M. B. 07/27/24
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Great Watch & Fun Homage to History

There's a lot of things to love about this watch if you have a big wrist and like a hefty watch. The watch is 45mm and weighs in a bit over 3½oz with a Nato strap. It works well for those of us with thick arms and wrists. I'm about 5'10" and weigh 190lbs. I have a 8¼" wrist and this watch looks and feels good on my wrist. My brother is 6' even, 160lbs and has a 6¾" wrist. He didn't like the feel of the lugs on his wrist. The case is completely mirror polished. It gives the watch more of a dressed up feel than a brushed or mate case. The juxtaposition of the mirror case and the Nato strap seem a bit much. I replaced the strap with a padded black calf-skin strap. The new strap matches the case polishing a bit better IMHO. The high-frequency movement keeps awesome time. I have had the watch for about 2 months. It has gained about 1 second (if that). This is a true set it and forget it time piece.

Karl 04/21/22
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Functional Beauty

I have admired the Lunar Pilot for years. I would check it out online every few months watching for a good price. Over the last year I discovered how comfortable and versatile NATO straps are, so when I saw the Lunar Pilot offered on a NATO strap for such a low price I finally bought it. There are so many things to love about the Lunar Pilot. First, there is the history represented by this watch. Second, the accuracy of the 262.144 kHz quartz movement powering it (mine is running exactly on time after 1 month). Last the impeccable styling, from the placement of the sub-dials to the excellent visibility of the white on deep black color scheme. Honestly, the Lunar Pilot looks so much better in person, than the pictures show on the site. More specifically, this version has several features that make it superior to the previous (date) version for me. In no particular order: No date - Less really is more! The removal of the date window gives the watch dial back a cleaner, symmetrical, less cluttered look. Return to the older font - I really like the simpler font for the "BULOVA" name. The polished case - Wow, so nice to see a polished case in this world of bead blasted and brushed steel watches. It makes the watch look really classy and more expensive than it's price. The single pass nylon NATO strap is thick and well made. The second keeper could be placed closer to the primary, but it's a minor quibble for me. The only weak element is the lume, which could be brighter. Still, a real winner! Cool, cool, cool. Thanks Bulova

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80Hokie 09/24/21
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Purchased on 50th Anniversary of the Flight

I was fascinated with Apollo in my youth. This was an opportunity to capture a memento of that era. Excellent watch looks much more expensive than its price The larger size is not an issue - The no-bezel appearance of the flat sapphire makes it look bigger than it wears. Flawless execution and ultra-accurate. This will be my reference piece to keep my automatic collection on time.

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Opus 04/24/19
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Lunar Pilot - Updated edition

Of course with a new version of this watch, I had to pick it up. I kind of have an unhealthy obsession with this particular watch. I have the previous 3 editions and so this one was a no brainer. Physically the movement is the exact same as the other three watches. The dial on this version is the same as the Ion Plated Black edition, in that it has no Date window and the older Bulova font. The watch itself is still a beauty to behold and one of the more accurate watches one can own at this price point. The major difference in this version over the others is the highly polished silver tone Stainless Steel case. The original had a bead blasted case with some brushed highlights, This case is highly polished, which while attractive in itself, the watch does some issues. 1. The high level of polish makes it hard to find an alternative band for this watch. You are pretty much locked into the band provided. Most NATO's don't use polished metal for their construction, so putting it on a 3rd party NATO will result in a pretty extreme clash in finish. 2. The second keeper has the same issue as on the leather NATO included on the Black version of the watch. The keepers are about an inch apart. If your wrist is wide then you will have to deal with excessive strap flapping about. That being said the highly polished case is very attractive as is the included NATO style band. Purists will love that it retains the older "date free" dial of the original watch but might not be so enthused that the original bead blasted finish wasn't retained. This will probably be the last version of this watch I purchase. I have more than enough versions to match whatever mood I might be in regarding this watch. I say that knowing that we are only 2 years from the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 15, and it is quite likely Bulova might pull out the stops and create a 50th Anniversary edition of the Lunar Pilot, which, of course, will require me to completely rethink my decision. Until then, I still think the original "date" version with the leather and nylon straps is the definitive version of the lunar pilot. If you can get that one, I still recommend it. If not this one will fit the bill nicely.