Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff – 07/24/2024
We first saw this latest addition to Bulova’s historic Lunar Pilot collection to dealers at the Couture Jewelry Show in Las Vegas earlier this year to dealers, celebrating the brand’s enduring legacy with NASA and the U.S. space program. “Blood Moon,” this new release, is now available to the public and builds upon Bulova’s Archive Series by reimagining the original watch that journeyed to the moon with a striking new red dial.
On August 2, 1971, during the Apollo 15 mission, the commander, the seventh man to walk on the moon and the first to drive the Lunar Rover, made history with a Bulova chronograph on his wrist. Designed to withstand the harsh conditions of space, the Lunar Pilot watch was crucial in tracking time to ensure astronauts didn’t deplete their oxygen, water, or battery power in their life support systems. It also served as a backup for the critical timers needed to reenter Earth’s atmosphere. The timepiece performed flawlessly, enduring the extreme atmospheric changes, temperature fluctuations, and gravitational shifts. Bulova celebrated this mission’s 50th anniversary in 2021, reigniting interest and excitement in the Lunar Pilot collection.
“The Lunar Pilot is one of Bulova’s most historically significant watch designs and has seen tremendous success since its release,” says Jeffrey Cohen, President of Citizen Watch America. “We will continue to expand this collection with special colors and materials to offer new variety to our customers.”
The mesmerizing phenomenon of a total lunar eclipse, known as a Blood Moon, inspired Bulova’s latest Lunar Pilot variant. During such an eclipse, the Full Moon adopts a reddish hue as the Earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon’s surface. The new Blood Moon Lunar Pilot retains the original’s 43.5mm size and features a silver-tone stainless steel case paired with a matching multi-link bracelet. Its vibrant red dial, accented with silver-white chronograph sub-dials, offers a sporty and versatile update to this iconic design. Powered by Bulova’s proprietary NP20 High Precision Quartz (HPQ) chronograph movement, accurate to 1/20th of a second, this watch is a must-have for both watch enthusiasts and space aficionados. Additional features include a flat sapphire crystal, a silver-white tachymeter scale on the outer dial, super luminous hands and markers, and 50m water resistance with a screw-down case back. This special edition is available as a strap set, including an extra black fine leather NATO strap with easy-release spring bars for effortless interchangeability. The Blood Moon Lunar Pilot is priced at $895 in special packaging with a storybook.
