Which is more expensive, Bulova or Seiko?

In our catalog the median Bulova lists at $623 and the median Seiko at $585. Bulova ranges $350–$950; Seiko ranges $250–$3,300.

Which holds its value better, Bulova or Seiko?

On eBay, Bulova watches ask a median 70% of list and Seiko watches 100%, across the references we track daily, so Seiko holds value better.

Bulova vs Seiko

Bulova is an American heritage brand, owned by Citizen, best at quartz and reissues of its history. Seiko is a vertically integrated Japanese maker that's stronger on mechanical watches.

Choose Bulova if

you want a heritage design like the Lunar Pilot or an ultra-accurate Precisionist quartz

Choose Seiko if

you want an in-house automatic and a wider choice of serious watches

Side by side

	Bulova	Seiko
Founded	1875	1881
Based in	United States	Japan
Owned by	Citizen Watch Co.	Seiko Group Corporation
Tier	Affordable	Affordable
Watches measured	9	49
List prices	$350–$950	$250–$3,300
Median list price	$623	$585
Mechanical	29%	86%
Sapphire crystal	75%	51%
Median case	40 mm	40.2 mm
Median lug-to-lug	46 mm	46.4 mm
Median thickness	13.4 mm	12.7 mm
eBay ask vs list	70%	100%
Movements by	Bulova, Miyota	Seiko

Figures cover the current watches in our catalog, not each brand's full range. eBay figures are median asking prices against list price, updated daily.

Closest head-to-head matches

For each style both brands make, the two watches closest in size.

Style	Bulova	Seiko
Dive	Bulova Oceanographer Devil Diver 41mm 96B35041 mm · — L2L · $825	Seiko Prospex 1970 Diver's Modern Re-interpretation SPB31741 mm · 46.9 mm L2L · $900
Everyday	Bulova Maquina Automatic 98A32140 mm · — L2L · $950	Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Mechanical SPB51339.5 mm · 44.5 mm L2L · $995
Field	Bulova Hack Watch 38mm 96A24638 mm · 47 mm L2L · $495	Seiko Prospex Land Mechanical 38mm SPB24938 mm · 46.2 mm L2L · $750
Sport	Bulova Marine Star Chronograph 96B25644 mm · — L2L · $550	Seiko Prospex Monster PADI Special Edition SRPE2742.4 mm · 49.4 mm L2L · $550

Questions

Is Bulova better than Seiko?: Bulova is an American heritage brand, owned by Citizen, best at quartz and reissues of its history. Seiko is a vertically integrated Japanese maker that's stronger on mechanical watches. Choose Bulova if you want a heritage design like the Lunar Pilot or an ultra-accurate Precisionist quartz. Choose Seiko if you want an in-house automatic and a wider choice of serious watches.
Which is more expensive, Bulova or Seiko?: In our catalog the median Bulova lists at $623 and the median Seiko at $585. Bulova ranges $350–$950; Seiko ranges $250–$3,300.
Which holds its value better, Bulova or Seiko?: On eBay, Bulova watches ask a median 70% of list and Seiko watches 100%, across the references we track daily, so Seiko holds value better.