BulovaMen's Archive Series Lunar Pilot 6-Hand Chronograph High Performance Quartz Stainless Steel, Black NATO Strap and Sapphire Crystal Style: 96A225

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. I purchased the Nato strap version because it was cheaper but in fact it It's the only 45mm version with a polished case, which I think makes it much less utilitarian and makes it look more expensive.I've seen 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 3/4 inch wrist and it fits me perfectly . If you have a smaller wrist buy a smaller watch. 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 in two variants if you need smaller and they are stunning. 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 using thick gloves to make them easier to press 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. The crown has the Accutron logo. On my watch it’s barely visible - that’s the only manufacturing fault I could find. 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 deep 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 and some reviews say it “could” chip, but I've never heard of one cracking or chipping. It just adds to the beautiful design. The tachymeter 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 sub dial which I think is a little too small. The sub dial 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 sub dial 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 very much like the smooth return of the chrono seconds hand on reset and it must put less stress on mechanical parts of the movement than a hand that snaps back.Bulova call this movement NP20. 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 399 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, especially the lug to lug measurement.

I’ve wanted a Lunar Pilot since it was originally announced, however I never liked the date. The black PVD model almost checked the box for me, but ultimately never pulled the trigger. Then came the polished, no-date, old logo. While it’s not true to the original because of the polishing, I’d say this is the best version so far. The watch is ultimately a tool watch, but I feel comfortable wearing it in the office. I actually really like the polishing, and might prefer it to the blasted finish.For reference, my wrist size is 7.75 inches.Pros:-Just about everything. It’s the Apollo 15 moon watch, with high accuracy, and a minimal price tag. (I grabbed mine for right at $300, after tax)-Everyone complains about the size, but I think it’s perfect. This is not supposed to be a small watch. It’s supposed to be large and highly legible.-Wonderfully balanced dial. Everything is perfectly proportioned-Satisfying, tactile & audible “click” of the chrono pushersCons:-Ghost date wheel — while there’s no date shown, when you pull the crown the first setting is still a date changer, and you can feel/hear the wheel turning underneath the dial.-20mm lug width — perhaps more of an annoyance rather than a con. Could have done a 22mm and it would fit nicely. Although the 20mm allows for NASA velcro straps, which is a redeeming quality.-Lume could have been applied heavier. It doesn’t charge easily, but when it is charged it has a beautiful blue glowThe biggest downside of my purchase is that next year (2021) is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 15 mission. If Bulova is smart, it will release a model with: no date, old logo, blasted case, and anniversary packaging with multiple strap options / commemorative items. If that happens, I’ll gladly indulge again.

My son gave me this watch on Father's day, though we had ordered it together here from Amazon some weeks ago (he wanted to make sure I got exactly what I wanted).It's a fairly large watch, but not overly large - and REALLY easy to read with older eyes. The polished stainless case with NATO band looks best IMO and the reflective case makes it seem a little smaller than it would with a brushed or black case. The Bulova band seems well-made is quite comfortable.I set it to WWV atomic time very carefully and so far in 4 days I can't perceive any variance in the time at all, even looking at the small seconds hand with a jeweler's loupe. Not even a small fraction of a second. Hard to say yet whether it's keeping time to within a second a month, but it's certainly on the right track. Update: Had it 1 month now and it's gained only about 0.5 seconds vs. atomic time. That's pretty darned good!I had heard the lume might not be as good as some other watches, but I find it every bit as bright as my Seiko Speedtimer and it seems to remain just about as bright as the Seiko by early morning before dawn as well.The sapphire crystal is thick and flat, with optically flat reflections, but doesn't really stick up as high as you might think by looking at closeup macro photos. Overall it looks and feels very right and balanced, and I've not had even the slightest trouble reading the time. There's a lot of contrast in the dial and hands. The chronometer functions all work great, and the pushers make a very nice tactile click.All in all, this watch is an amazing value for a good quality, durable, highly accurate timepiece with an interesting history as the second watch (beyond the Omega Speedmaster) to have been on an actual moon walk. Consider getting a Bulova Lunar Pilot before plunking close to the same money down for a plastic moonswatch.