Manufacturer | Bulova (Citizen/Miyota) |
Caliber Number | NP20 |
Type | Quartz |
Battery Cell |
SR927W (395) |
Battery Life | Unconfirmed |
Frequency | 262.144 kHz |
Quartz Type | Tuning fork type quartz crystal |
Jewels | 0 |
Hacking Seconds? |
Yes |
Functions | Central hours; central minutes; central chronograph seconds; 1/20 seconds subdial at 3:00; small running seconds at 6:00; 60 minutes chronograph hand at 9:00; some models have a date (at 4:30 or 6:00) |
Country of Manufacture | Japan |
Known Models |
Lunar Pilot Chronograph (96B251, 96K111, 98K112, 96A225), Chronograph C (96A283, 96K101) (Add your watch in the comments below…) |
The Bulova caliber NP20 is a High Precision Quartz (HPQ) chronograph watch movement with Ultra High Frequency (UHF) of 262.144 kHz. Bulova refers to it as a 3 eye chronograph movement. It is made in Japan and has 0 jewels.
In Bulova’s own words:
“A movement featuring a 3-pronged quartz crystal with a frequency of 262 kHz that is 8 times greater than standard quartz, leading to an accuracy of seconds a year.” –source
Date VS No Date:
With the news of the recent release (February 7, 2023) of the Bulova Lunar Pilot No-Date (refs: 96K111, 98K112), it seemed as if the community would be getting a new caliber number from Bulova – only to find that the movement in the new no-date is called an “N20”, just like the date model. It’s disappointing that Bulova did not come up with a way to distinguish the no-date caliber from the date version (ref: 96B251). If one has a calendar complication and the other does not, then they are not the same movement (assuming that the no-date does not have a phantom date position), and should each have their own caliber designation.
NP20 VS 8136:
Bulova offers almost no information about their movements. It appears that the NP20 is what they are calling their 8136. Caliber Corner is still working on getting more information about this, including a hands-on and break down of the movements for photos, etc. In the meantime, you may want to read throught the Bulova 8136 caliber listing and the discussion threads over there.
Additional Resources: