Bulova Moon Watch Automatic?

Why doesn't Bulova make an automatic Moon Watch? That is a question I have seen being asked around on countless forums and blogs. I have decided to answer this question once and for all.

Lets start with alittle history of the Bulova brand and the Moonwatch. Founded in New York City in 1875 by Joseph Bulova, it was the company to first manufacture the first fully electronic watch with a proprietary tuning fork based technology. Bulova then went on to create the 'Accutron' line up - the swiss made Bulova division. As of 2017, Bulova is owned by the Citizen Watch group and have made many different watches from a curved chronograph, the Bulova Curv, a Automatic diver, the Bulova Sea-king, the 7750 powered Accutron Gemini, and last but not least the Moonwatch. As is the case with most Bulova watches, somewhere on the watch is Bulova's tuning fork logo - arguably their most iconic development.

Why did Bulova take this beauty out of production? (Bulova Accutron Gemini Valjoux 7750)

So enough about Bulova's history; I'm not here to write a guide about Bulova. I'm here to discuss why one of their most popular selling pieces, the Moonwatch doesn't get the authentic treatment that the Omega Speedmaster got. As you may know, Man landed on the moon in the 1960s. During that time, the Omega Speedmaster was selected officially by NASA as the 'first watch on the moon'. During NASA's fourth manned mission to the moon, aboard the Apollo 15 was Commander David Scott. All crew member wore the Speedmaster, however since Bulova had been developing a watch to rival the Speedmaster (however didn't get the contract), Commander Scott was given a Bulova Chronograph Model 88510/01 and brought it along as a backup. During one of the excursions on the Moon's surface, his Speedmasters hesalite crystal popped off - requiring him to wear his Bulova onto the surface. After the mission, the watch sold for $1.6 USD while all of the Speedmasters worn by the other astronauts (which were government property) are still kept by NASA in various museums. This makes the Bulova 88510/01 the ONLY watch that a private citizen owns that has been to the moon.

So why didn't Bulova release a Moonwatch true to the original? I don't work at Bulova so I will only voice my opinion. Not in anyway an official Bulova statement. In my opinion, Bulova hasn't and will not release a true-to-the-original Moonwatch for a few reasons:

1. It's out of place for Bulova's line-up. If you are a fan of Bulova or an avid entry level watch collector you would know that Bulova's line-up is mostly comprised of entry-level and quartz watches with their selling point being UHF (ultra high frequency) quartz watches. Ticking at 262 khz, the Moonwatch uses Bulova's UHF movement. This makes the chronograph sweep and not tick - reminiscent of automatic pieces. Bulova slowly phased out their Automatic watches years ago and are now in the mid-end quartz market. A true to scale Moon watch just doesn't fit their brand image.
2. It may be too expensive for them to produce. I'm pretty sure that Bulova still has the original blueprints for the Moonwatch, however it may just simply be too expensive for them to produce. Look at the Omega Moonwatch - those are retailing close to $4000. A Bulova Moonwatch with a mechanical movement may retail for $2000 - about two times the cost of their high-end watch line. It may just simply not be feasible for them.
3. I'm stretching it abit on this one - but they may have deemed it to be 'not original' as Omega is doing the samething to their Speedmaster. I'd like to digress. What is there not original about the only watch that has been to the moon and is currently owned by a private citizen (none of the Omegas that have been to the moon are in the hands of a private citizen)? To me that is a huge selling point right there. There is alot of heritage behind it - the Moonwatch that never were, one that lost the race to the Moon.

Would I buy a Bulova Moonwatch if it were true to the original? HELL YES. Should Bulova release the Original Moonwatch? HELL YES. In fact, the only reason I don't have a Bulova Moonwatch yet is because IT IS QUARTZ! Now, don't get me wrong I have nothing about quartz watches - I own quite a few of them including the Breitling Chronometre B-1. But I just can't justify buying another Quartz watch as of the moment. Too many batteries to keep track of replacing!

Another watch Bulova developed worthy of a mention: Bulova Accutron Astronaut.