Bulova Proves Field Watches Don't Need to Be Big With The New A-11 Jimmy

Somewhere along the way, field watches forgot what they were for. The category has drifted to 40mm, 42mm and beyond, growing even more in the third dimension, with thicknesses that starts being anoying. Sure, that big brand that loves making field watches recently noticed that their watches have been growing out of control, and have released smaller stuff, but I wish more went back to their small and light purpose-built. Bulova was one of three American companies, alongside Elgin and Waltham, making the original A-11 for US forces in the Second World War, and its new A-11 Jimmy is a direct reference to those watches. Sure, at 37mm it's not as small as the original, but it balances a sensible size, provenance and decent pricing for a nice package.

The stainless steel case is 37mm wide, up from roughly 32mm on the wartime watches. That's a reasonable concession to modern wrists, and still smaller than almost every field watch launched in the last decade. The coin-edge bezel, fluted crown and curved lugs are all direct quotes of the original, and the caseback is engraved with a reference to the US Government specification. There's a sapphire crystal on top, and you get 50 meters of water resistance.

The black dial follows the A-11 layout exactly: white hour numerals, a railroad minute track around the edge and minute markers at 10-minute intervals. Sword hands for hours and minutes, and a thin needle for seconds, and the hands are treated with Super LumiNova.

Inside is the Miyota calibre 9039, an automatic beating at 4Hz, with 42 hours of power reserve. Miyota and Bulova are both Citizen Group brands, so the pairing makes sense. While previous A-11 versions came on nylon NATO straps, this one gets a very cool khaki woven two-piece strap with a steel pin buckle and quick-release spring bars. It looks far more like the real thing used on the orginal.

The Bulova A-11 Jimmy, reference 96A354, is available now, priced at $795. See more on the Bulova website.