Thirty-nine millimetres of mid-century, wound by your wrist.

Thirty-nine millimetres is the diameter most dress watches were before the market inflated, and it is the number that makes the Surveyor work. Bulova lists the case at 11mm thick, which lets it sit under a cuff instead of catching on it.

The case is sculpted rather than simply round. Brushed and polished surfaces alternate along faceted edges, and the fixed bezel is shaped rather than flat, so the watch catches light along its lines rather than across a single plane.

The movement is a 21-jewel Miyota automatic beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour with a 42-hour power reserve. It is a plain, proven calibre built in enormous volume, which keeps servicing straightforward and cheap.

An exhibition window in the caseback shows it running. Forty-two hours means a watch taken off on Friday evening will usually have stopped by Sunday, so it wants regular wear or a few turns of the crown.

The Surveyor ships on a matching three-link steel bracelet with quick-release spring bars and a push-button deployant clasp. Quick release means swapping to leather takes seconds and no tools, which for a watch meant to move between office and weekend is the useful detail.

Water resistance is 30m. Bulova rates that for rain and splashes, not swimming. With a date at three, luminous hands and the bracelet, it is built for every day except the days you spend in the water.