Bulova Marine Star 98B406, 42mm, Black Dial

The Bulova Marine Star 98B406 is a distinguished men's timepiece from the brand's iconic Marine Star collection, designed for those who appreciate maritime-inspired aesthetics and robust functionality.

This 41.5mm watch features a precise quartz chronograph movement housed within a striking gold-tone stainless steel case, complemented by a matching bracelet.

Its black dial is protected by a durable mineral crystal, ensuring clarity and resilience against daily wear. With a water resistance of 100 metres, this model is well-suited for recreational water activities, offering both style and practicality. The luminescent hands and markers provide excellent readability in various lighting conditions, making it a versatile choice for everyday wear.

The Bulova Marine Star 98B406 sits in the brand's long-running Marine Star line, where the design language leans on nautical cues. It is built around a 41.5mm stainless steel case in a gold tone, paired with a matching steel bracelet and a black dial. The proportions give it real presence on the wrist without tipping into oversized territory, so it reads as a casual-to-semi-formal watch rather than a single-purpose sports piece.

The movement is quartz, and the layout is a chronograph with a date. In practice that means accurate timekeeping with no winding routine, plus the stopwatch function across the subdials and a calendar window for daily reference. Quartz also keeps the cost down relative to a mechanical chronograph, which is the honest appeal here: you get the chronograph layout and the gold-tone look without the price of a mechanical calibre.

The one point worth weighing is the crystal. Bulova lists a standard crystal rather than sapphire on this reference, and a non-sapphire crystal is more prone to surface scratches over time, so anyone who is hard on a watch should set expectations accordingly. The 100m water resistance is the other figure to read correctly. It is comfortable for swimming and for splashes around water, but it is not a dive watch and should not be treated as one.

Taken as a whole, the 98B406 is a sensible pick for a man who wants a gold-tone quartz chronograph with a maritime accent and steady accuracy, at a price that stays below mechanical alternatives. It works best as an everyday watch where the look matters as much as the function, and where quartz convenience is a feature rather than a compromise.