When it comes down to talking about value watches, there are three that immediately come to my mind: Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova. All three of these watch brands provide fantastic value for what they cost. However, they have many similar features and price ranges, which is why people often compare them and wonder which brand is better. After I’ve done my research, I found the best brand out of the three.
| Brand | Typical Selling Price | Movement and Accuracy | Design And Style | Which Is Better For You? |
| Seiko | $30 – $5,361 | High Precision | Classy, sporty, and versatile | If you’re looking for: – Variety – Amazing value |
| Citizen | $50 – $2,200 | High Precision | Sporty and unique | If you’re looking for: – Innovation – Reliability |
| Bulova | $60 – $780 | High Precision | Flashy and intricate dials | If you’re looking for: – Outstanding accuracy – Bold designs |
| Winner? | Seiko |
After hours of comparing Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova, I concluded that Seiko is the best overall watch brand out of the three. Read on to see the full, in-depth comparison between Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova!
Brief Overview Of All Brands
Before diving into the deep comparison of all three brands, it’s helpful to know the background of each brand so we know their history and what they’re known for.
Seiko
Seiko has one of the most historic, innovative, and legendary backgrounds of any watch brand. The Japanese watch company started in 1881, where it was founded by Kintaro Hattori. They started making wall clocks and then began to make pocket watches before the 1900s.
Seiko then made their first wristwatch in 1924, and the brand started to take off and make many innovations for the watch industry.
Seiko made the legendary Grand Seiko in 1960, which is one of their most accurate and precise timepieces. Seiko also made the world’s first quartz watch in 1969, and the world’s first digital wristwatch in the 1970s. These are some of Seiko’s biggest accomplishments and they have accomplished much more. Seiko’s rich history makes them one of the most respected watch brands in the world.
Citizen
Citizen is the youngest brand out of the three. Officially founded in 1930, Citizen started with humble beginnings and saw slow and steady growth as they produced high-quality Japanese timepieces.
However, Citizen saw rapid growth in their popularity and reputation when they created the Parawater, which was the world’s first Japanese water and dust resistant timepiece. In addition, Citizen came up with an innovation that they are widely known for today: Eco-Drive. Eco-Drive is a solar-powered cell watch movement, which has never been seen before by any other watch brand.
Their Eco-Drive movement made them one of the most well-known watch brands in the world today because of how unique and environmentally friendly it is.
Bulova
Founded in the United States, Bulova started when Joseph Bulova opened up a small watch store in New York intending to make exquisite timepieces.
However, after Bulova made innovations to the watch industry such as the first fully electronic watch and their very own high-accuracy quartz movements, they have become a watch brand known around the world.
If you’re someone who is looking for the best affordable watch brands on the market, I have an amazing resource just for you. On another page, I compiled a full list of the best affordable watch brand you can buy (spoiler alert: Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova are all in there!). If you want to check out that page, click right here.
Price Comparison
When comparing watch brands, one major factor that determines whether a brand provides good value for its consumers.
As I’ve done research into each brand, I found the typical selling price ranges.
| Brand | Typical Selling Price Ranges |
| Seiko | $30 – $5,361 |
| Citizen | $50 – $2,200 |
| Bulova | $60 – $1,260 |
As you can see from the chart, all brands are relatively affordable compared to other watch brands on the market. When it comes down to pricing, Seiko is the clear winner in this specific category even though Citizen and Bulova have similar price ranges.
Just looking at the prices alone, you can see that Seiko offers the widest range of options to choose from whether you’re someone who’s on a tight budget or someone looking for a high-end luxury watch.
Nonetheless, for all three brands, you can get high-quality timepieces for only hundreds of dollars or even around the $100 mark, which is significantly cheaper than other luxury watch brands out there.
Movement and Accuracy Comparison
When it comes down to movements and accuracy, which is the heart and soul of the watch, you really can’t go wrong with any of these brands considering their price points.
Seiko Movements
Seiko is known for making very reliable in-house movements, which means that they provide fantastic value to their consumers.
While Seiko has great automatic and quartz movements, they are known for their most accurate and precise movement, which is the “Spring Drive” found in Grand Seiko timepieces.
“Spring Drive” is the combination of a quartz and automatic movement that gives it phenomenal precision: the quartz battery combined with the high torque mainspring gives the seconds hand a perfect swoop around the dial and is accurate plus or minus 15 seconds every month.
Citizen Movements
Citizen makes their quartz and automatic movements (and the rest of their watch components) completely in-house since they own Miyota, which is one of the largest watch manufacturing facilities in the world that has helped Citizen produce over 1.7 billion units. While they have a large abundance of watches, one would think that the quality of their movements would suffer, but it’s far from the truth.
Citizen is respected for having durable and reliable watch movements. While their movements are nothing out of the ordinary, they get the job done with style. What makes Citizen watch movements stand out is the Eco-Drive function, which I eluded to earlier in this post. Eco-Drive makes Citizen watches significantly more user-friendly and innovative.
Bulova Movements
Bulova is no slouch when it comes to their watch movements, and the accuracy of their timepieces rivals some of the best watch brands in the world.
Bulova is known for their Precisionist watch movement, which is their high accuracy quartz movement that provides a clean sweep of the second’s hand similar to Spring Drive in Grand Seiko.
However, the Bulova Precisionist movement is considered the most accurate quartz movement on the planet. The Precisionist movement is accurate to plus or minus 10 seconds every year, which is much more precise compared to Grand Seiko which is plus or minus 15 seconds every month.
Design and Style Comparison
While Seiko, Bulova, and Citizen have many similarities that make them phenomenal luxury watch brands, their style and design differentiate them from one another. One brand’s style may suit you more than another.
Seiko Design and Style
Since Seiko offers the widest range of watches compared to Bulova and Citizen, they are an extremely versatile brand. If you’re looking for something sporty, Seiko has you completely covered and has amazing sports watches like the Seiko 5, the Seiko Prospex, and their pilot watches just to name a few.
But if you’re looking for something dressy, Seiko also offers a plethora of dress watches like the Presage, which is, in my opinion, one of the best overall value watches you can ever buy. And even if you’re looking for a well-rounded overall watch, the Grand Seiko is one of the most popular and precise watches on the market.
Citizen Design and Style
The majority of Citizen watches usually have a sporty and unique design. For instance, watches like the Citizen Promaster Skyhawk, World Chronograph, and Satellite Wave are all sporty timepieces that have the unique style and flair that no other watch has.
When you wear timepieces like these Citizen watches, you are sure to not only be different but look good while doing so.
Bulova Design and Style
Bulova watches are known to have a more intricate and complex dial design compared to other timepieces.
For example, if you look at Bulova’s most popular watch models like the Precisionist, Marine Star, CURV, and Lunar Pilot, they all have intricate and complex dial designs instead of a classic and simple design.
On top of that, Bulova watches are known to be on the bolder and flashier side. The large majority of Bulova watches are made out of vibrant, colorful materials and metals, which makes them highly noticeable when you wear them.
Seiko vs. Citizen vs. Bulova: Which Is Better For You?
Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova all have their benefits and features that can cater to your style and what you’re looking for.
If you’re someone who is looking for an all-around solid and versatile watch brand, then Seiko is without a doubt the best brand to go for out of the three. Not only are they an affordable watch brand, but you can build a whole diversified watch collection with this brand alone. They also offer one of the most sought-after and precise watches on the market, which is the Grand Seiko. I would go with Seiko from the bunch.
If you’re someone who is looking for an innovative watch brand with a great amount of diversity, then Citizen is an amazing option for you. Their Eco-Drive solar-powered watches make their brand stand out above other timepieces on the market, and their reliability makes them a watch brand worth owning.
Lastly, if you’re looking for timepieces that are bold, flashy, and extremely precise, Bulova is the best option out of the three. Bulova’s Precisionist movement is one of the best in the world, and its materials and design are sure to make you stand out above the crowd.
Conclusion
Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova are amazing, affordable watch brands that give their watch wearers high-quality timepieces, and make luxury watches more accessible to the general public. Nonetheless, out of these three watch brands, Seiko comes out on top in my honest opinion.
Seiko provides more versatility and a wider range of timepieces compared to Citizen and Bulova. In addition, they provide a better bang for your buck, and if you’re ever thinking of getting a higher-end watch, they offer their world-renowned “Grand Seiko” watches, which I am a big fan of.