What I’m about to tell you probably won’t come as a surprise: I like watches. Many car enthusiasts have an affinity for timepieces because of their design, mechanical nature, and craftsmanship. This year marks Bulova’s 150th anniversary, which it celebrated by releasing a line of special watches that includes a 1967 GT500-inspired Shelby Racing Chronograph. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one to review.
Bulova knows how to package the Shelby Racing Chronograph in a way that would be instantly recognizable to Shelby enthusiasts: a white box with blue stripes and the Shelby logo. To really drive home (pun intended) the connection between the horological and automotive worlds, Bulova placed the watch alongside a surprisingly detailed 1:24-scale model of the GT500, complete with a painted underbody, finely wrought door handles, and a removable metal antenna.
I’ve been a watch guy since I was a kid, when I traded marbles for cheap plastic timepieces with kids at the bus stop. As I got older, my tastes grew more sophisticated. I wore a Fossil with a moon phase subdial all through middle and high school, then leveled up to a Seiko chronograph when I was in college. After I graduated and scored my first adult job, I bought a pre-owned automatic Omega Seamaster 300M, the same model worn by Pierce Brosnan in the 1997 James Bond movie “Tomorrow Never Dies” (surprise! I’m also a big 007 fan like my fellow gearhead and Journal contributor, Andy Reid). Several years after acquiring that “grail” watch, I was lucky enough to get a deal on a mid-1990s two-tone Seamaster 120M. Over the past several years, my assortment of watches has grown thanks to my wife, brother, and friends.
I would consider most of my watches—especially those that I bought myself—relatively understated in terms of size, colors, complications, and decorative flourishes. None of them are as bold as the Shelby Racing Chronograph, which has a 43mm “bullhead” case with the crown and chronograph pushers at the top, four subdials (including one that measures milliseconds), and a blue and white rubber strap. Despite its fundamental differences from my longstanding preferences, the longer the Bulova was on my wrist, the more I liked it. It actually made me reconsider my biases. Yes, it was large and colorful and unusual, but it was also a sport watch, which can pull off bulk and flash in a way that dress watches cannot. The Shelby Racing Chronograph was also different in terms of its Precisionist quartz movement, which Bulova says is eight times more accurate that a regular quartz setup. By the time I shipped the Shelby Racing Chronograph back to Bulova, my perspective on watches had changed. One thing has stayed the same, though: I miss it.
You can learn more about the Bulova Shelby Racing Chronograph in my full video review below. If you want to buy your very own piece from the 7,500-unit production run—or you simply need a holiday gift for a loved one—buy now for $1,350.
Click above to watch our full video review on YouTube!
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