Bulova 96A275 Surveyor Automatic Open Heart Blue Dial Bracelet

Bulova 96A275: An Open-Heart Automatic That Shows Its Work Twice

Most watches at this end of the market hide the movement behind a solid caseback and call it a day. The 96A275 does the opposite. There is an aperture cut into the blue dial at 6:30 that exposes the balance wheel, and a mineral crystal window in the screw-back case so you can see the rest of the Miyota 82S0 from the other side. Whether that reads as charming or busy is a matter of taste, but it is the reason this Surveyor exists.

The Miyota 82S0, Plainly

The 82S0 is the open-heart member of Miyota’s 8-series: 21 jewels, a 21,600 vph beat, and roughly 42 hours of reserve when fully wound. It hacks and it hand-winds, which is not something every automatic in this price bracket bothers with. It is not chronometer-grade and Bulova does not pretend otherwise. What it is instead is common, serviceable, and understood by any watchmaker who has been open more than a year.

Blue Dial, Silver Furniture

The dial is blue with silver-tone applied markers, a printed minute track around the edge, and luminous fill in the hands. The tuning-fork motif at 12 o’clock is Bulova’s own mark, a holdover from the Accutron era that the brand still earns the right to print. In the metal the case is 42mm across, about 11.8mm thick, and 49.5mm lug to lug, so it sits like a full-size sports-casual watch rather than a slim dress piece.

Where It Gives Ground

Two honest caveats. The crystal is mineral, not sapphire, so it resists impact well but will pick up scratches a sapphire would shrug off. And water resistance is 30 meters, which means rain and hand-washing, not swimming. The exhibition caseback is part of that math.

Who It Suits

This is a good first mechanical watch, or a second one for someone who wants the movement visible without paying a skeleton-dial premium. The 22mm three-link bracelet with a push-button deployant clasp comes with it, and 22mm is an easy width to swap on leather if the mood changes.