Watch Spotlight: Bulova Marine Star Series B

Tool watches from the prestigious watch brands have an almost cult-like following. The Rolex Explorer and Tudor Ranger are well-built watches that do their jobs. They are grail watches for many watch enthusiasts. But, if you want a solid watch that does its job well, you need not look much further than the Bulova Marine Star Series B (Model 96B382). It's a quartz watch with a rotating internal bezel and 100-meters of water resistance. It also has a 43mm diameter case that brings a strong masculine presence to your wrist. I think it's a great looking watch.

Bulova Marine Star Series B (Model 96B382) - Amazon Photo

In 2025, I highlighted sale prices and discounts that brought the watch down to about $250.  Today, those sale prices are the new standard prices. No fuss. No muss. No pining away for months while waiting for a sale.

Bulova Marine Star Series B (Model 96B382) Back - Amazon Photo

I love my vintage Marine Star (see my post) and I'm sure this one will be a great vintage watch someday. Adventure-oriented watches like this Marine Star fill the role of being rugged, readable, respectable, and eminently practical with a sense of purposeful style.

If you'd like to take a closer look at this great Bulova watch, you can see it here on Amazon!

Bulova Two-Tone Classic Dress Watch for Men (Amazon Photo)

If the Marine Star isn't your style, check out this PRX-like two-tone Bulova here on Amazon (shown above).

Now Available: The Timex Ironman Triathlon Rugged Digital Watch

Have you noticed that Casio G Shock models are getting fancier and fancier. They are starting to become status symbols. Perhaps that leaves an opening for someone to make a low-cost beater watch that is rugged and useful? This Timex Ironman Triathlon Rugged has appeared as a suggested product for me in a couple of places lately. It may be a reminder that Timex Ironman watches were and are a competitor to the G Shock. This one has a big 44mm diameter case, a 20mm wide strap, and a case that looks like something from an Alien versus Predator movie.

Timex Ironman Triathlon Rugged

I'm not the biggest fan of digital watches, but this one caught my eye. It looks like it can do that job of timing laps and other athletic endeavors. Indeed, it has a 30-lap memory, 24-hour countdown timer, military time model; 3 daily, weekly, or weekend alarms; two time zones, and a calendar. It's almost enough to make me go jogging--or at least get off the couch and take a walk. If I work my way up to triathlons, the watch even has 100-meters of water resistance so I can take on the swimming event. This watch is a strong offering for less than $50.

If you are ready to rumble, this rugged Timex Triathlon is available here on Amazon.

The Best Timex Offerings on Amazon

I've collected some of the best Timex watches being offered on Amazon in one convenient page - Best Timex Watches on Amazon.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: The Casio Men's Analog Outdoor Watch (MRW-210HB-5BVCF)

 It's Wednesday, which watch are you wearing?  This is a watch I recently wore for a casual night out to a sports bar.  It's the Casio Men's Outdoor Watch with Velcro Band (Model MRW-210HB-5BVCF).  

Casio MRW-210HB

 I like this watch for its lightweight, comfort, and general wear everywhere bang-about-ability.  (That's not even a word.)  It's pretty much the kind of watch you can wear anywhere and everywhere.  It looks rugged and it's an easy to read watch.  There's really not much to dislike about it.  If you don't need the complexity of subdials, it might be a great alternative to the Casio Men's Heavy Duty Chronograph Quartz Watch (MCW-100H).

It would have been nice if Casio would have given this watch an adventurous name.  Adventurer, Explorer, Climber, Hiker, or Summit would have sufficed. But, I'm not a marketing professional. I guess nothing really says "Adventure" more than Casio MRW-210HB. 

If you'd like to find this watch on simple, but great, sports watch on Amazon, you can simply bang it here.  I also have other variants of this watch.  Back in 2017, I reviewed a Casio MCW-210H with a white face.  You can read that review here.

Choosing a Zombie Apocalypse Watch

With the popularity of Zombie- themed movies and televison shows like The Walking Dead, it's only natural that watch collectors might wonder which watch would be best for surviving a Zombie Apocalypse.

Photo By Direction and cinematography both by George A. Romero (Screenshot from timeinc.net) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Would you choose an automatic, a quartz watch, or a solar watch?  An automatic or even a manually wound watch would free you from the need for batteries.  A solar watch would provide quartz accuracy with the inexhaustible power of the sun.   A traditional quartz watch would ultimately require watch batteries at some point.  Even an automatic is supposed to be serviced every few years.

Vostok Amphibia - photo By Matthew Bellemare (Flickr: Zissou Vostok Amphibia) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

One automatic watch brand stands out to me:  Vostok.  The Vostok Amphibia was the standard time keeper for the Soviet military for many years.  If you are pulling your SKS or AK-47 out of the gun room for the duration of a Zombie Apocalypse, the Vostok Amphibia definitely completes the look.  I'd suggest getting a paratrooper or tank commander version for maximum effect even if brainless Zombies aren't impressed.

The Vostok is a very tough watch.  In fact, the primary consideration in choosing a Zombie Apocalypse watch would have to be ruggedness.  When you look at pictures of the U.S. military in tough environments and combat conditions, the men and women of the military generally seem to be wearing Casio G Shock watches.  These watches provide unparalleled toughness and are affordable to middle class people.  In the U.S. Navy photo below, the trainee in a SEAL candidate class is wearing a G-Shock.

Since this is a high resolution image, we can zoom in and see the trainees watch clearly.  If a Casio G Shock is good for Navy SEAL BUDS training, it's probably good enough for the typical Zombie Apocalypse.

Casio G-Shock in Combat Training Exercise

Rugged "Bang Around" Watches for Men

If you are like me, you need a watch that you can "bang around" with and not worry about too much.  They can't cost too much and they have to look cool.  Fortunately, lots of inexpensive watches fit the bill! These are some of the best inexpensive sport watches. Here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

Timex Ironman Triathlon

You can read my review of the Timex Ironman Triathlon here on this blog.

"Walmart Tactical"

This watch (above) that I dub the Walmart Tactical watch looks every bit as macho as some of the tactical watches that cost big money.  But, I found it at Walmart for an amazing $10.

Casio Forester

The Casio Forester (above) is a classic cheap watch.  It's great for kids or adults--especially if they still climb trees and walk about in the woods.  You can read my full review of the Casio Forester here on this blog. 

Timex Expedition Camper

The Timex Expedition Camper is another classic bang around watch.  It has a simple design that is easy to read and reminds me of a military watch.  You'll find many variations on the Timex Camper theme here at Amazon.

Timex Expedition Core Analog

For a larger watch dial and more contemporary style, check out the Timex Expedition Core Analog watch.  For less than $50, there's a lot to like about this watch.