At last. The lunar pilot at closest its purest form. Fits right, looks amazing. Huzzah!
It’s a beauty, for sure. Everything, except the lug size. I really think this watch would be perfect with a 22mm lug versus the 20mm it currently has. Other than that, I have no complaints about aesthetics, functionality or reliability. (It’s a Bulova!)
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.