![]() As the watch industry’s go-to Swiss GMT movement, the SW330 is very much a known quantity, and it offers a proven design along with the additional functionality of an independently adjustable 24-hour hand. ![]() Consequently, the new Accutron Astronaut is powered by the fully mechanical Sellita SW330 automatic movement, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with this variation offering a power reserve of approximately 56 hours. That said, although the Accutron tuning fork movements were quite robust in actual use, they were also rather delicate and tedious to service, and the advent of quartz timekeeping technology ultimately signaled the end of the electric tuning fork platform. The original Astronaut watches from the 1960s were powered by the battery-operated Accutron 214 tuning fork movement, and it was specifically this state-of-the-art caliber with its ultra-high frequency and only 12 moving parts that made Accutron timepieces ideal for the challenging conditions of supersonic flight. All four of the hands feature luminous elements, but rather than having a small luminous tip or counterweight, the seconds hand features a slightly bulbous shape that gets filled with Super-LumiNova to match the rest of the hands and hour markers. The 12-hour hand and minute hand appear as what could best be described as an angular dauphine shape, while the 24-hour hand is a thin polished shaft with a luminous triangular tip. Four centrally-mounted hands are responsible for displaying the time. ![]() An applied “Accutron” emblem sits below the 12 o’clock marker, while the word “Astronaut” resides on the lower half of the dial in the same italicized font that can be found on the vintage models. It features a matte black surface that houses a unique mix of polished faceted batons, small luminous squares, and triangles for the hour markers. While multiple different styles of dials were fitted to Accutron Astronaut watches during the 1960s, the version recreated for this new model is one of the less common varieties. Fitted to the lugs is the watch’s signature “Bullet” bracelet that features brushed center links flanked by polished side links with an angled outer profile for a unique, yet versatile overall appearance. Additionally, as this is a recreation of the “T” version of the Accutron Astronaut from 1968, the watch is fitted with split-color “Day/Night” bezel, rather than the all-black or stainless steel 24-hour bezels that can be found on most other Astronaut models. The caseback appears to use a two-piece construction in order to keep the engravings and display window properly aligned, and it consists of a main center section secured by an outer screw-down ring that helps to create 100 meters of water resistance. ![]() Other modern updates have been made to both the crystal and caseback, with a double box shaped sapphire crystal protecting the dial, and a caseback with a semicircular display window. While the case still features the same round profile with short sculpted lugs, the new Accutron Astronaut now includes a small winding crown at the 3 o’clock location to access the movement, rather than having a lever that folds out from the caseback like the original Accutron watches from the 1960s. Given that many people consider 38mm-wide to be a bit of a sweet spot in terms of case sizing these days, I’m sure there will be a number of folks (other than just die-hard Bulova collectors) who wish that Accutron stuck to the original dimensions of the watch. As a way to celebrate the original Astronaut watch and one of the most storied vintage Bulova models of all time, Accutron has unveiled a limited edition of the 1968 “T” version of the Astronaut (the different variations are categorized by letters), which marks the first re-edition from the brand’s new series of Astronaut timepieces.Ĭrafted from stainless steel, the case of the new Accutron Astronaut is larger than that of its 1960s predecessor, measuring 41mm in diameter as opposed to the 38mm-wide original. Unlike the various other Accutron watches that were being produced at the time, the Astronaut model featured an additional 24-hour hand, along with an external rotating 24-hour bezel, which allowed it to offer GMT functionality and made it ideally suited for the pilots in the CIA’s A-12 program. This was also the watch chosen by the CIA as the official timepiece to supply to its Lockheed A-12 pilots, due to the fact that its unique tuning fork movement was better suited to contending with the extreme conditions that exist within the cockpit of the A-12 aircraft. First introduced in 1962, the Accutron Astronaut reached outer space in May 1963 aboard the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission. For many collectors and enthusiasts (myself included), the Accutron Astronaut will always be a favorite from Bulova’s vast archives.
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