Quick Verdict
The Sutton does one thing nothing else in this database does: it puts an open aperture on the dial so you can watch the balance wheel run, in a rectangular case, on a leather strap. Bulova names the calibre — the 82S0, 42 hours — which is more than it does for its own Surveyor. The costs are a mineral crystal instead of sapphire and 30 m of water resistance, and Bulova does not publish a price on the page we verified.
At a Glance
- Typical street price
- Not published
- Movement type
- Automatic
- Power reserve
- 42 hours
- Case width
- 33 mm
- Lug-to-lug
- —
- Crystal
- Curved mineral
- Water resistance
- 30 m (98 ft)
Design
Rectangular cases have almost disappeared from the affordable end of the market, which is most of the appeal here. The case is silver-tone steel, 33 mm across, with a black textured dial, applied Arabic numerals and an aperture at the lower centre of the dial that exposes the balance. That opening is the entire design argument: it turns a conventional dress watch into one that visibly moves.
Movement
The 82S0 is automatic with a 42-hour reserve, and the dial itself prints AUTOMATIC 21 JEWELS — which is where the jewel count on this page comes from, since Bulova's specification list does not state it. Naming the calibre matters more than it sounds: the Surveyor two entries up costs $495 and Bulova will not tell you what is inside it. Here you know.
Build Quality
This is where the price shows. The crystal is curved mineral, not sapphire, and on a rectangular dress watch the crystal is the surface that meets every doorframe. The caseback is a mineral exhibition back, so the movement is visible from both sides. Water resistance is 30 m, which in practice means handwashing and rain and nothing else.
Dial
Black and textured, with silver accents and applied Arabic numerals. The aperture sits low and just off centre, overlapping the seven and the layout is arranged around it rather than fighting it. It reads as a considered dial rather than a conventional one with a hole cut in it.
Bracelet & Strap
An alligator-grain leather strap on 22 mm lugs. That is a wide strap for a 33 mm case and it makes the leather a bigger part of the watch than the steel — worth knowing, because it also means a strap change alters the look of this watch more than it would on a round 39 mm case.
Comfort & Wearability
A rectangular case wears differently from its width: 33 mm across a rectangle covers more wrist than 33 mm across a circle, and the length is what decides whether it fits. Bulova publishes the width and the lug width and neither the case length nor the thickness, so we cannot tell you where it lands. The shape and the leather strap point at a smaller wrist; the 22 mm lugs point the other way.
Accuracy
Bulova publishes no accuracy specification for the 82S0. We have no figure to quote and will not estimate one.
What we like
What we like
- An open aperture showing the balance wheel, which almost nothing at this level offers
- Rectangular case at 33 mm wide — a shape and a size the market barely serves any more
- Named calibre with a 42-hour reserve, unlike Bulova's own Surveyor
- Mineral exhibition caseback as well, so the movement is visible from both sides
What we don't like
- Curved mineral crystal, not sapphire, on the most exposed surface of a dress watch
- 30 m water resistance — handwashing only
- Bulova publishes no price, no case length, no thickness and no weight for this reference
- 22 mm lugs on a 33 mm case make the strap visually dominant
Who Should Buy It?
Someone who wants a rectangular dress watch and finds the usual ones inert — the open balance is a genuine reason to choose this over a plain rectangle. Also anyone who wants a named, visible automatic movement at the bottom of the market.
Who Should Skip It?
Skip it if the watch will be worn daily on a hard-working wrist: mineral crystal and 30 m is a careful-wear specification. Skip it if you need to know the price before you shop, because Bulova does not publish one here.
Best Alternatives
Three watches worth weighing up before you commit.
How It Compares
Bulova Sutton Automatic
1 categories won
Orient Bambino Version 2
0 categories won
- Typical street price
- Not published
- $145
- Movement type
- Automatic
- Automatic
- Caliber
- 82S0
- F6724
- Power reserve
- 42 hoursWinner
- 40 hours
- Stated accuracy
- Not published
- -25 to +35 seconds per day (Orient specification)
- Case width
- 33 mm
- 40.5 mm
- Case thickness
- —
- 12.2 mm
- Lug-to-lug
- —
- 47 mm
- Crystal
- Curved mineralEven
- Domed mineralEven
- Water resistance
- 30 m (98 ft)Even
- 30 m (98 ft)Even
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator-grain leather strap
- Brown leather strap
- Weight
- Not published
- 68 g
- Style
- Dress
- Dress · Everyday
- Recommended wrist
- Small · Medium
- Small · Medium
- Selection Score
- Not published
- Not published
Final Verdict
The Sutton is the most interesting-looking watch Bulova sells at this level and the least robust. Everything spent went into the shape and the aperture, and nothing went into the crystal or the sealing. If a dress watch in your life means a shirt cuff and a desk, that is a reasonable trade. If it means one watch for everything, it is not.
Specifications
- Brand
- Bulova
- Model
- Sutton Automatic
- Reference
- 96A269
- Collection
- Sutton
- Typical street price
- Not published
- MSRP
- Not published
- Movement type
- Automatic
- Movement
- Bulova 82S0
- Caliber
- 82S0
- Power reserve
- 42 hours
- Stated accuracy
- Not published
- Balance spring
- Not published
- Case width
- 33 mm
- Case thickness
- —
- Lug-to-lug
- —
- Lug width
- 22 mm
- Weight
- Not published
- Case material
- Silver-tone stainless steel
- Crystal
- Curved mineral
- Water resistance
- 30 m (98 ft)
- Dial colours
- Black
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator-grain leather strap
- Bracelet material
- Leather
- Clasp
- Not published
- Date
- No
- GMT
- No
- Chronograph
- No
- Style
- Dress
- Recommended wrist
- Small · Medium
- Country of origin
- United States
- Released
- Not published
- 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.
- View at Bulova
Bulova
Not published
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the opening on the Bulova Sutton 96A269 dial?
It is an aperture that exposes the balance wheel of the movement. Bulova describes it as an open aperture showing the balance wheel; it is a window onto the running movement, not a subdial.
What movement does the Sutton 96A269 use?
Bulova's calibre 82S0, automatic, with a 42-hour power reserve. The dial prints AUTOMATIC 21 JEWELS.
Does the Sutton 96A269 have a sapphire crystal?
No. It is curved mineral, front, with a mineral exhibition caseback at the rear.
How big is the Bulova Sutton 96A269?
33 mm wide with 22 mm lugs. It is a rectangular case, and Bulova does not publish the length, the thickness or the weight.
Can you wear the Sutton 96A269 in water?
It is rated 30 m, which covers handwashing and rain. Not swimming, not showering.
