A 1950s Military Dive Watch Resurfaces with Some Key Upgrades

I already wanted one before, but now I really want one.

a closeup of a bulova military dive watch bezel

Published February 6, 2025

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Back in 2022, Bulova turned a lot of heads by launching the Mil-Ships dive watch. The quirky diver is a faithful reproduction of a prototype that Bulova had produced in the 1950s for the U.S. Military unit that would eventually become known as the Navy SEALs.

Despite passing all of the Navy’s tests, the original watch never made it past the prototype stage, and only a handful were ever produced. The legendary Tornek-Rayville — a reskinned Blancpain Fifty Fathoms — ended up winning the Navy’s contract instead.

Over the past few years, Bulova’s modern Mil-Ships redux has finally brought some attention to this very deserving mid-century military watch that was nearly lost to time. Now the brand has debuted an even better version of the diver in celebration of Bulova’s 150th anniversary.

a bulova dive watch on a wooden surface — Bulova’s Mil-Ships is back and better than ever.

Bronze Beauty

The Mil-Ships 150th Anniversary Edition has some key differences — most of which I would say are improvements — from the original reboot, with the most obvious change being its case material.

The new diver swaps out the stainless steel for a case made of rose-gold-hued CuSn8 bronze, and it looks beautiful. I’m generally not a fan of bronze due to the way it patinaes — you call it aged, I call it ugly — but it sure does look pretty when new. The look here reminds me of the Bronze Gold Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3, which is one helluva nice watch to emulate.

a bulova dive watch on a bronze pipe — With a bronze case, fun colors and a slick hybrid strap, this diver is the perfect marriage of vintage and modern.

Some new dial colors add further beauty to the watch. The original watch was only available with a black dial, keeping it faithful to its mil-spec origins. But these new versions come with either a navy blue or olive green dial, each with a matching aluminum bezel insert. The new colors match the warm tones of the bronze very well, and I honestly can’t decide which I like more — both look excellent.

The Mil-Ships is known for having numerous quirks, all of which were present on the original 1950s prototype. These include a functioning moisture strip on the dial, an absurdly tall domed crystal (sapphire on the modern version, acrylic on the prototype) and a locking bi-directional bezel that you press down and turn to operate like you’re opening a pill bottle.

a closeup of a a bulova dive watch dial — The functional moisture indicator on the dial, a relic of the 1950s prototype, has been carried over to the special edition.

All of these quirks were thankfully passed on to the new version, but one unique feature of the original did not — and I’m thankful for it.

The standard Mil-Ships has a teeny, tiny 16mm lug width and comes with a nylon NATO strap. The strap was my least favorite part of the watch when I reviewed it. It’s rough to the touch, it’s too long, its thick fabric keeper is annoying to use and it’s difficult to find 16mm replacement straps.

Bulova has addressed all of these complaints on the 150th Anniversary Edition. The watch now has a more standard 18mm lug width, which both looks more aesthetically appropriate on the case and will make it easier to find replacement straps.

a bulova dive watch on a tattooed man wrist — Good lord, that is a nice-looking watch.

The strap itself is also vastly improved. It’s now a two-piece hybrid strap with a rubber lining and Cordura exterior and it’s equipped with quick-release spring bars. It comes in blue or green to match the watch’s dial and does a great job of simultaneously modernizing the diver’s look and increasing its functionality thanks to the added water resistance. Bravo, Bulova.

It also seems like Bulova has improved the clarity of the huge crystal by applying five layers of anti-reflective to its underside. The original version allegedly has some AR coating but is still very reflective and can obscure legibility. I haven’t seen the 150th Anniversary Edition in person, but based on photos, it looks like legibility is no longer as much of an issue.

a bulova dive watch — The crazy domed crystal should be more legible on the special edition thanks to additional AR coating.

Finally, Bulova has upgraded the movement for the special edition. The diver is still rocking a Miyota automatic but it now houses the calibre 83S0 instead of the 82S0. The movements are from the same family, but the 83S0 has an increased power reserve of 60 hours compared to the 82S0’s 42 hours.

Pricing and Availability

I was a fan of the original Mil-Ships thanks to its unique history, its numerous quirks and its classic military dive watch looks — it looks like a vintage Blancpain, which is about as good as any watch can look. But I’m an even bigger fan of this new version.

The strap and lug width are massive improvements, the movement is more premium, and the new colors paired with the bronze case are gorgeous. Of course, in exchange for these upgrades, the price has increased. The bronze version is $1,195, a $200 jump over the $895 standard version — though it’s still cheaper than the Sellita-powered Swiss-made version, which costs $1,990.

The price increase seems very fair to me, and this watch remains an excellent buy overall. Best of all, while the 150th Anniversary Edition is labeled a “special edition,” Bulova isn’t calling it a “limited edition.” That means you shouldn’t have any trouble picking one of these up, and I highly recommend you do so.