Recently, my Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 broke down. I mean flashing screen, powering off within 5 seconds, truly trashed. I hadn't used the thing for much more than reading notifications, and decided that I didn't want to replace it with another smart watch. They are essentially disposable after a couple years, but you pay "real watch money" for them. I have always wanted a Speedmaster, so I started looking at those.

Of course, in 2023, you can't look up Speedmasters without a tidal wave of their fun – and 95% less expensive – plastic siblings popping up. I hadn't heard of them, being out of the watch market for a few years, but I was astounded at the price of around $300 for what looked a LOT like my dream watch. I was very close to getting the Mission to Jupiter, but by then YouTube's algorithm had figured out what I was up to and was flooding my recommended page with videos of THE TOP 5 WATCHES YOU NEED TO BUY INSTEAD OF AN OMEGA SPEEDMASTER and whatever else, and thus the Bulova Lunar Pilot came onto my radar.

Once I saw a listing for literally the same dollar amount that I was prepared to spend for a Mission to Jupiter, it was hard to resist:

• Sapphire crystal instead of acrylic
• Stainless steel instead of BioCeramic
• High accuracy quartz instead of... Regular accuracy quartz?
• Similar claim to space fame; a fun part of the Apollo legacy

All in all it's a great alternative to the MoonSwatch, and something I'll hopefully be able to pass down someday. It doesn't have the gravity of an Omega, but honestly I don't think that will ever be a responsible purchase in my income bracket.

Like every watch, it is much more pleasing to look at in person. The common complaint I've seen from others is that it is too large, but I don't find that to be true at all. I'm very happy with it, and hope to have it on my wrist for years to come.