The History of the Bulova Moonwatch
Original watch worn by David Scott on Apollo 15 / Credit: Hodinkee
Bulova may be considered a fashion brand nowadays, but it has quite an illustrious history as a manufacture. One of its most revered timepieces, known as the Bulova Moonwatch, was worn on the moon in 1971 by astronaut and Apollo 15 mission commander David Scott. That same piece sold for over $1.6 million in 2015 at an RR Auction auction; its high demand stemming from the fact that it is the only privately held, actually-worn-on-the-moon, moonwatch (others like the Omega Speedmaster are technically government property).
Despite the Bulova Moonwatch's resurgence in 2015, its story really began 50 years prior, in 1965. Bulova was included on the list of 10 suggested manufacturers contacted by NASA to build a watch for their astronauts. Unfortunately, the company failed to pass the initial testing that year, but got a second chance in 1972 by lobbying Senators to comply with a legislation dating back to the early 1930s. The legislation required that 51% of the components of government-issued products be American-made, this forced Omega to come up with a new Speedmaster while the government looked for a new supplier. Not having any chronographs movements at the time, Bulova turned to its then-subsidiary Universal Genève who provided it with 16 Swiss chronograph movements. Ultimately, NASA discovered that Bulova’s watches were less than 51% American-made and instead decided to go with the new Speedmasters.
Therefore, it is assumed that David Scott’s Bulova was a one-of-a-kind prototype given to him by the company to test on the 1971 mission, similar to Walter Schirra bringing his personal Speedmaster on board the Sigma 7 in 1962.
In 2015, Bulova released the Lunar Pilot Chronograph ref. 96B258, part of the collection made to commemorate the sale of the original timepiece, and an important part of American watchmaking history.