Bulova Chronograph Stainless Steel and Leather Moon Men's Watch- 96B251

Awesome

Qualite vraiment top pour une montre de ce prix Finitions agreable, mouvement du chrono superbe Le coté historique Deux bracelets dont unNATO tres sympa Bref cette bulova lunar est une réussite

It's hard to imagine a better deal than that offered by Bulova for this watch. Often what sets a watch apart from countless other similar watches is the "story" behind the watch. Whether it's the Rolex worn by Sean Connery, the Tag Heuer worn by Steve McQueen, or the Cartier worn by JFK. The most sought after watches have a story. Indeed, one of the most sought after watches is an Omega Speedmaster Professional. This is the watch worn by the American Astronauts for the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions, and until recently, were the only watches ever to make it to the moon. However, owning a "speedy" will set you back several thousand dollars, but that's what you need to spend to get a "moon watch". Up until now. The story goes that David Scott, commander of Apollo 15 was given a Bulova prototype to "test" while on mission. While he did not plan on actually "testing" the watch, he did put it in with the rest of his stuff as backup. As luck would have it, it was needed as his Speedmaster failed when the crystal popped out, and Scott wore the Bulova on the moon for EVA 3 and on the return trip. That watch recently sold for 1.6 MILLION dollars in auction and is the only privately owned watch that has been on the moon. Bulova has taken that story and created an homage to that prototype. The Lunar Pilot is the result. Even without the space pedigree, this is one special watch. It's quartz movement beats at 8 times the normal frequency giving the watch an accuracy of approximately 10 to 15 seconds a YEAR vice the normal 10 to 15 second a month variance on normal quartz watches. This movement also features a second hand that ticks every half second and a sweeping chronograph hand that is normally found only on mechanical watches. Encased in it's bead blasted stainless steel case, the watch is 45mm wide which makes it a large watch. The watch is capped by a thick sapphire crystal, and the back is engraved with the mission information from the Apollo mission. The face detail is exquisite. Instead of a "flat face" like on many watches, the seconds marker track is recessed, and the face is raised. The 5 min lume markers are raised further on the base and the subdials are slightly recessed into the dial. This type of detail is rarely found on a watch of this price point. A date window between the 4 and 5 position discreetly gives the day of the month. The subdial at 3 o'clock is used for measuring 1/20th seconds in chronograph mode while the 9 o'clock subdial shows minutes elapsed. The 6 o'clock subdial shows running seconds for timekeeping and remains moving whether or not the chronograph is in operation or not. The watch is very clean and legible as would be expected for a watch designed for space travel. In fact the face is much like an Omega Speedmaster, not due to any copyright infringement, but rather due to the necessity of maintaining the NASA specifications already laid forward. The case design, however is very distinctive with recessed pusher bars that pivot for the chronograph functions. It's easy to see that these pusher bars were designed specifically to be operated by a large gloved hand. The watch itself is water resistant to 50 meters, but really isn't designed for water sports. This version of the watch comes with two straps, a leather strap and a fabric strap that is reminiscent of the NASA strap used by the astronauts. A strap removal tool is also included along with a certificate of authenticity and booklet describing the history of the watch. This watch also comes with a stainless steel bracelet version, but they are not interchangeable as the lug holes are in different locations for both watches. Even without it's interesting inspiration, this watch would be a bargain. The accuracy of 10 sec a year makes this one of the most accurate watches you can reasonably own. The attention to detail of this watch rivals that of much more expensive watches. The fact that it comes with such an interesting back story makes it a must for anyone who values unique and collectible time pieces. And you don't have to plop down several thousand dollars to do so.

Superb provenance, beautiful design, great price.

Loved the watch you can really feel the quality and pedigree. The background story is very cool but unfortunately too big for my wrist had to return it.

Consegnato esattamente nei tempi previsti, corrispondente alla descrizione, nuovo di magazzino con pellicole e protezioni al loro posto; la scatola era ancora sigillata. Come indicato, nella bella confezione era presente il secondo cinturino EVA, l'accessorio per il montaggio e anche l'opuscolo che racconta la storia in lingua inglese. I materiali e le caratteristiche costruttive sono di alto livello, questo unito al calibro ad alta frequenza ne fanno un oggetto di pregio. Non mi dilungo sulla sua storia legata alle missioni lunari, già descritta con cura e dovizia di particolari in altre recensioni presenti, ma riassumendo per me è sicuramente un orologio di qualità e con una grande storia, penso che valga tutti i soldi spesi e anche di più. Molto consigliato.