Bullhead.

A bullhead is a chronograph that puts its main crown and pushers up at the top of the case. It changes the whole silhouette. The controls become part of the architecture rather than something tucked neatly out of the way.

Here the 43.5mm stainless steel case has wide shoulders, brushed surfaces and polished edges. It is unashamedly substantial. There is a pleasingly industrial quality to it, particularly when the light catches the contrasting metal finishes.

There is also an extra crown for the rotating inner scale. None of this is especially subtle, but it has a coherent look. The watch knows what it wants to be, and the case is easily its defining feature.

The dial is not trying to win any awards for minimalism. Three registers, a date window, a dense outer scale, applied markers and a set of red hands all compete for attention. On paper that sounds exhausting. In front of you, the silver-and-black contrast pulls it together rather nicely.

The concentric finishing in the subdials is the detail that caught my photographer’s eye. Under directional light the circles suddenly give the face more depth, while the red elements provide just enough contrast to stop everything disappearing into the black.

The inner scale carries speed and pulse markings. It is a lovely piece of visual theatre, even if I doubt it will be getting daily practical use from me. The finer numerals are small and the face takes a little longer to read than a simple three-hander. That is part of the trade-off for this much personality.

The watch arrived on Richurus’s black perforated leather strap, finished with red stitching. I want to be clear about this: the leather is good. It has a proper feel to it, it suits the retro racing theme and it makes the watch look a little more sporting and less like a solid block of metal.

But I kept looking at that case and thinking it needed the matching steel bracelet. So I bought one. My money, not part of the gift.

For me, the bracelet makes the whole design feel more complete. The brushed metal flows from case to wrist without a visual interruption, and the Bullhead feels like one deliberate object rather than a watch head attached to a strap. That is purely a matter of taste, of course. I would not criticise anyone for preferring the leather. It is a different look, not an inferior one.

Inside is the Seiko VD53 quartz chronograph movement. It gives the Bullhead its stopwatch functions, 24-hour subdial and date without asking you to wind or reset a mechanical watch every time it comes out of the box.

And that last point matters more to me here than any romantic argument about mechanical movements. This is a watch I reach for occasionally. When I open the watch box, pick it up and put it on, the time always seems to be pretty much spot on.

That is an impression from wearing it over time, not a formal accuracy test with a timing machine or recorded daily deviations. But as an ownership experience it has been rock solid. Sometimes practicality is the better luxury.

If I am picking faults, the Bullhead is probably ever so slightly too big for me. Part of that may simply be the size, but I suspect it is also the way the bullhead layout changes the visual balance. Those controls at the top and the wide metal shoulders make it look more imposing than the numbers alone suggest.

It has weight and presence. The watch does not vanish beneath a cuff or quietly disappear from your thoughts. If you are looking for an all-day, put-it-on-and-forget-it piece, I would look elsewhere.

But take it out for dinner or a social event and it begins to make much more sense. People notice it. They ask what it is, who makes it, why the buttons are in that position and where it came from. It has started conversations that another anonymous round sports watch probably would not.

The most obvious compromise is wearability. Even with that relatively short body, the wide case and top-mounted controls give it the sort of presence that will divide opinion. It sits right on the edge of what I personally enjoy wearing.

The dial is also relatively busy, and the mineral crystal is a more modest choice than sapphire. Those are worth knowing before falling for the looks. The steel bracelet, which I prefer aesthetically, was an additional purchase on top of the watch that Richurus supplied.

What saves the Bullhead from being a novelty for me is that the personality is backed up by a dependable quartz movement, decent finishing and two genuinely different ways to wear it. It is not trying to be everything to everyone, which is probably for the best.

The Richurus Bullhead Chronograph is not the most comfortable or discreet watch I own. On some days it feels a little too big, and I do not find myself reaching for it when I want something that will simply disappear on my wrist.

But that is not really its job. This is a watch I put on when I want to wear something interesting. The black dial, red accents and broad brushed case make a strong visual combination. The steel bracelet, which I bought separately, ties it all together in a way I particularly enjoy. The leather remains a perfectly good alternative when I want a slightly different character.

It has been reassuringly accurate whenever I have taken it out of the watch box, and it has an almost unfair ability to attract questions. I have enjoyed that more than I expected.

It is different without being difficult about being different. Which, admittedly, is harder to write than it is to wear.

I would not make it my only watch. I am rather glad it is one of them.

Disclosure: Richurus gifted me the Bullhead Chronograph reviewed here. I purchased the matching Richurus stainless steel bracelet myself. The views and conclusions are my own.

A watch with this many crowns, pushers and numbers was never going to escape the attention of our resident green-suited interrogator.

He has been asking what all the buttons do. I explained. He is now asking whether the watch is trying too hard not to try too hard.

I really should stop inviting him to shoots.