How to choose
- If you never want to think about a battery: a Citizen Eco-Drive.
- If you like a smooth, sweeping seconds hand on a quartz watch: a Bulova Precisionist.
- If you want to see the movement at work: a Bulova automatic with an open dial. Citizen makes automatics too, such as the Promaster Dive Automatic.
- If you’d rather never set the time: a Citizen with atomic timekeeping.
- If you like a design with a past: Bulova’s Archive Series, or a retro Caravelle.
Ducci is an authorized dealer for all three brands, and every watch comes with the full manufacturer warranty.
