Okay, that’s it. I officially have to get my hands on one of these new Bulova Caravelle Sea Hunter dive watches. I’ve spent way too much time already shuffling through online listings trying to figure out if they’re worth a review on the site. But since the initial release in 2025, the package has become only more compelling with time. Now for 2026, the brand is refreshing the model even further with a new set of four dial colors that just scream summer. The best part is that these all start at $375, with a gold-tone model that bumps up to $395. That’s well within what we’d call an accessible range, and to me, this is exactly the kind of watch that can attract new collectors while also making its way into larger “intermediate” collections without much fuss.
If you caught my coverage of the original release last September, you already know why this line hit a nerve. Caravelle spent decades as Bulova’s affordable sibling, and the Sea Hunter reissue brought back the 1969 “Devil Diver” with its cheeky 666 feet of water resistance printed right on the dial. The formula was simple and it worked. A 39mm case, a proper screw-down crown, a domed mineral crystal, and a design that looked pulled straight from an old catalog scan. It was one of the most honest value plays we saw all year.
For 2026, Bulova is adding four new references, and the split makes more sense this time around. The original launch gave us just one bare steel model sitting next to three gold-tone and rose gold-tone variants. Now the ratio flips, with three new steel models and a single gold-tone option, all on bracelets. The steel trio includes a bright orange dial that will draw immediate Doxa comparisons, a robin’s egg blue that reads more modern than vintage, and a tonal forest green that’s probably the safest pick of the bunch. The gold-tone version pairs a beige dial with a brown bezel, and it carries a little of that ’70s root beer character.
Everything else carries over unchanged. Inside is the same Miyota 8215, which Bulova rates at 42 hours of power reserve, and you still get 200 meters of water resistance along with the luminous pearl set into the bezel pip. The warm, faux-patina lume returns on the hands and printed indices across all four models. It worked well against the original black dial, and I’m genuinely curious how it plays against something as loud as that orange. Sometimes these choices look great in press photos and strange in person. We’ll see.
The blue, orange, and green models come in at $375, with the beige gold-tone at $395, and all four are available now. Meanwhile, the original four references are still available and in some cases, discounted on Bulova’s site, so history suggests these new colors won’t hold full retail forever. Either way, I think I’ve officially run out of excuses. One of these needs to land on my desk for a proper review, and right now the blue is calling. Ask me again next week.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.