Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Omega Speedmaster has had the "Moonwatch" nickname for decades. Omega boasts that the Speedmaster is the first and only watch worn on the moon. For many watch collectors, the Speedmaster is the holy grail of wristwatches. Imagine the shock-wave throughout the horological community as NASA astronaut Colonel Dave Scott announced that there was another watch worn on the moon. In the 1971 Apollo 15 mission, Colonel Dave Scott wore a Bulova brand chronograph to replace his NASA issued Omega Speedmaster. The story is almost too perfect: the hesalite crystal on the flight approved Speedmaster popped off so Scott replaced the Omega with his personal backup prototype Bulova watch. Not only was a Bulova wristwatch worn on the Moon but it replaced a broken Speedmaster. Scott's Bulova went secretly into a safety deposit box where it remained largely unmentioned for over 40 years. The watch was extracted from the safety deposit box and on Oct 22, 2015 put to auction. It sold for a record $1.625 million. This reproduction of the Bulova chronograph is a more "earth-friendly" variation of the 1971 wristwatch that went to the moon. Most prominently, the crystal in the reproduction is a scratch resistant anti-reflective sapphire crystal, rather than a hesalite crystal that went to the moon. Hesalite is shatter-proof, which makes it a great choice for enclosed, zero gravity environments, but sapphire is a very hard and long lasting mineral and is a great choice for surface dwelling Terrans. The movement is a Bulova patented quartz UHF. The movement is extremely accurate to seconds per year rather than by gaining or losing seconds per day like a Speedmaster. This is my 3rd Bulova and I have tested the accuracy of the UHF movements against the atomic clock at time.gov and I can attest the movements are indeed among the most accurate you will find. The dial is nearly perfect. A running second hand ticks every half-second at the 6 o'clock position. A date window appears between 4 and 5 o'clock. The lume is functional, though not the best in the industry. The tachometer hand remains stationary unlike some of Bulova's other UHF movements. When the top depressor is activated, the tachometer goes into an extremely smooth sweep. 1/10 second increments sweep at the 3 o'clock position. At the 9 o'clock position minutes are cataloged up to 60. The tachometer can be paused and re-activated by using the top depressor. The bottom depressor resets the tachometer. This is Bulova's best tachometer yet. The case is a beautiful brushed surgical stainless steel. The crown and depressors are polished. There is a bit of play/wiggle on the depressors, but the lack of precision on the depressors does not have any negative impact to the function. The crown does not screw down. The top of the crystal sits about 1mm above the rest of the case. The case back is sharply engraved with the Bulova tuning fork logo. There is an inked memorial of the 1971 Scott moon eva. Overall, the wristwatch looks very classic but is also fresh in all the right ways. This Bulova wristwatch might lack intricacy of an automatic or the exclusivity of a brand 10 times the price, but with the history and brilliant execution of this watch, it is worthy of the wrist real-estate of the most discerning enthusiast.