Tissot vs Bulova

The three watches, spec by spec

Read the "daily accuracy" row twice. Neither of these brands will tell you how accurately the watch is expected to run. That matters here more than usual, because this is the comparison where people assume the Swiss watch must be the better timekeeper — and there is no published figure on either side to support or refute that. The brands that do publish one at this money are Japanese, and they are ranked in most accurate automatic watches under $500.

What the 80 hours is worth on a dress watch

More than you would think, and for a reason specific to this category: a dress watch is the watch you do not wear every day. A 40-hour movement taken off on Friday evening is dead by Sunday morning, so every time you want it you reset the time and the date. An 80-hour movement is still running. That is the single most useful practical difference between the Tissot and either Bulova, and it is the argument the reserve spec is actually for — power reserve explained works through it, and best 80-hour-reserve automatics ranks everything on the site that clears it.

How Tissot gets there is covered in Powermatic 80 explained: the ETA C07.111 is a 2824-2 derivative whose frequency was lowered from 4Hz to 3Hz, with a synthetic escapement. 21,600 vph is the same beat rate as a Seiko 4R36, so this is a reserve upgrade rather than a precision one.

The documentation gap, and why it has a practical cost

Bulova naming no caliber is not merely untidy. The Miyota 82S0 that retailers attribute to the Aerojet shipped non-hacking before roughly mid-2019 and hacking afterwards, and both versions still circulate. Because Bulova publishes no caliber, a buyer cannot tell which one they will receive — and an example whose seconds hand keeps sweeping when you pull the crown is not faulty. The same uncertainty covers jewel count, beat rate and serviceability.

We also corrected a claim in the other direction, because it cuts both ways: several European retailer feeds list the Aerojet at 50m with a sapphire crystal. Bulova's own specification publishes 30m and a box mineral crystal. When a dealer and a manufacturer disagree, we publish the manufacturer. The detail is in Sutton vs Aerojet, and the general method is how to judge watch quality.

Both are 30m, and that decides more than the brand does

All three watches here are rated 30m — splashes and rain, not showers and not swimming. If you are buying one watch for everything, neither brand's dress line is the answer and the money is better spent on a 100m sports automatic; see best everyday automatic watches and water resistance ratings explained. If this is the second watch, worn with a shirt, 30m is entirely appropriate and you should spend the difference on the dial you like best.

Who should buy which

• A dress watch that is still running after a weekend off → the Tissot Le Locle, for the 80-hour Powermatic 80.
• Sapphire and a 40mm case for about half the money → the Bulova Sutton, accepting that Bulova names no caliber.
• The cheapest dressy open-aperture automatic → the Bulova Aerojet, accepting box mineral glass and the hacking lottery.
• A published accuracy tolerance at this money → neither brand. That is Orient — the Bambino V7 is the dress-watch answer, at -15/+25 and 30m.