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This Budget Moon Watch Contains a Piece of Actual Space Rock
From the moon to meteors.
When it comes to the “cool” factor of watches, it’s hard to beat watches that have been to outer space. Why do you think Omega has built up the Speedmaster Moonwatch as its flagship model over the past half-century? But Omega isn’t the only watch brand to have gone to space, nor is the Speedmaster the only watch to have been worn on the moon.
For the past few years, enthusiasts in the know have recognized Bulova’s Lunar Pilot as a great budget alternative to the Speedy. It’s based on a Bulova prototype that was worn on the lunar surface by astronaut Dave Scott during 1971’s Apollo 15 mission after the crystal popped off his NASA-issued Omega. Bulova’s modern reissue of that watch has proven to be a hit and is fast becoming the American heritage brand’s own flagship watch. And now Bulova has made the Lunar Pilot even cooler by adding a real artifact from outer space to the watch.
Moon, meet meteorite
The latest version of the Lunar Pilot features a dial made from a slice of the Muonionalusta meteorite, a 4.5-billion-year-old former celestial object that crash-landed on Earth over a million years ago and was discovered near the border of Sweden and Finland in 1906.
Meteorite dials have popped up on watches from many brands, but the Lunar Pilot’s connection to outer space makes this release extra interesting (for what it’s worth, you can also get a Speedmaster with a meteorite dial). Meteorite dials have more going for them than just their otherworldly origin. They also feature a striated crystalline pattern called the Widmanstätten texture that is unique to every watch and can’t be replicated, making each meteorite dial an original work of art.
But wait, there’s more
Bulova didn’t just slap a meteorite dial on the Lunar Pilot and call it a day (though that probably would’ve been enough, to be honest). This new Lunar Pilot also features a case made from Grade 5 titanium. It’s the second time we’ve seen the lightweight, premium material used for a Lunar Pilot case — the first being a titanium and gold anniversary edition in 2021 that has since sold out — and the first time the material has shown up on a Lunar Pilot in the smaller, more wearable 43.5mm case size that was introduced in 2022.
The watch also comes on a black NATO strap made from leather rather than nylon, but inside is the same familiar high-frequency quartz chronograph caliber that powers the other Lunar Pilots. A Bulova-exclusive movement, the HPQ NP20 caliber beats at a whopping 262khz, providing a perfectly smooth sweep for the chronograph hand and making the watch accurate to within a few seconds per year.
Sounds expensive…
Indeed, these premium changes don’t come cheap. The Bulova Lunar Pilot Meteorite is limited to 5,000 numbered pieces and is priced at $1,495, which is more than double the SRP of the standard Lunar Pilot 43.5mm on a strap.
Bulova Lunar Pilot Meteorite
Specs
| Case Size: | 43.5mm |
| Movement: | Bulova HPQ NP20 high-frequency quartz chronograph |
| Water Resistance: | 50m |