An Iconic 1960s Space Watch Just Got an Almost-Perfect Revamp

Accutron rolls out four new and improved versions of its classic Astronaut watch.

By Johnny Brayson

Published October 1, 2024

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Updated October 1, 2024

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The bulk of the world’s most iconic tool watches first made their debut in the mid-twentieth century.

The Rolex Submariner, GMT-Master and Daytona, Omega’s Speedmaster and Seamaster diver, the Heuer Monaco, the Breitling Navitimer … all of these watches first debuted in the 1950s or ’60s.

Right up there with the best of them at the time was the Bulova Accutron Astronaut.

Accutron Astronaut LTi
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Accutron Astronaut 2024
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Watches Just Don’t Get Any Cooler

Originally created in 1962 for the U.S. government, the original Accutron Astronaut was worn by test pilots in NASA’s X-15 rocket plane and the CIA’s A-12 spy plane programs. It also made it to space on several occasions on the wrists of early astronauts in the 1960s.

The Astronaut was everything an iconic tool watch should be. It had purpose-built functionality with a GMT complication and hacking seconds. It had distinct and attractive looks with its hidden crown lending it a space age-appropriate UFO shape, along with a unique enameled black and white day/night GMT bezel depicting two 12-hour scales on certain versions.

Most importantly, it boasted cutting-edge technology. Thanks to its tuning fork Accutron movement — one of the first electronic watch movements and a precursor to quartz technology — the Astronaut was far more accurate than any mechanical watch and also proved more robust in the extreme situations in which its test pilots frequently found themselves.

vintage accutron watch ad — An early ad for the Accutron Astronaut depicts the X-15 rocket plane, which still holds the record as the fastest manned plane ever. Its pilots were issued Astronaut watches to wear during their flights.

The Astronaut’s Re-entry

Despite everything the Astronaut had going for it, the watch was nearly lost to time. Unlike the other iconic tool watches mentioned at the start of this article, Bulova did not continually produce the Astronaut over the decades. Like other Accutron watches, the Astronaut’s flame was shortlived, being extinguished in 1977.

When Accutron came back as a standalone brand in 2020, I — and many other enthusiasts — looked forward to seeing a reissue of the Astronaut that could recapture some of the mojo of the original.

That day arrived last spring, when Accutron brought back the Astronaut “T” variant from 1968 — the one with the black and white bezel — in a limited-edition run. And while the new Astronaut looked just as good as the original, it was far from perfect.

Accutron watch on a table — The 2023 return of the Astronaut certainly looked the part.

For one, the watch’s size had increased from 38mm to 41mm. This isn’t uncommon when looking at modern-day reissues of vintage watches, but still felt unnecessary. Worse was the movement.

Instead of housing one of modern Accutron’s groundbreaking new Electrostatic movements, the watch was powered by an off-the-shelf Sellita SW330 “office” GMT automatic — the same calibre found in countless affordable microbrand GMTs. Finally, the watch was priced at $3,500, which just didn’t feel competitive for what it offered.

It seems like I’m not the only one who thought so, either. The Astronaut reissue was limited to just 300 examples when it launched in March 2023, and it still isn’t sold out. You can buy one directly from Bulova or Accutron today if you wish.

But as of today, you also have some other, more tempting options, as Accutron has just launched an entire line of Astronaut watches with better movements and better materials — all at a lower cost to you.

Accutron Astronaut LTi

Specs

Case Size	41mm
Movement	Miyota Cal. 9058 automatic GMT
Water Resistance	100m

$3,000 at Bulova

Blast Off

Accutron has unveiled four new Astronaut references. All of them are powered by a “traveler’s” GMT movement from sister brand Miyota, meaning the watches boast an independently operable hour hand that can be adjusted without interrupting the timekeeping. The watches all also now feature a date complication, which makes them better for travel but less historically accurate.

Accutron bills the new movement as the “proprietary” Miyota 9058, which I’ve not seen in any other watch. With 50 hours of power reserve, a 28,800 bph and magnetic resistance to 16,000 A/m, the movement appears to be the same as the Miyota 9054 used in sister company Citizen’s watches, which is itself a more premium version of the popular Miyota 9075 that’s available to third-party brands.

accutron watch in the sky — Accutron’s new Astronauts come in several fun new colors, including this bright red reference.

There are four versions of the new “true” GMT Astronaut watches. Three are in stainless steel and are based on the 1968 “T” version like last year’s model. These feature two-tone day/night bezels matched to colorful dials. There’s a green dial with a green/white bezel, a red dial with a red/white bezel, and a blue dial with a blue/white bezel.

The green and red versions both come on stainless steel “bullet” bracelets just like last year’s limited edition, but now the bracelets are equipped with a quick-release mechanism. The blue version is executed in gold-tone stainless steel and comes on a blue Cordura nylon NATO strap with matching gold-tone hardware.

All three colors are priced at just $2,200, which is a full $1,300 less than last year’s limited edition, despite having arguably better specs.

Accutron watch in outer space — The gold-tone version comes on a matching blue NATO strap made from rugged Cordura nylon.

The fourth and final version is the most premium modern Astronaut we’ve seen yet. Dubbed the Astronaut LTi, it’s crafted from hard-wearing and lightweight Grade 5 titanium. With a matching 24-hour titanium bezel and bullet bracelet, there’s a lot of the pricey metal in this watch, and Grade 5 titanium’s aerospace connections make it a great fit for the model.

The dial on the LTi is a sunray eggshell color that’s very vintage-looking, and there’s also more lume on this dial than on the other Astronaut watches we’ve seen.

Despite the more premium materials and better movement, the Astronaut LTi is still priced at just $3,000 — 500 bucks less than last year’s Sellita-powered steel Astronaut. You’re getting a lot more value here than before, but I’d still like to see Accutron go further.

For the Next Mission…

These new Astronauts are a major step in the right direction. The movements feel more premium, the titanium version is a logical extension for the model, and the price points are much more reasonable.

But there are still some changes I’d like to see Accutron make for the next generation of Astronaut watches.

For one, let’s see a smaller version. The original Accutron Astronaut watches from Bulova were 38mm in diameter, while these new references — like last year’s — are 41mm across. A more historically accurate version would be excellent, while also feeding into the current market’s thirst for smaller tool watches.

Next, and more importantly, is the movement. I love the Miyota 9-series GMTs, but in a way, they’ve become the new Sellita SW330, with practically every microbrand under the sun now jamming them into their travel watches.

Accutron watch movement seen through its caseback — The Miyota 9058 inside the latest Astronauts is a fine movement, but any automatic engine would feel out of place in this iconic Accutron.

The Astronaut should feel special, as the original represented some of the most accurate and high-tech timekeeping technology of its day, which is why it was chosen for dangerous missions that changed the course of history. So why not use Accutron’s proprietary Electrostatic movement in an Astronaut?

Or, if that’s too expensive or impractical, then how about Bulova’s proprietary Precisionist movement? It’s one of the most accurate quartz movements in the world and features a perfectly smooth-sweeping seconds hand like you’ll find on vintage Accutron watches. In many ways, it’s the perfect engine for a modern Astronaut, and it would also help keep the price from getting out of hand.

Can you imagine a 38mm no-date Accutron Astronaut in Grade 5 titanium with a Precisionist movement and a black-and-white day/night bezel priced between $2,000 and $3,000? That’s the type of watch that I believe would really start some buzz around Accutron again. Who knows, maybe some test pilots would even want to try one out.