by Brent Robillard
The moon watch’s darkest chapter yet
A year after Bulova reintroduced the Lunar Pilot, I fell down the rabbit hole of watch collecting. Like a lot of enthusiasts, I’m a sucker for a good story, and the Lunar Pilot has one of the best. I remember spending too much time exploring blog posts and chasing down photos of David Scott’s prototype, and learning how a Bulova chronograph unexpectedly found its way onto the Moon.
Scott’s original watch sold at auction for $1.625 million USD in 2015, and suddenly collectors everywhere remembered that the Moon wasn’t only Omega territory. Bulova had a remarkable story of its own and wisely brought it back into the spotlight.
One of my favourite early watch collecting memories came not at a meet-up or trade show, but while waiting in line at the licence bureau. The gentleman in front of me was wearing the original Lunar Pilot reissue. I don’t think he ever noticed me trying not to stare at his wrist, but I remember thinking how surreal it was to see one in person. Before then, it had only existed for me in articles, videos, and photographs. I wish now that I had said something. There had to be a story there.
So when the new Lunar Pilot Black Hole landed in the studio, it felt like an excuse to revisit that story all over again. I even rewatched First Man with Ryan Gosling for inspiration. There are plenty of Speedmasters throughout the film, of course. No Lunar Pilot—David Scott wouldn’t wear his prototype until Apollo 15 in 1971—but it still put me back into that remarkable period when wristwatches were trusted with some of humanity’s most ambitious adventures.
I mean, think about it. America was preparing to send men to the moon at the same time that Xerox was figuring out the fax machine. Crazy.
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Jeffrey Kingston on the new Blancpain Villeret
Key Features of the Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole
New case size
Here, the new threads in the Lunar Pilot story are the dial and the case size. The original reissue arrived in a hefty 45mm case, larger even than Scott’s prototype. Bulova responded in 2023 with a more historically faithful 43.5mm version complete with the vintage tuning fork logo, but plenty of collectors still wished for something smaller. At 41.2mm, the Black Hole finally answers those requests. For many wrists, including my own, it feels like the sweet spot.
The familiar asymmetric case remains, but the proportions feel much more balanced. It still has presence, but it no longer dominates the wrist. The shorter footprint also makes the bracelet feel more natural, and the 20mm lug width opens the door to plenty of strap options if you decide to swap out the bracelet.
Then there’s the dial.
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Mousa black
Bulova uses Musou paint, a coating that absorbs 99.4 percent of visible light, creating an effect that’s difficult to appreciate until you see it in person. Rather than appearing glossy or textured, the dial seems to disappear beneath the sapphire crystal. The grey Super-LumiNova markers, gunmetal tachymeter scale, and slim handset almost appear to float against a void. It’s an unusual look, but one that suits the Lunar Pilot surprisingly well. Space has always been central to this watch’s identity, and this feels like a modern interpretation that fits the narrative.
The contrasting hands remain easy enough to follow in normal light, while the recessed chronograph registers add welcome depth without cluttering the dial.
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HPQ calibre
Inside is Bulova’s familiar NP20 High Precision Quartz movement, beating at 262kHz—roughly eight times the frequency of a conventional quartz calibre. The higher frequency allows the central chronograph seconds hand to sweep smoothly around the dial, giving it an appearance closer to a mechanical chronograph than the familiar one-second tick of standard quartz.
The movement also measures elapsed time to 1/20th of a second. One clever feature is its power management. The 1/20th-second register only spins continuously for the first 30 seconds before returning to zero to conserve battery life, even though the movement continues tracking the elapsed fractions internally. Stop the chronograph, and the hand instantly jumps to the correct reading. It’s an elegant solution that most owners will probably never think about after the first few uses, but it’s a reminder that Bulova engineered this movement with practical longevity in mind.
The chronograph itself is straightforward to operate, with positive pusher action and excellent visibility.
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Limited Edition
The all-black treatment gives the Black Hole a very different personality from previous Lunar Pilot models. This one feels more contemporary without abandoning the watch’s identity. The polished bezel and pushers provide just enough contrast against the matte black ion-plated case to keep everything visually interesting.
Bulova is also packaging the watch as a collector’s piece. Limited to 6,000 examples worldwide, it arrives in a substantial presentation box complete with a travel case and a Bulova desk clock. Normally I’d dismiss elaborate packaging as something destined for the closet, but for a limited edition tied so closely to the brand’s space history, it feels appropriate.
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Specs
| Case | 316L Stainless Steel 41.2mm Diameter 48mm Lug to Lug 13.05 Thickness 20mm Lug Width Screw Down Case Back 100m Water Resistance |
| Dial & Crystal | Sapphire Crystal Mousa Black Dial Applied Markers Pencil Handset Super-LumiNova |
| Movement | HPQ NP20 262 kHz |
| Strap | Stainless Steel Bracelet /w Deployant Clasp |
Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole
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Final Thoughts & Pricing
The Lunar Pilot has always occupied an interesting place in the collecting world. It isn’t trying to compete directly with the Speedmaster. Instead, it tells the parallel story of another watch that proved itself when it mattered. The prototype worn by David Scott survived one of the harshest environments imaginable after his mission-issued watch failed, becoming the only privately owned watch worn on the lunar surface. And that’s a story worth preserving.
The Black Hole doesn’t rewrite that history. Instead, it builds on it with a size many collectors have been requesting for years and a dial treatment unlike anything else currently in the collection.
Bulova are right to keep exploring the Lunar Pilot. Great stories deserve to be retold, especially when the watch itself continues to evolve in thoughtful ways. For anyone who has admired the Lunar Pilot from afar but hesitated because of its size, this may finally be the version that lands.
The watch is available directly from the brand website and retails for $2,295CAD—which is on the high end of the quartz spectrum, to be sure. Other regular production models in the collection range from $895-$1,195CAD. Cleary, Bulova is hoping to capitalize on the limited edition factor here—alongside the extra kit. While the pieces are not individually numbered, they are marked by a commemorative caseback.
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About the Author
Brent Robillard is a writer, educator, craftsman, and watch enthusiast. He is the author of four novels. You can follow him on Instagram.
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