As someone who’s into timepieces, I know I’m biased when I say that a watch makes a great gift for a special occasion, such as Christmas or a birthday: it’s functional, attractive, and forever memorable. I am lucky to have received Orient, Seiko, Timex, Invicta, Fossil, and Citizen timepieces from my wife, family members, and friends. American watch company Bulova seems to think the same thing because it’s celebrating its 150th birthday with the release of the Shelby Racing Chronograph. Consider it Bulova’s gift to Shelby fans and automotive enthusiasts in general.
The design of the watch honors a specific time—and model—in Shelby’s history: the 1967 GT500, a high-performance version of the Ford Mustang with a 355-horsepower 428ci V8, sharper handling, and a Sebring-developed four-speed gearbox.
This Shelby is powered by Bulova’s Precisionist quartz movement, which resonates at a frequency of 262khz. According to the brand, that’s “8 times greater than standard quartz,” which makes the movement accurate to seconds a year. The 43mm stainless steel “bullhead” case features grooves on the sides and a blue and white HNBR (Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) strap, both of which echo the stripes found on various Shelby models. At the top, the center-mounted crown is flanked by the pushers for the stopwatch function. A sapphire crystal covers the black tachymeter ring, blue dial, and white subdials, the latter which includes one with the Shelby Cobra logo and another that counts milliseconds.
The caseback is marked with the Shelby logo, Carroll Shelby’s signature, and each Shelby Racing Chronograph’s individual number in the 7,500-unit production run. To really drive the connection with the ’67 GT500 home (pun intended), Bulova packages the watch in a limited-edition box right next to a 1:24-scale GT500 diecast model.
The Bulova Shelby Racing Chronograph is currently available at Bulova retailers and on Bulova’s website for $1,350. It raises a question: Would you give this watch as a present to your Shelby-obsessed friend or gift it to yourself and wear it whenever you drive your Shelby? Tell us in the comments below.
