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This Affordable, Powerful Racing Chronograph Watch Resurrects a Beloved Vintage Style

Grab the bull by the horns.

Close-up of a Bulova watch with a blue dial featuring three silver subdials, one of which has the word "SHELBY" and a cobra logo. The watch has a black tachymeter bezel with white markings and a date window showing the number 18. The case is stainless steel with a brushed finish, and the strap is blue with white stripes. A polished push button is visible on the side of the case.Bulova

By Johnny Brayson

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Most chronograph watches follow the same basic layout, with a traditional crown at 3:00 flanked on the right side of the case by chronograph pushers at 2:00 and 4:00, respectively.

But there are plenty of other ways to construct a chronograph. Sometimes, the crown is switched to the left side while the pushers are left on the right, like on the Heuer Monaco. Other chronographs are called monopushers because a singular pusher handles all chronograph functions. Sometimes, this lone pusher is integrated into the crown, which, on the new Ming Iris, is even moved to the left side of the case.

One quirky chronograph setup that was prevalent in the 1970s but is quite rare today is the “bullhead” chronograph. In this format, the chronograph pushers are mounted on the top of the case, resembling a pair of bull’s horns.

Thanks to their similarity to stopwatches, bullhead chronographs are largely associated with motorsports, and that’s especially true of Bulova’s new chronograph, which resurrects the bullhead style with some help from one of the most legendary names in automotive performance.

A close-up of a wrist wearing a sporty watch with a blue dial and four subdials. The watch has a black bezel with tachymeter markings and a blue strap featuring two white stripes. The hand is gripping a chrome car door handle, with a red car door in the background.
Bulova has a new bullhead, and it’s pretty killer.
Bulova

Cobra commander

Bulova has linked up with Shelby for its new Racer Chronograph, which takes inspiration from Carroll Shelby’s original Shelby Ford Mustang GT500 from 1967. The watch mimics the car’s recognizable blue and white color scheme on the dial and rubber strap, which also replicates the car’s racing stripes.

The racing stripes are subtly referenced on the midcase, as well, which features a pair of machined grooves that hint at the level of care and craftsmanship that’s gone into the piece. A Shelby Cobra logo sits on the dial inside the 3:00 subdial, and the caseback — which is screwed on with four exposed screws — features Shelby’s logo along with Carroll Shelby’s signature and Bulova’s 150th Anniversary logo.

Back of a Bulova watch featuring the Shelby logo, Carroll Shelby's signature, and the text "150 Bulova," "Limited Edition," "High Precision Quartz," "Sapphire Crystal," "St Steel," "Water Resist 50m," and serial numbers including "0000/7500." The watch back is silver with a polished metal finish and secured with screws.
The signed caseback, with its four exposed screws, has a high-end feel that also fits the watch’s automotive theme.
Bulova

Four silver radial-patterned subdials fill out the blue dial, with the registers at 12:00 and 6:00 tracking the chronograph hours and minutes, respectively. The 3:00 and 9:00 subdials are a bit more unusual, however.

For one, they’re both framed by screwed-on, vertically brushed blue metal scales. The one at 9 has two hands and measures both tenths and hundredths of a second, and in case that wasn’t precise enough for you, the register at 3 measures down to 1/1,000th of a second.

Close-up of a watch face featuring a Shelby logo with a cobra snake. The dial includes a 1/1000 second subdial, white and blue accents, and a date window displaying the number 16. The outer bezel shows a tachymeter scale with numbers ranging from 160 to 250. White hour and minute hands are visible.
The cobra-adorned subdial naturally tracks the most outrageous stat: 1/1,000th-seconds.
Bulova

This kind of crazy precision is made possible by Bulova’s proprietary Cal. NN10 HPQ Precisionist quartz chronograph movement, which buzzes along at an astounding 262khz. That’s 8 times faster than a standard quartz movement, granting the movement incredible precision. It’s among the world’s most accurate watch movements in the world, with a deviation rated to within just seconds per year.

As impressive as the movement is, the star of the show, as far as I’m concerned, is the case. The angular, 43mm stainless steel case is one you won’t find elsewhere in Bulova’s lineup, with its lines said to be inspired by the GT500. In addition to the previously mentioned midcase grooves, which I adore, are the headline-grabbing bullhead pushers.

A wristwatch with a blue dial and four white subdials, featuring a black tachymeter bezel. The watch has a blue strap with two white stripes running through the center. It is placed on an open magazine showing black and white images of vintage cars. A retro camera and some blurred background elements are also visible.
Four subdials and eight hands let you know this chronograph is built with performance in mind.
Bulova

They’re more contemporary than what’s seen on most bullheads, with a blocky and angular design that gives the watch an aggressive feel befitting its vehicular inspiration. The pushers — along with the 12:00 crown — are both accented with blue bumpers for added visual flair.

A black aluminum tachymeter frames the AR-coated sapphire crystal, adding more racing heritage to the piece. There’s also a round pusher at 5:00 on the case, which I assume is used to adjust the date window at 4:30. That’s the only feature I don’t love here. The date and pusher feel superfluous, both functionally and aesthetically.

Side view of a wristwatch with a silver metal case and a blue rubber strap featuring a silver clasp. The watch case has a crown and a pusher on opposite sides.
With its grooved midcase and loopless strap design, this bullhead chrono feels more premium than nearly any other modern Bulova.
Bulova

I also really like the rubber strap here. Not only is its racing stripe pattern striking and unique, but it also looks much more premium than what you’d typically see on a Bulova. It has a loopless design with a foldover clasp, as well as quick-release spring bars. Like the case design, it shows that a lot of attention to detail went into this piece, unlike many like-minded brand collabs.

Pricing and availability

A white and blue Shelby Bulova gift set featuring a model car and a wristwatch. The model car is white with two blue racing stripes running down the center. The wristwatch has a matching white and blue striped band and a blue dial with multiple subdials. The items are presented in a white box with blue interior edges and a separate white outer box with blue racing stripes and the Shelby logo.
The watch includes a diecast model of the Shelby muscle car that inspired it.
Bulova

The price of this piece might raise a few eyebrows, as Bulova lists the Shelby Racer Chronograph at $1,350. While affordable in the wide world of chronographs, it’s on the higher end for a Bulova quartz watch. But I think the impressive proprietary movement, the premium materials and the outstanding attention to detail in every aspect of the design absolutely make it worth it.

But just in case you need the pot sweetened a bit, Bulova is throwing in a 1:24 die-cast model of a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 with the watch, with the pair sitting side-by-side in a special display box. “Limited” to 7,500 pieces, the watch is available now from Bulova.

Chronograph wristwatch with a blue dial featuring four silver subdials, a date window at 4 o'clock, and a tachymeter scale on the black bezel. The watch has a silver case and a blue strap with two white stripes. The dial includes the "Bulova" logo on the left subdial and the "Shelby" logo with a cobra emblem on the right subdial.Bulova

Bulova Shelby Racer Chronograph

Specs

Case Size 43mm
Movement Bulova Cal. NN10 HPQ Precisionist quartz chronograph
Water Resistance 50m
About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.

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