Bulova Curv 41mm watch celebrates the 10th anniversary of this curved movement.
Ten years ago, while working the BaselWorld show—an institution that has since, sadly, faded into history—I stepped into the Bulova booth expecting what the brand had long been good at delivering: approachable watches with a bit of technical and design swagger. What I did not expect was to be confronted with something genuinely disruptive. That year, Bulova unveiled the CURV, introducing the world’s first curved chronograph movement. It was one of those rare Basel moments when you knew you were seeing something that would ripple through modern watch design, even if it didn’t immediately dominate the headlines.
The first Curv watch was revolutionary for its day, as the high-frequency movement was curved to fit within the ergonomic watch.
The memory that lingers most clearly is not just the watch itself, but the booth display: a life-size recreation of the curved movement, arcing dramatically through space and making its engineering logic instantly understandable. This wasn’t curvature as a stylistic trick; the movement itself—Bulova’s proprietary high-performance quartz caliber—was engineered on the curve, contouring to the watch case shape while vibrating at an unusually high 262kHz.
A decade on, Bulova marks the anniversary of that achievement with the new CURV 41mm Chronograph. The update is evolutionary rather than radical. The most noticeable change is the case size, now a more wearable 41mm, which broadens the watch’s appeal without diluting its identity. The curved architecture remains central to the experience, hugging the wrist in a way that still feels distinctive ten years later.
The new 41mm Bulova Curv watch is a more universal size.
There are practical refinements, as well. A new interchangeable strap system allows the watch to shift easily between an integrated stainless steel bracelet and a black rubber strap, subtly altering its personality. The translucent brown dial offers a partial view of the movement beneath, paired with luminous, partially skeletonized hands and applied indices for everyday legibility. (In total transparency, I am not a fan of brown watch dials unless they are extremely dark and rich in hue, but this partially translucent effect is nice.)
Inside is Bulova’s updated HPQ CURV movement (caliber NR20), maintaining the same high-frequency performance that defined the original. The movement is a three-pronged quartz crystal that boasts, as mentioned before, 262 kHz. That frequency, eight times greater than standard quartz, delivers impressive accuracy of just seconds per year and underscores Bulova’s long-standing comfort with proprietary technology.
Retailing at $1,450, the CURV 41mm Chronograph is not positioned as a retro throwback or a reinvention. Instead, it serves as a reminder of just how forward-thinking Bulova was 10 years ago—and how relevant that thinking remains.
The Bulova Curv is sold with bracelet and interchangeable rubber strap. It retails for $1,450.
