To kick things off in 2025, Bulova has launched the Snorkel collection as a new lineup of budget-friendly divers. Joining the brand’s Oceanographer collection, the Bulova Snorkel series spans four vibrant colorways, and each one is inspired by a different marine animal. While the core appearance of the Snorkel collection is inspired by vintage Bulova dive watches from the 1970s, the quartet of models are thoroughly modern timepieces, and they feature quartz movements, domed mineral glass crystals, and cases crafted from a new composite material known as Hybrid Ceramic.
Despite featuring a different style for its dial and hands, the overall appearance of the Bulova Snorkel collection is very similar to the brand’s Oceanographer Devil Diver, with a domed crystal, cushion-shaped profile, and a signed crown at the 3 o’clock location. The crown and screw-down caseback are both crafted from stainless steel; however, the 41mm middle case is constructed from Hybrid Ceramic, a new composite material making its debut appearance within Bulova’s catalog. Although formal information about Bulova’s Hybrid Ceramic is relatively minimal, hybrid ceramics are typically composites that combine polymer with ceramic, and Swatch’s Bioceramic material used throughout its popular MoonSwatch series is just one example of a hybrid ceramic.
Bulova describes the Hybrid Ceramic used for its Snorkel collection as being “ luxuriously smooth with enhanced durability,” and it also mentions that the material is both resistant to scratches and able to adapt to the body’s temperature. That said, “hybrid ceramic” is somewhat of an umbrella term within multiple industries for a variety of different ceramic-infused composites, and it will be interesting to see how Bulova’s Hybrid Ceramic differs from what Swatch uses, once we get a chance to go hands-on with the new Snorkel models and experience them in the metal (or rather, Hybrid Ceramic).
The top of the Bulova Snorkel’s case is furnished by a double-domed mineral crystal, and surrounding the crystal is a unidirectional bezel that consists of a fully demarcated insert set within a Hybrid Ceramic outer ring. While there is no official word about whether or not the crown screws down to the middle case, the Bulova Snorkel collection still offers 100 meters of water resistance, which should be more than enough to contend with most aquatic encounters. Due to their stainless steel case components, Bulova’s Snorkel models will likely offer a more substantial wrist presence compared to something like a MoonSwatch, and their solid screw-down casebacks all feature engravings of the marine animals that inspire them.
At the time of launch, the Bulova Oceanographer Snorkel collection spans four different colorways. The “Blue Tang” (ref. 98B445) is inspired by the tropical fish of the same name (think Dory from Finding Nemo), and it features a blue Hybrid Ceramic case paired with a matching blue dial and yellow accents. Meanwhile, the “Sea Turtle” model (ref. 98B446) receives a green case with a brown dial, and the “Great White Shark” version (ref. 98B449) receives a gray case with a white dial punctuated by small blue and red details. Lastly rounding out the Bulova Snorkel quartet (and completing the unintentional Finding Nemo theme) is the “Clown Fish” model (ref. 98B448), which features a white dial and a white Hybrid Ceramic case set against bright orange accents.
Fitted to the 19mm lugs of the Bulova Snorkel models are tropic-style perforated rubber straps that include integrated quick-release springbars and signed stainless steel buckles. While all four models feature the same style of strap, each one appears in a different color to further lean into its marine animal inspiration. The Blue Tang receives a blue strap, the Sea Turtle model is paired with a green strap, the Great White Shark version gets a gray strap, and the Clown Fish is naturally fitted with an orange strap. Additionally, powering the Bulova Snorkel series is the Miyota Cal. 2115 quartz movement, which runs on a single SR626SW power cell that provides it with a battery life of approximately three years and an accuracy rating of 15 seconds per month.
The dials fitted to the Bulova Snorkel series all appear in the same overall style, with applied hour markers, a date window at 3 o’clock, and a stylized wave pattern embossed into their surfaces, which slightly resembles the appearance of a topographical map. The two time-telling hands and baton-style indexes all receive an application of luminous material; however, the seconds hands on Bulova’s Snorkel watches are painted to complement the colorway of each model. The Blue Fin and Sea Turtle watches both receive bright yellow seconds hands, while the Great White Shark version has a red seconds hand, and the Clown Fish model is fitted with an orange-colored seconds hand to further lean into its tropical fish-inspired color palette.
Due to their Hybrid Ceramic cases and quartz movements, Bulova’s Snorkel models are positioned as entry-level options within its greater Oceanographer collection, and with an official retail price of $350 USD for any of the four colorways, the Bulova Snorkel costs less than half of what the brand charges for one of its stainless steel Oceanographer models. Following the MoonSwatch’s success, a number of brands have released affordable timepieces with colorful composite cases, and the Snorkel collection is Bulova’s entry into this space. With that in mind, rather than aiming to be a bottom-dollar rendition of an expensive luxury timepiece, the Snorkel appears to be a slightly more elevated expression of this concept, and it offers a vibrant and playful take on one of Bulova’s most popular models. For more information on the Bulova Snorkel collection, please visit the brand’s website.
