Bulova Lunar Pilot 'Black Hole'

Bulova has shrunk its Lunar Pilot chronograph to 41mm, down from the case size that has defined the line since 2016, and finished it entirely in black for a limited run of 5,000 at $1,650. The lug-to-lug is 48mm, which is the figure that actually governs how a chronograph this size sits on a wrist, more than the diameter everyone will quote.

The dial is the reason for the name. Bulova coats it in Musou black, a Japanese acrylic pigment that absorbs 99.425 percent of the light that hits it. That is a measurable property of the pigment, not an effect created by styling, and it is paired with black-on-gray indices and subdials so the watch stays legible despite the low contrast. Blue Super-LumiNova handles the rest in the dark.

The case takes the same approach with PVD black over stainless steel, left matte except for the bezel and the pusher blades, which are polished for contrast. The caseback carries an illustration of Apollo 15's EVA-3 moonwalk, the mission during which commander David Scott's own Bulova chronograph became the only privately owned watch to walk on the moon, after his NASA-issued watch lost its crystal. Water resistance is rated to 100 meters.

The movement is Bulova's own NP20, a quartz caliber running at 262 kHz, eight times the frequency of a standard quartz movement. That frequency buys a smooth-sweeping chronograph seconds hand instead of the usual tick, accuracy within one second a month, and chronograph timing down to 1/20 of a second, all while keeping quartz's low-maintenance servicing. The bracelet is matte black stainless steel with a hidden two-button deployant clasp.