The Poor Man's Omega? Bulova's Insane Value Meteorite Titanium Limited Edition Watch

[@greamespens1460]

Given that Bulova saved the day I am surprised they do not market it in that manner.

[@islandwatch]

yeah, I should really cover that in more detail. I'll put a story here: www.zuludiver.com/blogs/news/bulova-s-only-walk-on-the-moon-celebrating-the-apollo-15-50th-anniversary

[@greamespens1460]

@@islandwatch Sir any chance of a Speed master with a luminous dial in a Thanksgiving sale? All the best

[@cliveyboyb5770]

Omega are great watches but they seem to live off Speedmaster "Moonwatch" and Sea master "James Bond" Bulova has also been to the moon yet costs a fraction of the price and like you said has not really marketed that.

[@infinitekronos]

This is my favorite moon watch! I love the lunar pilot series. I personally prefer the plain old lunar pilot with the black dial.

[@hobermallow5841]

Their tuning fork tech in the instruments was certainly something to be proud of but the story about the Omega failing and the Bulova saving the day is suspect as it came from an astronaut who had a proven history of trying to bring stuff into space and then selling it for personal profit.

[@hugejohnson5011]

Wow, how nice! Bulova is good stuff, and has always been a good name. I'm 58 years old, and back when I was a young child, Bulova was really a household name. Even my dad who had no particular love of wrist watches, beyond needing to know the time of day, would mention Bulova, Hamilton as "good" watches!

[@timetowatch_francois]

Love that you are an authorized dealer for Bulova. I feel they are underrated and should be showcased more often. Thanks for sharing Marc.

[@omadayusjones6414]

I usually stick to 40mm or below but tried this one on at my local jeweller yesterday and the short lugs worked wonderfully. Definitely on my buy list. Thanks for your usual thorough reviews.

[@Bruce.Wanye.]

Did you get it ?

[@robi1kenobi]

51mm doesn't sound short to me tbh

[@GJames007]

That Bulova is beautiful actually!! Man do I ever want that!!

[@islandwatch]

Great, glad you like!

[@Mike-In-O-Town]

Then buy one. The Lunar Pilot is an absolutely terrific watch to own.

[@BartMan59]

Just purchased the new Bulova Lunar Pilot meteorite - love it. Great vid - tku.

[@wrenside]

once the "smaller" LP came out i jumped at the chance and it really is delightful to have on the wrist and i switch out straps etc. and another outstanding video from Marc!

[@islandwatch]

thanks for watching as usual! Nice to hear from you

[@dpost1268]

Highly underrated watch brand with an amazing history is the space view the 1th sceleton wristwatch out there?

[@bigosbro21]

Love the atyle and cllor and the wayvthey did the chrono buttons. Nkt alwahs a huge fan of thw buttons sticking out like antennas

[@jimlima4066]

Great looking watch. The dial is very cool 😎

[@islandwatch]

It really is!

[@1SaG]

I don't really like the looks of meteorite dials, but I absolutely *love* the idea of them. Having a slice of rock on your wrist that traveled through space for, perhaps, billions of years before it crashed into our planet is just so friggin cool.

[@joseph_b319]

Wow!!! Nice looking watch. Kind of looks like what the Men in Black would wear if they weren't under contract with Hamilton. The free gift clock you get if you call in the next 30 minutes is just as nice as the watch.

[@islandwatch]

Good point, I agree.

[@Star_Sn1per]

Coolest Bulova iv ever seen!!

[@johnsrabe]

Love Marc’s appearance on MeTV!

[@islandwatch]

?

[@johnsrabe]

@@islandwatch Your “but that’s not all” in the little tv. Very MeTV.

[@chrisp.5272]

Love Bulova, and Citizen. Wearing my Unite the Blue Promaster, on a jubilee bracelet I purchased from you guys. ✨ This will be my next limited edition watch.

[@karlsenula9495]

Got the limited edition Lunar Pilot ... Yes it is big but works on my 7.5 inch wrist and i love the story and heritage.

[@islandwatch]

awesome!

[@gmedina5678]

Nice vid and review. I first bought the Lunar Pilot 45 mm (Archive Series) that came with two straps (the textured black leather and the black nylon) with the textured black leather strap which I really like. Love the watch! I bought the Lunar Pilot Meteorite soon after release from Bulova. I wasn't a fan of the strap it came with so I purchased the textured black leather strap (same as the one with the Lunar Pilot) and it looks great! I've rec'd several compliments on both watches. Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts and review. Looking forward to more of your vids. Oh yeah...I subscribed!

[@ender1077]

I would love an Islander Telemeter!

[@islandwatch]

Noted!

[@commandZee]

Very cool! It's making me want a regular black one on the bracelet.

[@islandwatch]

You should do it

[@pauliewalnuts5241]

I like Bulova. They make some good stuff

[@islandwatch]

they sure do!

[@brewwatchco]

Great to see the side by side dial comparison! ☄️

[@islandwatch]

even on holiday he still watches my videos. . . aw shucks!!!!

[@avstars]

I tried it hands on at a Bulova event, it's very light and easy to wear.

[@islandwatch]

sure is!

[@CaptainWillard830]

Very nice video. I recently purchased the LP. The standard one. I’m happy.

[@bogrot69]

I was really hoping you would give Muonionalusta a shot 🤣 I have a Boldr limited edition with a dial from the same meteorite. It works really well with the Lunar Pilot. Beautiful piece!

[@mountainhobo]

Hello Marc, on your website you have two Bulova Lunar Pilots that look nearly identical save a 2 mm difference in diameter, one is 35% more that the other. I am talking about 96K111 vs. 96B258. Is there a functional difference between them?

[@rolandsv8]

The bigger is original version from 2016 with matt steel case. It has date display. Polished case 43mm version from 2023 loses the date. But looks better in my opinion. Ideally i would like both versions combined - polished case with date. I am indifferent about size - both work for me

[@Melvin-belvin]

Any idea if the smaller Lunar pilot will ever be discounted?

[@imc2cavu]

Hi Marc! Will this version accept any previous versions metal bracelet? I know they offset the lug holes between the bracelet and non-bracelet versions of the originals. ✌✈

[@islandwatch]

I'm not sure, actually. Haven't tried yet.

[@HORIZONTIMEPASSIONEOROLOGI]

the meteorite version is fabulous.. but I still love the classic model with date, even if a little bigger I think it's better since it's a pilot. Then the hilarious story that took him to the moon is something adventurous, more like a space pirate than an astronaut hahahah I love this watch, I really love it

[@islandwatch]

thanks so much

[@migy5031]

Wow I really love the dial and the overall aesthetic. I have to agree though the strap is a letdown.

[@islandwatch]

Yeah, but otherwise pretty solid.

[@Everything_E-Bike]

I’ve just got mine and I really like the strap. It’s super thin and soft. It works well with my smaller wrist. To me, it’s aesthetically close to the Velcro version that the original lunar watch would have had, but who wants a Velcro strap? Not me. This is a perfect compromise.

[@zeeman8057]

What’s the model numbers of the watches you are putting on?

[@SamanthaNix-o3l]

How do companies acquire meteorite?

[@cagataycakmak2280]

The lunar pilot range is really very impressive in terms of build quality in my opinion. One of those watches that you should see it in person before you make a judgement on it.

[@islandwatch]

thanks so much for checking it out

[@ulmen24]

Is the caseback titanium or steel?

[@ghjong001]

Are you using a new camera? I haven't watched in a while, so I'm not sure when it would have switched, but the resolution looks much sharper than your older videos.

[@islandwatch]

Different setup

[@pclarin]

In my Marketing classes they taught us about that pricing strategy. Skimming the cream. Too bad in this case it’s worth a bit more than the regular Lunar pilot but not that much.

[@Texmotodad]

Very handsome indeed!

[@A-Husk]

A dial made from genuine moon rock would be cool for a "moon" watch

[@tizombie]

Sturmanskie made the first watch worn into space. They should be added to your list of approved to use meteorite dials 😀

[@ffxsam]

The legibility suffers a bit, due to the busy dial. Otherwise, a cool watch!

[@sinjinadams2862]

The Muonionalusta meteorite is a very common, beautiful and affordable meteorite used in many luxury and affordable watch dials.

[@islandwatch]

For sure.

[@brokenchains]

Invicta has been making meteorite dials for years

[@islandwatch]

yup, they have

[@GregTalmageBand]

Let's talk about the giant Sriracha bottle in the background. Inquiring minds want to know!

[@joygt4]

I just got one. But the 60 minute sub dial hand is misaligned. Any tips?

[@islandwatch]

Pull out the crown two clicks, and press the lower pusher.

[@joygt4]

@@islandwatch I tried but it didn’t work.

[@hattyfarbuckle]

I like the case finish shape and especially the lugs but chronos not mt thing so I want the clock more than the watch

[@islandwatch]

LOL, they should sell it

[@timyoungnc]

I wish they’d offer a 40 mm model of the Lunar Pilot.

[@samzerafa3185]

Luckily l have both Speedmaster Chrono master and the 1st edition Bulova moon watch and wear them on my 7-5 inch wrist no problem. My only gripe the Bulova is the Font for the company name and 262hz frequency in the sub dial , I'd preferred they not place that on the dial face to keep the watch as close as a facsimile of the original and perhaps a mechanical version instead of a meteor dial face.

[@cesaryanezfernandez9799]

Honestly, I liked the travel alarm clock way more than the wrist watch 😂

[@owenlaprath4135]

Watch in space? CASIO! CASIO! ... ok, the last 2 I returned within 30 days, because I was not wearing them like I used to (my eyes are no good for small digi displays anymore), but I still have my solar WaveCeptor, and had several over the years, that ended up getting beat to shreds in the Army. OH ALRIGHT .... I always wanted a Speedmaster (until I knew how much they cost!), but a Bulova will do just fine, and it adheres to my proletarians principles!

[@vedranbozicevic1111]

Great watch but main problem is L2L dimension, especially for smaller wrists.

[@islandwatch]

Noted. Looks good on me tho.

[@LordTRight]

how much bigger is it's L2L compared to the modern Speedmaster?

[@vedranbozicevic1111]

@@LordTRightFor my wrist too much for instance, I think approximately 2mm (smaller version). Bigger version even more. I think smaller is close to 50mm, bigger even more. Way too big for smaller wrists imho.

[@Mike-In-O-Town]

Quick disclaimer: I absolutely adore my Lunar Pilot and wear it constantly. I had the 45mm and sold it to buy the 43.5" black dial version. That said, for people considering this watch, there is an aspect to pay special attention to. I have a 7.75"+ wrist, so I can wear virtually any watch, regardless how large it is. If you have small wrists (say 6.5" or under) the lug to lug length on this watch 'may' make it fit a bit too large. So if you have smallish wrists, this is definitely a watch to try on before you buy if at all possible. With that said, if it fits, buy it. The history alone for the Lunar Pilot makes it worth having, let alone this incredibly unique titanium case and meteorite dial.

[@islandwatch]

Thanks for the feedbat

[@islandwatch]

Feedback

[@zibel5007]

I like some of their designs (this one is a bit too big for my wrist though), but what's up with the WR, Bulova? This one is 50 meters which is the bare minimum, and they have 30 meters on a field/everyday watch, how is that serious?

[@islandwatch]

Space watch, doesn't really need water resistance.

[@zibel5007]

@@islandwatch alright, that was a good one 😄

[@mellow-jello]

I am sure if there was a discovery of an off-planet ocean or lake accessible to humans, Bulova will work on its water resistance. Don't hold your breath, lol.

[@Army4Runner]

Very cool!

[@christianaviles2199]

I would really love this watch but currently kinda staying off the market for watches at this price point. The dial looks great and I agree with Mark this watch is a very appropriate use of a meteorite dial. I have a 45mm Lunar Pilot and when I heard Bulova was releasing a 43 mm (true to original size) Lunar Pilot, I really thought about selling it to pick up the 43. But upon seeing the 43 I did not like the polished case compared to the blasted case on mine. I'm not saying they are terrible and the Snoopy color way is pretty cool. But this watch I feel works best the closer it gets to its "tooliest" form. Especially with that submarine porthole thick sapphire crystal (maybe Omega should have thought of that and we wouldn't be discussing this watch now :)) it just really makes it look like it's ready to go to space and do some work. The upgrade to titanium is very welcome and the meteorite is very nice but I think I'm most excited seeing the case blasted again. I wouldn't mind if Bulova were to release the blasted titanium case with the standard black dial. I'm sure Bulova is working on more releases. I think since the re-release they understand the hit they have on their hands. In fact a lot of their back catalog re-releases seem to be very welcome.

[@islandwatch]

thanks so much for your feedback.

[@andriy1000]

Why Bulova not just making a better copy of Lunar watch 43.5 mm with matt finish and velcro strap? It would be great to have and wear

[@josephgriffin1065]

Recently bought a Bulova Astronaut, new in the box, produced in 2007, an automatic, nice quality, but not true to the original astronaut watches that were high frequency quartz.

[@einfranke677]

To be honest, the look of this watch depends on the meteorite dial. And Bulova seems not to select the variations of the meteorite pedantic as Omega did. So it is pure accident if you get a nice or an ugly one 😄. At the price point around 1.5k USD is this suboptimal. Cheers, Frank

[@monologic4806]

Interesting timepiece. And it wears small. 👍

[@islandwatch]

that's true, for 43.5mm it looks great.

[@chaseiv58]

I love this watch if only it was a little bit smaller

[@ahha6304]

Poor Man Speedmaster? Nah It's too Rich People's Lunar Pilot. In lieu of moon landing history, both are at the same level since one officially chosen and one was officially landed.

[@doug2078]

Very Cool !!

[@miroslavivanov5852]

I own 2 Lunars, Black and Panda white and blue, I would like to buy this too, but for quarz, even high accuracy, the price is very high, and for this reason i hesitate...

[@jamesblonde2271]

You mean Moon Watch, rolexwent to Space too as did Sinn Seiko and Firtis

[@islandwatch]

and nowadays almost anyone can!

[@chronocommander007]

To be pedantic, a meteor is the phenomenon of a meteroid producing an ionized particle trail upon entry and during its passage through the atmosphere. I wonder how meteorite dials age over time? Do they have a protective coating that prevents oxidation?

[@islandwatch]

thanks so much, this is beyond my knowledge, but I do believe they are polished/finished.

[@sinjinadams2862]

Yes

[@cliveyboyb5770]

As its made from something a million plus years old its already aged better than me. However if it did oxidise over time would that not be called "patina" and be a positive vintage feel

[@chronocommander007]

@@cliveyboyb5770 The outside of a meteorite is of course heavily oxidized. They tend to l,ook black or brownish maybe with a reddish hue. The inside would be protected from oxidation as long as air and moisture did not diffuse into the material via cracks or porosities. Iron meteorites look grey on the inside. I am sure that a thinly slice will over time devop surface oxidation unless protected by some kind of coating. I presume a meteorite dial has coating because I don't think oxidation will necessarily turn into a beautiful patina. The rusty rotors on my car don't have a nice looking patina! 😁

[@blammular]

Well, I already have a meteorite dial in my collection and I already have a chronograph. Still, whichever, Bulova or Omega, makes a moonwatch with 100 meters water resistance is probably going to get some more of my money 😅

[@islandwatch]

Awesome! :)

[@jimmccaig7946]

Had the first edition. Just too big. This looks great.

[@mellow-jello]

Not a Poor Man's Omega. It has its own specs, and without any pretensions with its use in the Apollo program. Speedy was a sub called upon, when Rolex did not deliver in time of Apollo 11.

[@Heisenberg_747]

If only it was a bit smaller in diameter 39 or 40mm would be perfect. Also I love their jet star series the smooth sweep of quartz movement. 😬

[@islandwatch]

sweet, thanks!

[@Mike-In-O-Town]

For the Lunar Pilot to remain true to its history and heritage it really has to stay a larger watch. Unfortunately that sizing does indeed exclude it from part of the market.

[@hobermallow5841]

What I think is hilarious is when they first brought this design back a few years ago, someone at Bulova thought the original 43.5 diameter was too small and they had to stray from original design to make it 45mm!

[@Mike-In-O-Town]

@@hobermallow5841 Yep, that was a major oops on their part. I had that 45mm version and it wore big on my 7.75" wrist. I prefer the 43.5mm version. Although the lug width on the 43.5mm version is still pretty darn long.

[@felipec2157]

If only it were 40-41mm and thinner profile and it would be just 🥶☝️

[@islandwatch]

Noted!

[@paulbonaventura4969]

Wish they had a bracelet for this like the regular one.

[@islandwatch]

Maybe they'll make one

[@teevee2145]

The bulova was actually a universal geneve i believe

[@shamanprime]

Love that collab watch you showed on your wrist at the start! Hoping for a reissue !

[@thenotanclan]

I owned the larger 45mm lunar pilot - amazing watch in all respects and incredible quality - but it was waaaaay to big on me - tried the newer, smaller version and still too large - it’s such a shame - if Bulova had made the smaller version 40mm max I’d have bought it in a split second

[@islandwatch]

no worries, thanks for watching!

[@jordongrant2782]

Id say thats actually a good deal considering what you're getting.

[@islandwatch]

for sure it is

[@micaljimenez7381]

Very cool watch,surely a great poor man omega,but for a real poor man this bulova still a too expensive watch...

[@islandwatch]

true, sorry!

[@Gr33nMachine83]

the Case dimensions fine. its the Lug to Lug that's a let down, other wise I would own this.

[@WMIYC]

I really wish Bulova would do a 10-12 percent downsized version for smaller wristed people: No more than 39mm x 45mm please.

[@spuppy852]

It's a nice watch, but like so many Japanese quartz chronos, it has a 60 minute timer that is practically impossible to use. The original had a 30 minute timer, so at the very least this one should to be more historically accurate. I don't know why Seiko and Citizen decided to use such a timer on their chronos, but it ruins a lot of otherwise good affordable chronographs. Thankfully there are some Swiss quartz chronos that are better designed and affordable.

[@TheFlyrodder68]

3:51 into the video, and I'm out. This watch's 43 mm size is too big for me. Thanks for bringing it up, Marc. Thumbs up.

[@johnsrabe]

4:27 Muonional translates as “Hold the Onions.” A cosmic joke.

[@islandwatch]

seriously? That's hysterical.

[@johnsrabe]

@@islandwatch No, silly. Maybe it has something to do with Muons?

[@taiguy4961]

Hello Marc. You made a video yesterday about the importance of quality watch tools, I was wondering if You’d be interested in making one coving the quality of Spring Bars. Barrel thickness, end compression, and tube tolerances are some of the differences I’ve seen between similar pairs. Would be interesting to get Your take on if all third party Spring Bar sets are made in the same place or if there’s a difference between $2 and $5 pairs. Or do You have an opinion?

[@islandwatch]

I've talked about them before. Maybe time for a revisit.

[@davect01]

Nice watch overall with a cool extra gift Only issue is that the main hands are a bit hard to read.

[@islandwatch]

I can understand that.

[@peacefulmelol]

Cool watch, but legibility is much compromised.

[@islandwatch]

Yes. Agreed.

[@oldman0995]

Titanium - Check, Meteorite Dial - check, Band - so so. One the video the hour markers look like they get lost in the pattern of the dial. So its a no for me

[@islandwatch]

I can understand that.

[@rolandsv8]

I just got this. No problems with legibility in real world

[@paulwhite8556]

It looks great but….. for the price? Im ok with quartz but not on this

[@islandwatch]

LOL, no worries.

[@hobermallow5841]

Mechanical chronograph movements are usually much pricier aside from that Chinese one.

[@paulwhite8556]

I don’t mean to sound like a watch snob but especially on chronographs its a sin to have quartz movement underneath the complexity of a crono .. cronos should be mechanical movement at least automatic..

[@franzb69]

when titanium bracelet

[@prabhukavi9779]

Mark, love your videos, but your math is wrong. A normal quartz runs at 2^15 vibrations per second, or 32768. This Bulova runs at 2^18 vibrations per second. It is 2^3 times faster, not 2x faster.

[@islandwatch]

you are correct, thank you!

[@CollaborativeDataAccounts]

"MeTeRrtE CrAsHeD tp Eart..." Love your channel.

[@islandwatch]

💥🤯

[@Watchaholic013]

45 mm again ? (((

[@DouglasRosser]

Still too big. I still cannot read a 60-minute subdial (old man eyeballs for the lose!) Otherwise I love the idea of a 262 kHz HAQ Chronograph.

[@islandwatch]

No worries, thanks for watching!

[@almog3875]

Is that sriracha on the shelf? Lol

[@Karl-hx6sw]

That 12 o'clock indices looks out by my eye?

[@kart182]

Sexy watch

[@danryan4137]

I’ll slum it for 50% less with the regular stainless steel version 😢

[@marcuschamp1460]

..... nothing " poor man's " about a Lunar Pilot , I have the oh so beautiful all black version and wear it probably more than I do my Omega Speedmaster 3861 Hesalite ........

[@panospeter_pan4257]

Love the look. Don't like the price. Pass

[@islandwatch]

No problem.

[@JFrusci]

Just wish this piece was a bit smaller.

[@islandwatch]

maybe they'll make a 40 one day

[@WilliamInternational]

No need to waste money on an omega nobody has ever walked on the moon watch, this one is more accurate and has a meteorite dial.

[@IvMacCuts]

Beautiful watch, awesome history behind it. If it was only 40mm 🥲

[@nn431xru1]

For daytime reading the dial is too busy. The hour and minute hands disappear in the meteorite background. Yes…somewhat unique because of the meteorite aspect but other than that…hmmm. Not for me. I’ll pass. Thank you.

[@rolandsv8]

I just got this. No problems with legibility in real world

[@dado380]

Given that Omega failed miserably in the space I ask my self why Omega advertise their failure over and over through billion of moon variations!!