Collection: Bulova Lunar Pilot Watches

Bulova Lunar Pilot chronographs

On August 2, 1971, during the Apollo 15 mission, a Bulova chronograph was worn on the moon. The Lunar Pilot brings that design back in the original’s 43.5mm case under sapphire crystal, driven by Bulova’s high-performance quartz, which runs at 262 kHz.

The watch from the moon

Bulova describes the original as engineered for the demands of the lunar environment, and the Lunar Pilot keeps its shape: the same 43.5mm steel case, a chronograph with six hands, and luminous hands and markers. Under the flat sapphire crystal, the chronograph’s seconds counter sits at 3 o’clock.

The models

• 43.5mm on a steel bracelet: black, silver-white or red dials, and a blue limited edition. The Lunar Pilot 98K112 is the silver-white version.
• 45mm Special Edition: a larger black-dial version on a leather strap.
• 41.2mm Black Hole limited edition: the first Lunar Pilot made in 41mm, in matte black ion-plated steel with a polished bezel and matching pushers, 13.05mm thick, made in an edition of 6,000 and water resistant to 100 metres. It is the one to look at if you were searching for a smaller Lunar Pilot.

The blue 43.5mm and the 41.2mm are limited editions; you’ll find them with other makers’ in our limited editions.

The movement

Bulova’s high-performance quartz runs at 262 kHz, about eight times the frequency of a standard quartz movement, which is where its accuracy comes from. The chronograph counts in twentieths of a second, so a timing can be read finely. As with any quartz watch, plan on a battery change every few years, and have the seals checked at the same time.

Wearing it

The 43.5mm Lunar Pilot is a substantial watch: Bulova lists about 185 g on the bracelet, and it suits a medium to large wrist. The 41.2mm is lighter, at about 167 g, and on a wrist of 16.5 to 19 cm, where our guide to finding your case size suggests about 38 to 42mm, it will usually sit more comfortably. Most versions are water resistant to 50 metres, which Citizen’s chart, the one we follow for every brand, rates as fine for swimming, not snorkelling. Don’t press the chronograph pushers underwater. For other watches in the same spirit, see our men’s pilot watches.

Questions

Is this the exact watch worn on the moon? It is Bulova’s re-edition of it: the same 43.5mm case size as the original, with a modern high-performance quartz movement inside.

How do I read the subdials? The central hand counts chronograph seconds and the subdials add up the minutes and hours. Our guide on how to read a chronograph walks through it.

Bracelet or strap? The 43.5mm and 41.2mm versions here are on steel bracelets that close with a push-button deployant clasp, and the 45mm Special Edition is on a leather strap.

Which Bulova chronograph should I pick for the water? The Lunar Pilot is mostly rated to 50 metres. If you want a sports chronograph that can go snorkelling, the 45mm Series C chronographs in the Bulova Marine Star line are rated to 200 metres.