Depending on how far down the horological rabbit hole you’ve descended, you may have come across a description of a particular timepiece as a great ‘summer watch’. The association I’ve seen most often is between bright colors and warm weather – as warmer climes tend to have wider variations of bright colors than colder zones, it makes enough sense to support the cliché. My own watch-wearing habits differ, though, and I often gravitate toward more colorful watches during the colder, less colorful months of the year. As the days get shorter, colorful watches serve as a balance against the doldrums of winter. Whatever your own habits may be, the new and wildly colorful Bulova Snorkel models are strong contenders to be the unofficial timepiece of summer, or seasonal affective disorder. As the slogan goes, have it your way.
The Snorkel model name has deep roots in Bulova’s history, as it was applied to one of the brand’s earliest watches designed for diving, released in 1961. The new Snorkel models don’t bear much resemblance to that progenitor of the lineup, though, and are much closer aligned to the 1968 version nicknamed the Devil Diver, officially referred to as the Oceanographer. (For more on the history of the Snorkel & Oceanographer range, check here.) You’ve likely seen the newer iterations of the Oceanographer, re-released in 2018, heralded and reviewed by the most prestigious of watch blogs. They are robust, faithful interpretations of their historical references and, like the newest Snorkel models, are known for their vibrant colorways.
The new Snorkel models deviate enough from the specifics of the steel Oceanographers that it is safe to say they use their forebears mainly as design inspiration. Yes, there are some similarities to particular Oceanographer variants – 41mm case width, 20mm lug width, as well as the visual design of the case, bezel, and bezel insert. Beyond those elements, the Snorkel lineup charts its own course, trading the Oceanographer’s automatic movements for a quartz Miyota 2115, eschewing three-dimensional cylindrical hour makers for more common batons, pivoting from rounded paddle hour and minute hands to obelisks, and replacing the painted crosshairs on the dial with an etched wave pattern. The Snorkel also trades the Oceanographer’s tophat sapphire crystal for a domed mineral crystal – it is a reasonable shift for the price point, and the comparative warmth of the mineral crystal plays well with the finish and tones of the Snorkel dials. Curiously, the Snorkel is thicker at 15.3mm overall, despite having half the water resistance of the Oceanographer, but is about 2mm shorter lug-to-lug, at 44.7mm.
The most notable change, though, is the shift from the Oceanographer’s steel case to a material Bulova has dubbed “hybrid-ceramic”. The brand hasn’t provided much detail as to the actual composition of this material, but it seems similar to the bio-ceramic Swatch used for the Moonswatch and Scuba Fifty Fathoms models. My guess (bear in mind that I have zero formal education in industrial materials or any related disciplines) is that hybrid-ceramic, like Swatch’s bio-ceramic, is a combination of plastic and ceramic, in which the latter material provides additional hardness to prevent damage to the case. In practice, the material makes the Snorkels very light on the wrist and allows for a total of 8 different case and bezel colors across the lineup. I can’t attest to how much of a beating the hybrid-ceramic material can handle, as I am not inclined to damage watches I don’t own, but it feels solid to the touch.
The design of the case follows the cushion style of the Oceanographer, on which every surface is curved along at least one plane. I love how this case takes the more common C-shape of the skindiver archetype and adds a higher degree of elegance. Those curves appear even softer rendered in matte-finished hybrid-ceramic, and the colors used keep the case on each colorway from looking ominous in the way of matte-finished steel. The curves of the case, combined with the matte, colorful finishes of the Snorkel lineup, make the range appear organic and soft, similar to the rounded surfaces of Zaha Hadid’s designs.
For those skeptical of the case material’s resilience in water-based activities, bear in mind that fully intact Roman ceramics have been discovered at depths over twice the Snorkel’s 100m rating. I’m skeptical that archaeologists in two millennia will find a Snorkel half-buried deep in the sea, but ceramics generally have the capacity to endure prolonged exposure to water, including salt water, that would eat away at metal in far less time. Furthermore, Bulova included a stainless steel core set within the hybrid-ceramic case to house the movement. It is entirely possible that the case material may chip from hard impact, but the steel core should keep the movement from suffering significant damage. I don’t recommend wearing a Snorkel as a hard-use tool, but it should easily survive trips to the beach and some subaquatic use.
In full, at launch, the Snorkel range includes four models, each named after the aquatic creature that inspired its color palette. The Clownfish (can we just call it the Nemo?) is white, black, orange, and silver. The Blue Tang (the Dory, continuing the theme) is three shades of blue, plus yellow and silver. The Great White (Jaws!) is three shades of grey, including the bezel insert, blue, and red, because sharks bite. The Sea Turtle (I’d call it the Crash, but that nickname is taken) is two shades of green, with some silver on the bezel insert, a brown dial, and a yellow seconds hand. I expected to like the Sea Turtle the most, given my love of green, but I wore the Great White more frequently, even though it is the most sober of all the options. There isn’t a bad one among the bunch, and I’m curious to see how many additional models Bulova releases in the future.
Common elements across the four variants include polished steel hour and minute hands, polished and lume-filled baton hour markers, and a 3 o’clock date window. Could it be even more fun to vary the color of the surfaces that are presently polished metal? Yes. Would it also likely increase the cost of buying a Snorkel? Also yes. As is, the polished elements don’t diminish any of the colorways, and some anodyne elements are acceptable on watches that are otherwise bold.
The finish of each dial is a lightly glossed, fine eggshell texture laced with grooved wave lines across the lower half. The motif, if you haven’t yet surmised as much, is evocative of the view when snorkeling, with a bit of horizon and sky visible above the waves. Having snorkeled in the open ocean, the design called to mind some interesting experiences during which I learned that even 1-2 foot swells can feel quite significant to a human treading water. Life is full of adventures, and the dial motif echoes the playful spirit of the colorful Snorkel cases and bezels.
The dials are also very legible, thanks to their textual simplicity. Just Bulova’s wordmark logo above the pinion and the Snorkel model name below, each rendered in well-designed fonts. Interestingly, Bulova has kept a half-length lumed hour marker at 3, inset from the date window. I’ve seen Seiko do this, particularly before they hard-pivoted to 4:30 date windows on many dive models, as a way to comply with the most recent ISO certifications. I doubt Bulova had the same motivations, instead, my inference is that it was more of a design decision, so that the date window could fit the movement’s placement, but not appear to float oddly a few millimeters inward of the chapter ring.
The Miyota 2115 that powers the Snorkel range is an inexpensive quartz movement from the Citizen umbrella, of which Bulova is also part. It is a replacement-grade movement in that it would be cheaper to swap out a faulty one than fix it. The movement is rated to ±20 sec, which is not exceptional for quartz movements but means that it’ll be a couple of months before it registers shifts significant enough to warrant resetting the time. Overall, it is a good enough movement given the affordable, design-forward nature of the Snorkel range. I did have a little trouble engaging the movement via the steel crown on one of the models, which made it tricky to set the date. Given it only occurred on one of the four samples on hand, it is likely a QC issue with that piece, rather than a deeper flaw.
There was no such ambiguous engagement with the bezels on any of the review samples, which was much firmer and more precise than I anticipated. The spring load isn’t heavy enough to make bezel use challenging, in part because the matte texture of the hybrid-ceramic bezel affords excellent grip. Lume performance was also a pleasant surprise and shone consistently across the handset, hour markers, and bezel pip. It isn’t as bright as that of the steel Oceanographers but is more than sufficient for the less-serious intentions of the Snorkel range.
Each Snorkel model comes affixed to a rubber Tropic-style strap that matches the bezel color for each variant. The quality is good – the straps are more pliable than cheap rubber but don’t adhere to your skin like some silicone straps. The latter is a nice element in warmer weather when rubber and silicone straps have a tendency to cling with the fervency of a child begging for ice cream. There is appreciatively minimal branding, with a small embossed Bulova wordmark on the underside of the non-buckle piece of the strap and the same wordmark etched into the upper side of the buckle. The font for these is consistent with the wordmark logo on the dial, further illustrating the intentional design of the range. Bulova could do well selling these straps for individual purchase, which is not my typical sentiment about OE straps from mass-market watch brands.
When I initially perused launch announcements for the Ceramic Snorkels (nickname pending public uptake), they struck me as fun, innovative, and accessible offerings from a brand that often seems hesitant to deviate from mainstream offerings. Spending time with the range has only solidified that impression, but I also came away surprised by the quality of the products, not only their appearance. After a few years of stagnation, Bulova has leaned into the Oceanographer lineup, first with the Oceanographer GMTs, and now the Ceramic Snorkels, with great results. I would love to see the brand continue refining the range, with a pivot to the Miyota 9015, a low-hanging upgrade to the 3-hand steel Oceanographers.
At $350, the Snorkel range is the lowest entry point to the Oceanographer range and is a nice complement to the pricier three- and four-hand automatics. I don’t anticipate someone will cross-shop the Snorkel with the standard steel Oceanographer, but the former provides the general look of the latter but in a lighter, cheaper, and more playful format. The Snorkel is a great watch for someone just getting into watches or for those who are trying to entice a friend or family member to leap into the enthusiast rabbit hole. It also has plenty of enthusiast appeal, with innovative materials, respectable technical capabilities, and reference to an enthusiast darling. At the least, this enthusiast is pretty smitten.
