Bulova Chronograph C 'Stars & Stripes'

In the world of horology, the late 1960s and early 1970s were a strange time.

To be sure, the ‘60s was a decade of horological milestones, such as the production of the first automatic chronograph (an honor hotly disputed by Heuer, Zenith, and Seiko). The ‘70s also saw the introduction of some innovative and interesting designs, with brands seeming to vie against each other to see who could incorporate as many colors in their dials as possible — or come up with the most funky case shape.

Enter the Bulova Chronograph C, a home run in both the stand-out-dial-color and funky-case-shape departments. It's bright, unusual dial combined with its 'firework' handset soon garnered it the nickname ‘Stars and Stripes,’ which has confounded collectors ever since.

While most likely not released in 1976 for the Bicentennial Celebration of the United States — as is commonly believed by collectors on many forums — the vibrant red, white, and blue dial certainly resembles the stars and stripes of Old Glory.

Even by today's standards, this is a big piece, coming in at 44mm in diameter with perfectly round case with hidden lugs, making it sit easily on the wrist, much like Seiko's ‘Tuna’ divers. And as with dive watches, Bulova designed the case of the Chronograph C for maximum water resistance, utilizing a front-loading system. With hooded lugs, an acrylic crystal, a knurled bezel, and barrel pushers, this example features a matte, navy blue and white Tritium dial with white subsidiary registers, an outer tachymeter scale, and a matching ‘firework’ handset with red chronograph hands.

Powered by a reputable, hand-cranking Valjoux 7736 drivetrain, this Bulova has the brawn to back up its looks, and comes paired to a blue vegan leather Analog:Shift strap with white contrast stitching and a stainless steel pin buckle.

When you consider that demand for these watches has picked up momentum in recent years, it makes it almost a patriotic duty not to let this one pass you by!