The Bulova Accutron Astronaut Edition

On flight, patina, and heritage

Colin here. I’m a sucker for watches that might not have the mega badge value or overt glitz, but have a lot of history or gravitas. Just as the Khanjar-dial watches I recently wrote about have that of Omani royal panache, I also love watches that were bought or commissioned for certain roles.

In the case of the Bulova Astronaut, it was a watch issued to A-12 pilots. The aircraft was a predecessor to the famous SR-71 Blackbird, and flew at three times the speed of sound. It was first worn by the X-15 test pilots, and given it held up, was then issued to pilots of the new aircraft.