In the 1960s and ’70s, American watch brand Bulova was a frequent partner with NASA’s space programs, and personally gifted a one-of-a-kind, customized chronograph watch to the commander of 1971’s Apollo 15 mission, Colonel Dave Scott, in 1971. This historic timepiece, which was engineered specifically to withstand lunar conditions, became the first Bulova watch to be worn on the moon. At a recent auction, the watch — whose cloth strap bore the wear and tear of re-entry and whose dial still showed traces of lunar dust — sold for a record $1.62 million. This year, Bulova launches a replica of its first “moon watch,” updated with modern technological advances and at a decidedly down-to-earth price.
The Bulova Special Edition Moon Watch Chronograph is aesthetically a very faithful re-creation of the original, but is outfitted with a modern, exclusive UHF (Ultra-High-Frequency) quartz movement, which Bulova says gives the watch an extremely high degree of timekeeping accuracy, losing just seconds per year. It also powers a continuous sweep seconds hand for the chronograph function, a feature rare in quartz chronograph watches. The classical tricompax dial features what the brand calls “super-luminous” treatment on the hands and hour markers and is surrounded by a tachymeter scale for calculating speeds. One other consolation to modern tastes and convenience is the small date window at 4:30. The brushed stainless steel case, equipped with the model’s very distinctive elongated chronograph pushers, is water-resistant to 50 meters.
Like the original watch, a prototype that was given to Scott — the seventh man to walk on the moon and the first to drive the lunar rover — and never made available commercially, the replica version of the Bulova Moon Watch comes with two interchangeable straps, one in textured leather and the other an old-school textile strap with hook-and-loop fastener. Available now at retail, the watch carries a retail price of just $550.
Below please find some original photos we snapped of the Moon Watch in Bulova’s exhibition booth at Baselworld 2016.
I just purchased one ! I owned a Omega Speedmaster moon watch in 1970 unfortunately it was stolen In 1990 I bought 2 consecutive Omega moon watches from two different authorized dealers unfortunately both chronograph stop working on their own without the pusher touched fully would I’ve read in forms that this can be a problem with the manual wind speed master so at the price I think I’ll have some fun with this Bulova and I don’t expect it to stop running until the battery dies I am very happy I didn’t have one of those Omega’s on the face of the moon and was only timing a steak on my barbecue grill when they stopped !! LOL
Got one today for my 45th birthday,I was 3 days old when Apollo 15 mission was lunched.
That is the way to commemorate the 45 year old event.
Very accurate movement that will be maintenance free for a very long time.
Amen.
It looks pretty but its quartz! No one really interested in a quality watch is going to buy a bloody quartz offering. Money spent on quartz is money wasted
Amen
550us is pretty respectable for a high frequency watch that also has history and a lot of high quality material for this price. I think your comment is justified and has very little backup. This watch requires little to no maintenance and has been proven so far for better accuracy than the Omega Speed Pro. I would suggest you start reading more on the subject .
Amen. I own Omega, Fortis, and Certina automatic chronos but I love the quality and super accuracy of my 5 Bulova UHF/Precisionist watches. Many 1/1000 second analog chronos.
When will the new Bulova be available for purchase and where?
How did Omega feel about Bulova’s watch being worn on the moon? Why didn’t Bulova cash in on that news from a marketing move? As an Omega collector I was totally unaware of Bulova’s moon watch until now…It does seem very good value for money-I’m tempted, but I think I would separate it from my Speedmaster Moonie!
My understanding is the plexiglass crystal on Scott’s Omega popped out so he wore his personal Bulova on the mission.
This is true!!! They both are great watches, but he still wore a Bulova.
This watch was an unauthorized stowaway that never passed the 1972 NASA tests. Word has it that the original contained a Universal Geneva movement since Bulova didn’t make a chronograph. The pressure to have a Bulova was probably Omar Bradley who was CEO of Bulova and was a “Buy America” advocate for the space program. Just my opinion. And…no wonder the movement in the present watch is a quartz movement. They would’t want to reuissue it with the original Swiss movement.
I seriously doubt a Bulova restraint to be associated with a Swiss movement. After all, they proudly sell their Accu-Swiss brand, and make a a marketing statement to peddle “Swiss Made”.
OPEN LETTER TO BULOVA, Please Bulova beg, borrow, steal or reinvent the eco/solar recharable watch face and add to your line of clean sweep quartz as its the ONLY missing feature that i dearly love that MISSING. Its not like i haven’t emailed you, posted on every forum and generally made a nuisance of myself but its a MUST as a +10&> year battery life should be the norm by now!
It looks like I’m going to be making room in my watch case for a new Bulova. A sweet looking timepiece.
great piece. where and when is it available?