Bulova Marine Star Series C Chronograph (ref. 98B301)

The Bulova Marine Star 98B301 is a large two-tone (stainless steel with rose gold-tone accents) quartz chronograph with a blue dial and matching blue glass-insert rotating bezel. It belongs to the Marine Star Series C group, which pairs a Miyota 6S20 six-hand 1/20-second chronograph movement with 200 m water resistance, a domed mineral crystal and a screw-back case. It is a mainstream, department-store-tier sport-dress chronograph rather than a limited or heritage piece.

Bulova positions Marine Star as its maritime-themed collection, describing it on the brand's US site as "maritime watches that feature bold accents, iconic patterns and innovative materials inspired by the sea," with water resistance of at least 100 meters. The line is split into several sub-series — Bulova's collection page lists Series A, B, C and L — spanning a range of price points, alongside women's models and collaborations.

The 98B301 belongs to the Series C group, which Bulova specifies as a six-hand chronograph rated to 200 meters. That is deeper than the 100 m floor Bulova applies to much of the broader Marine Star line, making the Series C chronographs the more water-capable end of the range.

In a review of the reference, Two Broke Watch Snobs frames the 98B301 as an under-appreciated piece, noting it carried the highest Marine Star water resistance of its recent lineup yet, in the reviewer's words, "lives in the back of the store, barely noticed" — attributing this to weak marketing rather than the specification sheet.

Bulova lists the caliber as a 6S20 quartz movement, described on the product page as "a movement powered by a battery" with "the quartz crystal regulates the time achieving accuracy to 15 seconds a month." It drives a 1/20-second chronograph measuring up to 60 minutes, along with six hands, a small second hand and a calendar.

Caliber Corner identifies the 6S20 as a Miyota (Citizen) battery-powered quartz chronograph made in Japan, with 0 jewels, a 32,768 Hz frequency, ±20 seconds/month accuracy, and an SR927W / 395 silver-oxide battery rated to roughly four years. Its standard subdial layout places central chronograph seconds, a 1/20-second subdial at 3:00, a small running-seconds subdial at 6:00, a 60-minute counter at 9:00 and a date at 4:30; Caliber Corner also notes the 6S20 "replaces caliber Citizen 0510."

The practical feel of the chronograph is described by Two Broke Watch Snobs, which reports "a great feeling and audible click" and a 1/20th-second hand operating at four ticks per second, mimicking the sweep of vintage mechanical chronographs.

Two Broke Watch Snobs describes the 98B301 as "a big watch," comparable in size to an Omega Planet Ocean chronograph and wearing larger than the Bulova Lunar Pilot, consistent with its 45 mm diameter and 15 mm thickness. The reviewer rates the aesthetic highly, calling the combination of two-tone stainless and gold with the navy blue dial and bezel "extremely handsome."

The same review praises the navy sunburst dial, with applied indices carrying white lume ringed in gold and recessed into a beveled chapter ring, and singles out the white chronograph seconds hand as a good touch for legibility. The gold hands with black center stripes and white lume on the hour and minute hands are noted as well finished for the price bracket.

The criticism centers on execution rather than design. The reviewer writes that Bulova's brushed finishing "stands out like a sore thumb" with coarse texturing, and that the bracelet feels cheap with a "tinny sound and feel" despite solid links, reserving particular disapproval for the stamped steel clasp. As a fix, the review recommends swapping the bracelet for an aftermarket strap such as an Uncle Seiko Tropic.

The 98B301 is the two-tone version of the Marine Star Series C chronographs, combining stainless steel with rose gold-tone accents, a blue dial and a matching blue bezel insert. Bulova's product page groups it under "Series C" and specifies the shared Series C recipe: a six-hand chronograph, 200 m water resistance, a glass-insert ratcheted rotating bezel, a domed mineral crystal and a screw-back case.

The same Series C formula appears in all-stainless-steel form. Bulova's Series C chronograph is also sold as style 96B272, an all-stainless, black-dial six-hand chronograph, indicating the 98B301 sits within a family of near-identical references differentiated mainly by case tone and dial color.

More broadly, the Marine Star line spans multiple sub-series (A, B, C and L) at varying price points, so the Series C chronographs represent one tier within a larger collection rather than a standalone model generation.

Bulova's US site lists the 98B301 at $675.00 and, at the time of research, shows it sold out. Purchases through Bulova carry a 3-year limited warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The reference is widely carried by discount and grey-market sellers below Bulova's list price; WatchMaxx, for example, stocks the 98B301 as a standard discount-retailer listing. Two Broke Watch Snobs cites a $460 MSRP figure and notes the watch selling "under $300 on wholesale sites," reflecting how heavily this reference is discounted relative to Bulova's own price.

Buyers cross-shopping the model should confirm which Series C variant they are looking at — the two-tone rose-gold, blue-dial 98B301 versus the all-stainless-steel Series C references such as 96B272 — since these share the same movement and case architecture and differ mainly in finish and dial color.