I’m writing this article with the Bulova Lunar Pilot Chronograph strapped to my left wrist. It was released in late 2015 to signify the start of the American-born brand?s Archive Series. As many red-blooded, flag-touting watch enthusiasts are aware, Bulova has a long history of being America?s premier watchmaker with a production history that goes back to 1875. And, although the brand has been owned by Japan?s Citizen Group since 2008, this history remains intact and many stateside collectors retain a soft spot in their horological habit for the company.

The Archive Series is the main way in which Bulova has retained this goodwill, and its success among watch enthusiasts is an indicator of the brand?s overall health in the marketplace. Following the Lunar Moonwatch was the Stars and Stripes Chronograph C, and last year?s successful Devil Diver relaunch. Joining these models today is the Bulova Computron LED, a digital timekeeper that ties directly into the brand?s past.
As electronic watches and quartz watches began growing in popularity throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Bulova continued to forge ahead with innovations such as the Accutron Quartz, the first quartz-crystal watch sold in the USA. Shortly, Bulova catered to the era?s growing demand for digital timekeepers by adding a line of Accuquartz watches with digital LCD time displays, and eventually, the all-digital Computron LED, with its very unconventional and (at the time) somewhat futuristic trapezoidal...