Writing about a divers’ watch amidst the summer holidays looks ordinary since this product category is an all-time favourite.
When the timepiece under review is a Bulova Mil-Ships, we access the legendary chapter of military watches, kicked off in 2021 to extend upon the brand’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
An authentic military watch
An American brand and the US Navy: could you ever ask for anything more authentic and credible than a US-branded wristwatch exclusively engineered for the United States Navy?
The “Mil-Ships” moniker didn’t pop up during a brainstorming session; still, it refers to a military specification and a small batch of prototypes built to meet specific requirements.
Should you be interested in discovering what’s behind the MIL SHIPS W 2181 specification, head to our Bulova Mil-Ships first-ever hands-on review to learn more.
In 2025, Bulova built on that legacy to grow the product offering of an iconic and instantly recognisable watch.
Bulova’s strategic marketing added two new bronze models, turning the military die-hard model into a more contemporary timepiece, thus celebrating such a milestone with a more popular case material.
The Mil-Ships Bronze 150th Anniversary Special Edition
They share the exact base specifications. Measuring 41.0 mm in diameter and 15.0 mm in thickness, they adopt a bronze alloy, increasing their weight from 86.0 grams to 104.0 grams, while introducing enhanced 16.0 mm lug width and a more convenient fabric and rubber strap.
From afar, the new model fixes that odd-yet-authentic Mil-Ships original lug width as seen on the US Navy prototype.
Elongated lugs paired with increased lug width make for a noticeably more compliant design. And the bronze alloy helps make the watch far more attractive and consumer-oriented.
Coming in with a vivid blue or khaki green dial, both variants soften a vintage and raw Mil-Ships feel and join the endless category of bronze watches.
Forget the patina; we won’t know how it is going to evolve; it might close up on a Panerai as much as on a Tudor’s.
However, we expect that Bulova opted for a soft patina. Instead, I can’t wait to discover how the watch community will judge a product whose case material is not any breaking news. Anymore.
That said, a Mil-ships in bronze has much more diving-instrument pedigree than anything else in the benchmark, and a bronze case adds a nostalgia factor that brings back memories of a forgotten era: that of early-days underwater exploration.
A new calibre
Notably, a new mechanical movement powers the watch. The Mil-Ships Bronze 150th Anniversary Special Edition replaces the 2021 Miyota with a more capable Miyota 83S0 movement.
While still beating at 4 Hertz, it runs for a more useful 60 hours, thus closing up as much as possible on its competitors.
Final Thoughts
The Bulova Mil-Ships Bronze 150th Anniversary Special Editions watches are grown-up Mil-ships to attack the under-1,000-euro product category.
Building on a solid reputation dating back to a mid-1950s military project, the prototypes never went into production, thus missing the opportunity to race for the first-ever commercial diving watch.
Improved inside and out, it builds on the now-ubiquitous bronze caseto energise the current collection, and the outcome is pleasing.
Upgrades often come at a cost, and so do they. Their retail price stops at €890, a fair and competitive price for a self-winding Bulova and a Mil-ships, yet slightly more expensive than its steel counterpart.
Build quality and design do justice, but I hope a similar model in steel will arrive soon.
(Photo credit: Horbiter®)
Giovanni Maria Di Biase @Horbiter®
In this article:
Case
It encases the mechanical movement and is crafted in one or more parts. It can also be a single piece, as with some professional diving watches, or made of unconventional…
Strap
A leather, rubber or other material band that secures the watch to the wearer's wrist.
