Bulova Frank Sinatra Collection
Frank Sinatra and Bulova's relationship was a close one and began with the American brand sponsoring the Frank Sinatra Show. Man and brand both represent, in their respects, two American legends: the first is the most significant American singer ever and quite probably the most beautiful voice in music's history; Bulova can be regarded as the most innovative American watch brand and is still headquartered in New York despite belonging to the Citizen Group. To celebrate the long-standing association between them, Bulova has introduced four Sinatra-branded product families, featuring round, cushion-shaped, rectangular or tonneau cases: they are the "Fly Me to the moon," "My Way," "Young at Heart," and "The Best is yet to come."
The collections mentioned above are available globally, and all of them in the United States; the brand has selected two of them out of four, for our market, Italy: please welcome the "Fly Me to the Moon" and "The Best is yet to come." The latter also includes a hand-wound variant, which is, again, not sold across Italy. Let me also point out the option you see in these pictures is a prototype that slightly differs from the standard self-winding option available in both applied indexes and the dots on the chapter ring. Quite apart from this, the pictured timepiece has the same specifications as the product currently on sale (dial design, size, mechanical movement).
The Bulova Frank Sinatra Collection - "Fly Me to the moon."
It has a cushion-shaped case and is available in three steel options, one of which features an IP (Ion Plating) gold-colored surface finish. The case measures, crown excluded, 39 millimeters across, and is 12 millimeters thick. It is thicker, mainly because of the case shape and additional polished bezel, with a slightly curved anti-reflective sapphire glass on top. The dial has a guilloché pattern with Frank Sinatra's signature printed at six o'clock.
It is my favorite Bulova Frank Sinatra so far. I prefer a cushion-shaped case over any standard round one. The minor letdown is the date window that is, in my opinion, ruining an otherwise exquisitely designed dial. Many are the nods to Frank Sinatra here and there, with the unmistakable Fedora hat he used to wear, standing above anything else.
You may find it embossed on the dial as well as printed on the see-through case-back, secured to the case via four tiny screws. Paired to the case is a leather strap with a folding clasp and double push-buttons.
Bulova Frank Sinatra Collection - "The best is yet to come"
The quintessentially classic Sinatra collection and Bulova's take on the 40-mil watch pay homage to the fifties and sixties. From up close, you can appreciate how distinctive is the pattern, which sets this timepiece apart from a class of products so crowded.
Our macro emphasizes a motif that is reproducing Frank Sinatra's formal suit's textile. The lugs are uncommonly short; if the case is 40 mil across, the lug to lug width is under 42 millimeters. Therefore, the Bulova Frank Sinatra "The best is yet to come" is flat on the wrist, and the crocodile-looking leather strap is almost integrated into the case. Also, the crown is very thin, as well.
What do have the two Frank Sinatra collections in common?
First, they share the same mechanical movement, a self-winding Miyota Caliber 8215 beating at 3Hz and ensuring 42 hours of total power reserve. It is the Japanese direct competitor to a Sellita SW200 that the Group is adopting, for example, on timepieces belonging to the Accutron Legacy collection, and offers approximately the same power reserve. Both models have a transparent case-back with a Fedora hat and the collection's name printed on top.
Although I would have gone for a tang buckle on the "The best is yet to come" Bulova since it best matches a popular style during the fifties and the sixties, they both offer a folding buckle. The song's title is also reproduced on the inside of each strap.
Final thoughts
The Bulova Frank Sinatra Collection "Fly Me to the moon" and "The best is yet to come" retail for 499 Euros (add 50 Euros, and you'll make the IP Gold option yours), and 730 Euros in the IP Gold option (690 Euro is the standard steel's price) respectively. The nostalgia project involves the packaging, too, since it includes a fake vinyl record on the inside. All in all, I think the proposition is right, and they both work pretty well, although I would have engraved the caliber's self-winding rotor rather than printing the see-through glass with logos and wordings.
(Photo credit: Marco Antinori for Horbiter®)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
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