We don’t know if you’ve ever noticed something about Omega but very, very occasionally, like once in a while, they’ll mention that they made the watches that went to the moon. Yeah, I know. They’re very subtle about it. But what if we were to tell you that Bulova (Bull-over? Bullo-va? Bully’s Special Prize?) also have their own claim to the moon? That’s right. The American brand that’s a staple of shopping centres and malls, have their own lunar history and their Lunar Pilot range is their way of telling that story.
As far as the legend goes, astronaut Dave Scott packed both the standard Omega watch and a Bulova for his trip to the moon (as part of the Apollo 15 mission). The Bulova was just there as a back up but when the Omega malfunctioned (allegedly, the crystal popped right off of the case), he shoved his Bulova on his wrist and jumped into his Lunar Rover for a joyride over the moon’s surface. Like a bad man.
But it wasn’t until he sold that piece in 2015 for a cool $1.6 million that Bulova’s marketing department finally got their shit together and started to think about capitalising on the story. The first Lunar Pilot watches came out in 2016 but a little bit of legal wrangling put the brakes on that until Scott and Bulova settled out of court and then, finally, in 2021 Bulova released the next Lunar Pilot.
What they put out was a very cool chronograph watch with a tri-compax layout that was mostly notable for its glove-friendly pushers that were a lot larger than what you’d normally get. And, of course, Bulova’s smooth-sweeping high-frequency quartz movement was in evidence, albeit only when operating the chronograph function. It was neat, had a very cool story and it was a lot more affordable than an Omega. The only downside was that, as per a lot of Bulova pieces, it was the size of a tractor wheel. Well, maybe not. It was a 45mm case with a lug-to-lug of 52mm and so trying to wear that on our skinny wrists would be like watching a bird swallow a plate.
Oh well, cool story, Bulova. But we don’t want to look like we’ve borrowed our dad’s watch. Our lunar dreams were in tatters. But wait! In 2023 Bulova improved things a little and put out a 43.5mm version. The range has a black dial version, a white/blue panda one and a pretty sexy red version. We opted for the white and blue one and managed to pick it up via eBay for less than half the £599 RRP. That said, you can often find these new for under £500 at a lot of retailers.
After the box within a box unboxing experience, you’ll be faced with the watch, which comes on a steel bracelet but there’s also a spare blue NATO strap packed in there too. As right-minded people, we hate NATO straps and so that shit can stay in the box FOR THE REST OF RECORDED TIME but it at least seems like a decent quality leather effort. Also, because Bulova seem to cater exclusively to giants from the planet Garguantu X3, the bracelet is big enough for your upper arm and the spacesuit they presumably think you’ll be wearing.
So, after a quick resize we tried it on and yep, we get it. The Lunar Pilot is just a quality piece. The slightly off-white dial has a gorgeous sandy texture to it, while the bezel and compax windows offer tasteful bursts of dark blue. However, this is based on a watch that’s designed for travelling to space and so there’s a bit of detail on there to go through too. The bezel has the usual tachymeter markings that you’d expect of any watch designed to leave ground level, you get Bulova’s name printed in the top half and the chapter ring marks out the seconds and milliseconds in a nicely sunken section of the watch.
There are little details everywhere, precision markings that make the dial busy but not overly fussy while legibility isn’t an issue thanks to the plain arrow hands and baton indices which pop nicely enough and have enough super luminova on there for a quick night time glance (although we’d like a bit more lume on there for sure). And aside from the logo, it’s all numbers on this thing apart from the ‘262 kHz’ marking written in a rather unpleasant italic font that Bulova insist on using quite often.
That refers to that high-frequency quartz movement which allows the seconds hand to beat sixteen times a second. And when you activate that chronograph function, it really is gloriously smooth. But it’s only something you’ll see when timing your boiled eggs or whatever. During normal operation the bottom of the three sub-dials acts as a small seconds hand, letting you keep track of seconds outside of using the chronograph.
The top two windows are used during chronograph operation with the right one acting as a 1/20 second timer while the the left counts minutes. You’d better hope whatever you’re timing only lasts up to an hour though as after that the second hand stops measuring. But despite the smooth second sweep being the main event, our favourite thing about operating the chronograph was those big blue pushers. They’re just so easy to use with the top one starting the timer and the bottom one resetting it. Also, they add a bit of visual interest to the watch and make it very clear that this is a watch that was designed with a specific job in mind: counting up to sixty minutes while in space. Niche.
The bracelet is a decent, solid affair with a mix of brushed and polished sections on the links, a solid – if awkward – push-button deployment clasp and quick-release to allow you to switch over to that strap if you want to change up your look. But on the bracelet, it all looks very stylish, practical and, for want of a better phrase, grown up. This is definitely a man’s watch. But not men like us who create websites and shit, we’re talking about men who fly shit and know how to lay a patio. Real men.
Bulova also double down with the whole moon thing with a cool inscription on the back which shows the Bulova tuning fork logo before giving a few mission details about Apollo 15. This is the one time that we’re glad there isn’t a display caseback because this adds a bit of extra history and authenticity to the piece. Also, it’s still a quartz so there’s no need to see the internals anyway, but regardless, this is a very cool detail.
For us, it’s almost perfect. It’ll certainly be perfect for others but our minds race at the possibilities. If this was in a 39-40mm size with a date complication and a second hand that always swept, as per their Jet Star range, we’d maybe need another watch ever again.
The ‘Ten Watch Box’ Verdict: So, will it hold down a place in our ten watch display case? By all rights it should, but it’s maybe not the right watch for us and we’ve just ordered a Bulova Jet Star which provides some of the features we want but, obviously, loses that space-faring history. That said, this is a great watch which will no doubt be a perfect piece for many collectors.
Availability/Options: You can buy these either directly from Bulova or from various retailers. It’s not a limited edition and should be in stock for a long time. That said, the £599 RRP should be avoided as this comes up on sale quite often or, better, you can be often found for a steal on eBay. So do that.
Brand: Bulova
Model: Lunar Pilot
Reference: 98K112
Style: Chronograph
Case Size: 43.5mm
Movement: High-frequency quartz
Material: Stainless Steel
Band Width: 20mm
Band Type: Bracelet (Stainless Steel) and additional leather strap
Price Paid: £297 (eBay)