The “moon watch” is a name often reserved for the legendary Omega Speedmaster, a design known as the first watch worn on the moon. And yet, the Omega was not the only watch worn by the crew of the Apollo Moon missions. On August 2, 1971, Apollo 15’s mission commander David Scott became the seventh man to walk on the moon, all while wearing his beloved Bulova Lunar Pilot watch. To celebrate 50 years since this historic moment, Bulova have launched a re-edition: the Bulova Lunar Pilot 50th Anniversary Limited Edition.
Bulova’s history with space exploration is something we could go on about for quite some time. They first partnered up with NASA during the mid-1950’s when the agency asked the American watchmaker to incorporate their Accutron technology into some of the equipment being used for the space program. In total, Bulova technology was used in 46 US space program missions, but their most significant contribution was a prototype chronograph named the Lunar Pilot. The watch was gifted to Colonel Dave Scott, who would become the commander of the Apollo 15 mission. During the assignment, he was also provided with an Omega Speedmaster to wear. However, as he later described in a NASA blog: “I noticed that the crystal of my Omega had popped off sometime during the EVA. Therefore, on EVA-3, I used my backup watch.” This backup was no other than the Bulova Lunar Pilot.
Although it wasn’t the original plan, the Bulova Lunar Pilot made history as one of just a few watches to make it on the surface of the moon. During the mission, with the Bulova strapped to his wrist, Dave Scott also became the first to drive the Lunar Rover and assumed the Galileo test where he dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time. The Bulova Lunar Pilot also remains the only personally-owned timepiece to make it on the surface of the moon – with the Omega Speedmaster classed as government property. Because of this, it also meant Scott was able to sell his Bulova Lunar Pilot and back in 2015, he did just that selling it for a whopping $1.6 million.
The new Bulova Lunar Pilot 50th Anniversary watch celebrates this very model and the 50th year since it made its debut on the surface of the moon. Following suit to its historic predecessor, the limited edition of 500 pieces replicates the very same case shape and dial design but shows off with a new titanium construction and handsome gold-coloured accents. Measuring to 45 millimetre in diameter, the case is engineered from grade 5 titanium, a super lightweight and comfortable material to wear as a watch, with a gold-toned crown and pushers and a matching gold bezel. There’s also a gold-toned case back engraved with an astronaut and some lettering to commemorate the 50th anniversary and its limited edition status.
At the centre, the Bulova Lunar Pilot 50th Anniversary Limited Edition revives the original dial design with a smooth anthracite grey backdrop this time adorned with three golden subsidiary dials, golden central hands for the hours, minutes and chronograph seconds and the original Bulova logo at 12 o’clock. On the counter at 6’clock, the reference to 262 kHz refers to the use of Bulova’s proprietary high-performance quartz movement, previously known as UHF or Ultra-High Frequency movement. The quartz calibre promises an outstanding accuracy of 10 seconds of variation a year and ensures the satisfying smooth sweep of the chronograph seconds hand.
If you’d like to learn more about the Bulova Lunar Pilot 50th Anniversary watch and get your hands on your own 500 piece limited edition, head over to the Jura Watches website here or get in touch with our team by calling 01335 453453.
Specifications: Bulova Lunar Pilot 50th Anniversary Limited Edition (98A285)
- Case Size: 45mm
- Case Material: Grade 5 titanium with gold-toned case back, bezel, push pieces, crown
- Bezel: Fixed with tachymeter scale
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Non-screw locked
- Case Back: Closed with special engraving
- Water Resistance: 50 metres
- Movement: Proprietary UHF (ultra-high frequency) quartz calibre – 262 Hz
- Functions: Hours, minutes, continuous seconds, chronograph
- Accuracy: -/+ 10 seconds per year
- Dial: Anthracite grey with gold hardware and Superluminova markers
- Strap: Grey leather NATO-syle
- Buckle: Pin
- RRP: £795
- Limited Edition: 500 pieces
