While Omega holds the title for creating the most famous wristwatch that has been to the surface of the moon, they are not the only brand to have achieved this accomplishment. American brand Bulova had one of their watches worn on the moon in 1971, leading to the rise of a new Lunar Pilot collection of chronograph watches. However, the Lunar Pilot has historically been a large watch with a diameter of 43.5mm. Now, after feedback from collectors, they are launching the first downsized model at 41mm, called the Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole Limited Edition.
The use of a black hole theme serves a double purpose. On the surface level, it’s related to astronomy and the science of the universe, much like the study of the moon and the Apollo space missions that took us there – so there’s a thematic relevance there. More specifically, Bulova are using it as a metaphor for the fact that their role in that 1971 mission was suppressed by NASA and congress for many years.
You see, the Bulova that was worn on the moon was not NASA-issued and was the personal watch of the Apollo 15 Commander. He was forced to use it as a backup when his NASA-issued watch broke after the second of three planned space walks. After returning to Earth, the mission report had the name of the brand and the watch itself redacted, leaving only the acknowledgment that there had been a second watch. A black hole, as it turns out, is not the only thing in the universe that destroys and represses information. Eventually it emerged that it was indeed a Bulova chronograph and the brand were able to celebrate their achievement at last through the Lunar Pilot.
The Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole Limited Edition features an updated 41mm diameter and a lug-to-lug of 48mm, giving it smaller proportions compared to the existing Lunar Pilot range and improving its wearability for a wide variety of wrist sizes. For the black hole aesthetic, the case is made from stainless steel with a sandblasted, black PVD finish. The same finish is used across the 3-link bracelet, crown and chronograph pushers as well.
For the dial, they’ve used Musuo paint, an intense black colour that absorbs 99.4% of light that touches it. It’s only one step back from Vanta black, which absorbs 99.965% of light, but has the advantage of being much more accessible and easier to work with. The Musuo dial is so dark that the grey accents of the hour markers, tachymeter and chronograph subdials remain comparatively legible. The timing scales are even easier to read in high contrast white.
Powering the Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole Limited Edition is the NP20 High Precision Quartz movement. Bulova and their associated brand Accutron are the American leaders in quartz technology so it’s no surprise to see a quartz movement here. In fact, NASA began using Accutron electronic timekeeping technology in the 1950s, which is possibly why one of their astronauts owned a Bulova in the first place due to familiarity and trust.
The Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole Limited Edition is priced at £1,250 with 6,000 pieces being produced. That price is double that of the standard Lunar Pilot because of the extra PVD finishing across every surface and the use of Musuo paint on the dial. Plus, this is not a standard quartz movement, the chronograph achieves 1/20th second precision.
Price and Specs:
More details at Bulova.
