Bulova 44B129 Caravelle Sea Hunter Automatic Blue Dial Rubber Strap

Bulova 44B129: The Sub-$400 Diver That Showed Up Ready

Caravelle’s Sea Hunter reissue is getting attention in watch circles for good reason. Forums are already drawing comparisons to the Seiko SKX—which says something, given how that model achieved near-mythical status before its discontinuation.

Specs That Actually Matter

The 44B129 runs on a Miyota 8215 automatic—the same 21-jewel workhorse found in watches costing twice as much. You get 42 hours of power reserve and the kind of reliability that’s been proven across millions of movements. The 200-meter water resistance isn’t marketing fluff either; this is an ISO-rated dive watch with a screw-down crown and a unidirectional bezel that clicks with satisfying precision.

The Gold-Tone Question

A gold-tone dive watch sounds like a contradiction, and honestly, it kind of is. But the Sea Hunter pulls it off by leaning into vintage diver aesthetics rather than pretending to be something serious. The blue dial with yellow-gold accents has a 1970s warmth that works surprisingly well on the blue rubber strap. Think beach vacation, not saturation dive.

39mm Done Right

At 39mm, this wears smaller than modern divers typically do—which is either a feature or a limitation depending on your wrist. The proportions feel considered rather than compromised. Lug-to-lug should work on most wrists without overhang, and the rubber strap keeps weight reasonable for all-day wear.

The Trade-Off

The mineral crystal is the obvious cost-saving measure—you won’t get sapphire at this price. The double-domed design adds visual interest but does scratch more easily than a flat sapphire would. For a watch in this range, that’s a reasonable compromise. Keep it as a rotation piece and you’ll be fine.