Quick Verdict
The Marine Star 96B256 is a widely sold quartz chronograph that reads far more expensive than it is. The blue dial and orange accents do most of that work; the 6S20 and the 100 m rating justify it.
At a Glance
- Typical street price
- $550
- Movement type
- Quartz
- Power reserve
- Not published
- Case diameter
- 44 mm
- Lug-to-lug
- —
- Crystal
- Mineral
- Water resistance
- 100 m (328 ft)
Design
Bulova describes it as a six-hand calendar chronograph in stainless steel with a silver-tone finish and a blue dial. In practice that means a 44 mm case with a fixed coin-edged bezel, three subdials, applied faceted markers and a date window with an orange numeral — a lot of watch, arranged carefully enough that it does not look cluttered.
Movement
The Bulova 6S20 quartz chronograph: six hands, a 1/20 second chronograph measuring to 60 minutes, a calendar and a small seconds hand. Bulova specifies accuracy to 15 seconds a month, which is twice as tight as the Casio digitals in this database.
Build Quality
Stainless steel case with a screw-back and flat mineral glass, on a steel bracelet closed by a fold-over clasp with pushers, a safety bar and an extender. The mineral crystal is the obvious concession at this list price.
Dial
Blue over a brass base with luminous hands and markers, three registers and an orange chronograph seconds hand that stops the layout from reading as monochrome. The applied markers catch light the way printed ones cannot.
Bracelet & Strap
A 22 mm stainless steel bracelet with a safety fold-over clasp and push buttons, including an extender. The 22 mm lug width means a strap swap is straightforward if the bracelet does not suit.
Comfort & Wearability
44 mm across and 22 mm between the lugs. Bulova publishes neither thickness nor lug-to-lug, so this is a watch worth measuring against your own wrist before committing — it is firmly in large-watch territory.
Accuracy
±15 seconds per month by Bulova's specification, with a battery-powered movement that needs nothing beyond a cell change.
What we like
What we like
- A six-hand chronograph with a screw-back case and 100 m water resistance
- 1/20 second timing to 60 minutes, which most quartz chronographs at this price do not offer
- ±15 seconds a month, tighter than Casio's ±30 across this database
- 22 mm lugs, so the bracelet is not the only option
What we don't like
- 44 mm across, and the case wears every millimetre of it
- Mineral crystal rather than sapphire at the list price
- Bulova publishes no thickness, lug-to-lug or weight for this reference
Who Should Buy It?
Anyone who wants a chronograph that looks like a five-hundred-dollar watch and works like a tool, and anyone with a wrist that carries 44 mm comfortably.
Who Should Skip It?
Skip it if you want sapphire, if you want a mechanical chronograph, or if 44 mm is more case than your wrist wants to carry.
Best Alternatives
Three watches worth weighing up before you commit.
How It Compares
Bulova Marine Star Chronograph
2 categories won
Bulova Lunar Pilot Chronograph
1 categories won
- Typical street price
- $550Winner
- $595
- Movement type
- Quartz
- Quartz
- Caliber
- 6S20
- NP20 (HPQ), 262 kHz
- Power reserve
- Not published
- Battery
- Stated accuracy
- ±15 seconds per month (Bulova specification)
- Not published
- Case diameter
- 44 mm
- 45 mm
- Case thickness
- —
- —
- Lug-to-lug
- —
- —
- Crystal
- Mineral
- Sapphire with anti-reflective coatingWinner
- Water resistance
- 100 m (328 ft)Winner
- 50 m (164 ft)
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Black textured leather strap, supplied with an additional black nylon strap with a nubuck patch commemorating DOM 08021971
- Weight
- Not published
- 110 g
- Style
- Chronograph · Sport · Everyday
- Chronograph · Sport
- Recommended wrist
- Large
- Large
- Selection Score
- Not published
- Not published
Final Verdict
The Marine Star does the thing budget chronographs usually fail at: it holds together as a design instead of borrowing pieces from better watches. The mineral crystal is the price of admission.
Specifications
- Brand
- Bulova
- Model
- Marine Star Chronograph
- Reference
- 96B256
- Collection
- Marine Star
- Typical street price
- $550
- MSRP
- $550
- Movement type
- Quartz
- Movement
- Bulova 6S20 quartz chronograph
- Caliber
- 6S20
- Power reserve
- Not published
- Stated accuracy
- ±15 seconds per month (Bulova specification)
- Balance spring
- Not published
- Case diameter
- 44 mm
- Case thickness
- —
- Lug-to-lug
- —
- Lug width
- 22 mm
- Weight
- Not published
- Case material
- Silver-tone stainless steel
- Crystal
- Mineral
- Water resistance
- 100 m (328 ft)
- Dial colours
- Blue
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Bracelet material
- Stainless steel
- Clasp
- Safety fold-over clasp with push buttons
- Date
- Yes
- GMT
- No
- Chronograph
- Yes
- Style
- Chronograph · Sport · Everyday
- Recommended wrist
- Large
- Country of origin
- United States
- Released
- 2018
- Selection Score
- Not published
Score Breakdown
Where to Buy
Selection Time is reader-supported. If you buy through a link on this page we may earn a commission. This never affects our scores or what we recommend.
- Check Price on Amazon
Amazon
Price shown on Amazon
- View at Bulova
Bulova
Not published
Frequently Asked Questions
What movement is in the Bulova 96B256?
The Bulova 6S20, a quartz chronograph module with six hands, a 1/20 second chronograph reading to 60 minutes, a calendar and a small seconds hand. Bulova specifies accuracy to 15 seconds a month.
Is the Bulova Marine Star 96B256 a dive watch?
No. It is rated to 100 m with a screw-back case, which covers swimming and snorkelling, but it has a fixed bezel rather than a timing bezel and Bulova does not certify it to ISO 6425.
