Z
Zach Weiss
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In the big and awesome world of chronographs, bullheads hold a special place in the hearts of us enthusiasts. With their crowns and pushers moved up to twelve, their purpose as wrist-strapped stop watches is made abundantly clear, and their overall designs become strange and interesting. Vintage bullheads are highly sought after whether by Seiko, Citizen, Breitling, Bulova, Omega or others. They represent a time when the chronograph was king and watch design was a bit more adventurous. Modern day bullheads are few and far between, but they almost always get out attention.
Such was the case a few months ago when we first saw renderings of the Bull by Stuckx. With designs that spoke to our vintage favorites, but had personalities of their own, they were truly a concept that suited our tastes. Interesting dials, a bizarre bezel, a cool case design and the first use of a movement we’ve aching to see in action, the Seiko NE88A automatic column-wheel chronograph, sealed the deal. They also have models featuring Seiko Meca-Quartz movements, to give a lower priced, but still high-performing option. With prices set to all come in under $1000 across the board, these watches also represent a solid value.
Well, the project kept moving forward, and now we have the honor of being the first to get samples of these awesome watches in for a preview-review, preceding the launch of their Kickstarter campaign aimed at funding these watches (launching the July 27th, 2015). The watches seen here are prototypes, so they are subject to some change, but the general details are all there. Let’s not waste anymore time on preamble and get on with the review!
Stuckx The Bull Review
Case: Steel
Movement: Seiko VK Meca-Quartz / Seiko NE88A Auto Chronograph
Dial: Various
Lume: SuperLuminova
Lens: Sapphire
Strap: Leather and/or Nylon
Water Res.: 200M
Dimensions: 42 x 49 mm
Thickness: Varies
Lug Width: 22 mm
Crown: 7.5 x 3mm
Warranty: Yes
Price: ~$380 for VK /~$985 for NE88
Case
The bizarre case shape of a real bullhead chronograph is a love or leave it thing. While there might be watches out there where the crown and pushers are solely moved to twelve, a real bullhead is wedge shaped, pushing the dial and bezel up and out at an angle. The dial is often off center too, which is very noticeable on the wrist. Their mid-cases then curve in such a way as to contour to the wrist, and hold the watch in a slightly unnatural position. The Bull is one such chronograph, with a case that speaks strongly to designs from the 60’s and 70’s, namely that of a Breitling model, but has some unique twists that make it its own cool thing.
What you have is a design that is thickest by the crown and pushers, with a cylindrical side with hidden lugs. As the case tapers down, it eventually leads to more traditional lugs. Measuring 42 x 49 x 16 (at its thickest point), the Bull’s dimensions are very close to vintage models, even coming in slightly under that of the famed Seiko 6138-0040. Bull heads tended to be a bit large, but because of their partially lug less designs and other oddities, they also look and wear a bit smaller. The Bull in particular comes off much smaller than 42 to my eyes.
The wrap around side and case top are brushed to a satin finish, and there is a polished bevel running around the entire thing, include between the lugs. This is a nice and well-executed detail that ads some finesse to the overall design. At 11 and 1 are the chrono-pushers which are simple, classic cylinders. Between them is a crown that measures 7.5 x 3mm. I was glad to see there was a screw down crown, which lends to the Bull having a 200m WR. Not something one would expect to find on a watch this style. The crown has a simple design with a toothed edge and a slightly domed surface. Surprisingly, it is unsigned.
One of the standout features of the Bull is the external bezel, which sets the design apart from most of its vintage siblings, who had fixed tachymeter bezels if any at all. It features a 120-click uni-directional mechanism with a nice feel to it and a pleasant snap. The really wild aspect though is the insert, which is ceramic. Rather than being a flat piece with lightly engraved numerals and marking, this features a deep groove that weaves in and out, creating shapes as markers. Depending on the model, the ceramic might be black or blue, and the groove might have a layer of white. When this paint, presumably, is present the bezel really looks like nothing you’ve ever seen before, and is utterly gorgeous. In general, I like that they took the concept of the bezel and abstracted it, while also using modern, quality materials. What you get is a watch that speaks to vintage, but with a weird artistic twist. I’m not 100% sure what you would use this bezel for, but that’s beside the point.
The post Stuckx The Bull Preview Review appeared first on worn&wound.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.
In the big and awesome world of chronographs, bullheads hold a special place in the hearts of us enthusiasts. With their crowns and pushers moved up to twelve, their purpose as wrist-strapped stop watches is made abundantly clear, and their overall designs become strange and interesting. Vintage bullheads are highly sought after whether by Seiko, Citizen, Breitling, Bulova, Omega or others. They represent a time when the chronograph was king and watch design was a bit more adventurous. Modern day bullheads are few and far between, but they almost always get out attention.
Such was the case a few months ago when we first saw renderings of the Bull by Stuckx. With designs that spoke to our vintage favorites, but had personalities of their own, they were truly a concept that suited our tastes. Interesting dials, a bizarre bezel, a cool case design and the first use of a movement we’ve aching to see in action, the Seiko NE88A automatic column-wheel chronograph, sealed the deal. They also have models featuring Seiko Meca-Quartz movements, to give a lower priced, but still high-performing option. With prices set to all come in under $1000 across the board, these watches also represent a solid value.
Well, the project kept moving forward, and now we have the honor of being the first to get samples of these awesome watches in for a preview-review, preceding the launch of their Kickstarter campaign aimed at funding these watches (launching the July 27th, 2015). The watches seen here are prototypes, so they are subject to some change, but the general details are all there. Let’s not waste anymore time on preamble and get on with the review!
Stuckx The Bull Review
Case: SteelMovement: Seiko VK Meca-Quartz / Seiko NE88A Auto Chronograph
Dial: Various
Lume: SuperLuminova
Lens: Sapphire
Strap: Leather and/or Nylon
Water Res.: 200M
Dimensions: 42 x 49 mm
Thickness: Varies
Lug Width: 22 mm
Crown: 7.5 x 3mm
Warranty: Yes
Price: ~$380 for VK /~$985 for NE88
Case
The bizarre case shape of a real bullhead chronograph is a love or leave it thing. While there might be watches out there where the crown and pushers are solely moved to twelve, a real bullhead is wedge shaped, pushing the dial and bezel up and out at an angle. The dial is often off center too, which is very noticeable on the wrist. Their mid-cases then curve in such a way as to contour to the wrist, and hold the watch in a slightly unnatural position. The Bull is one such chronograph, with a case that speaks strongly to designs from the 60’s and 70’s, namely that of a Breitling model, but has some unique twists that make it its own cool thing.
What you have is a design that is thickest by the crown and pushers, with a cylindrical side with hidden lugs. As the case tapers down, it eventually leads to more traditional lugs. Measuring 42 x 49 x 16 (at its thickest point), the Bull’s dimensions are very close to vintage models, even coming in slightly under that of the famed Seiko 6138-0040. Bull heads tended to be a bit large, but because of their partially lug less designs and other oddities, they also look and wear a bit smaller. The Bull in particular comes off much smaller than 42 to my eyes.
The wrap around side and case top are brushed to a satin finish, and there is a polished bevel running around the entire thing, include between the lugs. This is a nice and well-executed detail that ads some finesse to the overall design. At 11 and 1 are the chrono-pushers which are simple, classic cylinders. Between them is a crown that measures 7.5 x 3mm. I was glad to see there was a screw down crown, which lends to the Bull having a 200m WR. Not something one would expect to find on a watch this style. The crown has a simple design with a toothed edge and a slightly domed surface. Surprisingly, it is unsigned.
One of the standout features of the Bull is the external bezel, which sets the design apart from most of its vintage siblings, who had fixed tachymeter bezels if any at all. It features a 120-click uni-directional mechanism with a nice feel to it and a pleasant snap. The really wild aspect though is the insert, which is ceramic. Rather than being a flat piece with lightly engraved numerals and marking, this features a deep groove that weaves in and out, creating shapes as markers. Depending on the model, the ceramic might be black or blue, and the groove might have a layer of white. When this paint, presumably, is present the bezel really looks like nothing you’ve ever seen before, and is utterly gorgeous. In general, I like that they took the concept of the bezel and abstracted it, while also using modern, quality materials. What you get is a watch that speaks to vintage, but with a weird artistic twist. I’m not 100% sure what you would use this bezel for, but that’s beside the point.
The post Stuckx The Bull Preview Review appeared first on worn&wound.
Continue reading...
Let us know your thoughts and impressions.