As my time reviewing watches has accumulated, I have come to realize certain elements that I seem to  be drawn to, as well as particular complications. Past those sorts of details, there are specific styles that mesh well with my own personal preferences, and the Bulova Accutron II Telluride is a perfect example of this.

At the first, you might be tempted to dismiss it as “just another” quartz watch, and not go any further. If you do that, though, you are doing yourself – and the watch – a bit of a disservice. The Bulova Accutron II Telluride showcases some great, classic inspiration, along with a few modern updates.

For the classic styling, you just have to look at the watch to see it. It has a 41mm-wide and 11.7mm-thick case with a very slim bezel, simple polished indices on the sunburst dial, and luminant-filled dagger hands, with a domed crystal topping the whole thing off. Even the way the bracelet attaches (with a straight link, not a curved end link) speaks to me of more retro times.

So, what’s modern about the watch? Well, take a look at where the bracelet attaches. You might expect the lugs to be curved, but here they are straight and very angular. Going from there, you can see that the bezel (when seen in profile) actually flares out from the side of the case. Finally, you have the seconds hand which, while you might expect a ticking motion, here it actually is sweeping.

The sweeping seconds hand was a bit of a surprise, and was the second thing I liked about the seconds hand, the first being the blued finish, which really gave a needed hit of color on the dial. Speaking of color, I did have some concerns going in to the review about legibility, with the polished hands against the sunburst dial. Happily, this was a non-issue, and legibility turned out to be quite good.

After adjusting the five-link bracelet to the correct size, the Bulova Accutron II Telluride fit nicely on my wrist. For a quartz watch, the 134g might seem a bit surprising; I thought it gave a nice heft (but not too much) to the watch. Of course, if that’s a concern for you, swapping in a strap on the 20mm lugs would be a simple affair, and should get you under 100g pretty easily.

With the bracelet as it is, the Bulova Accutron II Telluride is an extremely versatile watch. As you do have some brushed surfaces (on the bracelet and on the case), the watch works well for the office. Should you be headed out for an evening or putting on a suit, the polished bits shine through, allowing it to blend in. It is a chameleon in that way, I suppose.

Frankly, that is something I really appreciate. Retro styling is one thing, but turning it into a watch that is versatile across a variety of situations is a wholly different matter, and one that I think Bulova has done well with here.

At an asking price of $499, the Bulova Accutron II Telluride certainly is an affordable watch.  With its quartz movement, low profile case, and versatile styling, this is very much a watch you could slip on just about any time and head out the door without a second thought. In the end, that is what they’ve created with the Bulova Accutron II Telluride – a fairly timeless piece that will serve its wearer well.  bulova.com

Necessary Data
>Brand: Bulova
>Model: Accutron II Telluride (96B216)
>Price: $499
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes, yes I would.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: This is for the guy (or gal, at this case size) looking for a modern watch with classic touches that they don’t have to think about.
>Worst characteristic of watch: The very monochromatic nature of the watch can get a little, well, boring, at times.
>Best characteristic of watch: For this, I’ll go with the aforementioned chameleon-like styling, and how the watch can work for just about any situation.