Caravelle 43B154 Desk Diver Review

EDIT 01/26/2023: I'm adding 2 additional images, one of the case back and the other a lume shot along with some comments on the lume and accuracy. I've indicated those additions by prefacing them with "EDIT:" and italicizing the text I have added.

Let me preface this by saying I am not a watch expert. I am just an enthusiast like most of us here, with that said, I do believe I can offer some insight on this watch as it does not seem to be reviewed here.

I did not know about the Caravelle brand until I found Watch Crunch. I know it's not the same company as before and the vintage watches are more desirable than the modern ones. Still, I decided to have a look at what they had to offer. That's when I came across this "diver" style watch. The dial is what caught my eye. I liked the circular engraving that gives it a look of depth and interest.

First the good.

The design is what attracted me to the watch. The dial is very good-looking and it looks better in person. the little red arrow on the second hand gives a tiny splash of color to the overall monochromatic look of the watch. The 3D look of the dial is an illusion but a very convincing illusion that I find pleasing. The markers look to be applied but I would not be surprised if that is an illusion also.

The quartz movement seems accurate enough so far. I don't know what movement is in it but being that it's a Bulova brand, which is in turn owned by Citizen, I would not be surprised to see a low-cost Miyota in it. I'll update this when I get a chance to open the case.

EDIT: I've had the watch for a week now and the accuracy of the movement seems good. The movement is still within a second of my cell phone time which I used to set the time. Extrapolating that out, it is on track to lose 4 seconds a month. I'll update this once a month has passed to see how it holds up. I also forgot to mention that it does hack. Obviously, not surprising for quartz. I also tried to open the case back but the tools I have available are not thin enough to grab hold and pry it off. I will have to get a proper case knife to open this one.

The date window is just a tad small for my aging eyes but I appreciate it nonetheless.

The case and case back are stainless steel but I can't find anything that states a steel grade.

Now the bad.

Oh boy, where do I start? The first thing you probably have already noticed, the pip at the top of the bezel is not aligned properly. I thought I could just rotate it to align it but the bezel is fake. 🤒 Someone was not paying attention when they applied the bezel "sticker". 

The crown is a tad too small and the crown guards are too big. It makes the operation of the crown, even when pulled out, a bit awkward to operate. 

The silicone strap is a dust magnet. I find myself wiping the dust off it quite a bit. It is also grippy to the point that it pulls my hair a bit. The strap is thick. I think this may help with making it last longer so it might be a trade-off that is worth the inconvenience and bulk.

The snap case back is engraved Water Resistant but has no mention of what depth. An online spec not from Caravelle or Bulova suggests it is 30M resistant but I'll keep it away from water.

EDIT: Lume is bright but loses its brightness fairly quickly. As you can see the useless pip is also luminescent and strengthens the fact that it is misaligned. I should have picked a better time to take the lume shot since you can't see the hour hand. They both have lume. I could not find any information about what type of lume is used but it is better than what is on my Invicta watches. 😂 

Overall Value

Department stores have it priced at just over USD 100. If I would have purchased it at department store prices, I would have 100% returned it.  Luckily I did not pay department store prices. I paid about 19% of the current retail price for a refurbished model on eBay. At less than half the cost of a Casio Duro, I'll forgive all the shortcomings and use it as a beater watch. Maybe being at the seller's asking price of $30 is still okay but again, with a Casio Duro hovering around $45, it is getting to be a hard sell when an extra $15 can get you so much more. 

I am clicking the option not to recommend this watch but it all depends on the price you pay for it. Get it for less than $30 and it's okay.