Fabulous Watch for the Money
I absolutely love this watch , more than my Omegas and more than my previous Rolexes watches. It has a few things that I would change but overall I think the design and engineering are really excellent. Note: I think the images of this watch are graphics not photography because it looks so much better than it appears here. I purchased the nato strap version because it was cheaper but in fact it It's the only 45mm version with the polished case, which I think makes it much less utilitarian and looks more expensive. I've seen quite a few complaints about this watch being too big. It's not too big, it's just too big for the people who make that complaint. I have a 7 1/2 inch wrist and it fits me perfectly . If you have a smaller wrist buy a smaller watch. I would say this watch does need you to have at least a 7" wrist and also to have a wide wrist because of the lug-to-lug size. There is a 43.5mm version if you need smaller. The case is beautifully polished and I really like the unique style of the Chrono pushes. I've read that they were made this way for astronauts who were using thick gloves to make them easier to use, but I like the way they integrate into the case better than traditional pushes. I also like the extra large crown which again makes it very easy to use. One complaint I have is that it is only water resistant to 50 meters. This might have been good for the moon but we don't live on the moon and it would have been easy I think to have a push in crown/pushers and have at least 100M WR. I never thought I would like a Nato strap. I've always thought what's the point in putting a really cheap strap on a really nice or expensive watch? But I'm surprised that this Nato is really nice. It has leather reinforced eyelets, a nice horizontal weave and it absorbs light so it always shows as really mat black. The hardware is highly polished and matches the case. Note that if you buy the non bracelet versions of the 45mm you cannot put the bracelet on it because the lug holes are positioned differently. I don't know what genius came up with this but it's really dumb. It doesn't bother me though as this Nato strap is so nice. The face is absolutely gorgeous. The crystal sits high above the case but I've never heard of one cracking or chipping. It just makes the watch look better. The tachometer is much higher than the rest of the face; it drops to a chapter ring which in turn is lower than the main body of the face and the sub dials again are lower than the main face but not as low as the chapter ring. The hands and sub hands and all printing are all beautifully white and cleanly done. It's a wonderful design really well executed. The only thing I would change is the 60 minute subdial which I think is a little too small. The subdial hands do not have a pointer at the end of them and so it can be difficult to see exactly what minute on the 60 minute subdial they're pointing to. I would have loved a 12 hour chronograph counter instead of 1/10th Secs but I suppose that would have ruined the authenticity. I think Bulova call this movement NP20? Anyway I'm pretty sure it's made by Miyota especially for Bulova (Cal. 8136). That would make sense as Bulova and Miyota are both owned by citizen. It uses a 395 High Drain battery, perfect for chronographs. I believe this movement used to have a date and I can understand why Bulova took it off for authenticity and looks but I'm so used to having a date. So a few minor quibbles you get with any watch but nothing serious. How much do I love this watch? Well I've packed away my Omegas and I purchased a second Lunar Pilot. Nuff Said. Just remember your wrist size.