The Venezianico Bucintoro 1969 is a hand-wound chronograph built around a restored vintage Lemania 1873 movement, with a dial that counts down to the Apollo 11 launch. Venezianico says it made 69 individually numbered watches. The brand’s U.S. listing shows a $4,500 price and marks the edition sold out; that is distinct from the €4,500 launch price Fratello reported in 2024.
What is the Venezianico Bucintoro 1969?
It is a limited-edition mechanical chronograph whose design commemorates the 1969 Moon landing. The name and dial tell the story: launch countdown markings lead into a tachymeter scale, while lunar-surface-inspired details tie the watch to the mission. The watch itself is not an Apollo-era flight watch; its connection is commemorative and rooted partly in the movement’s history.
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Venezianico says it sourced 69 vintage NOS Lemania 1873 movements in Switzerland and restored them over six months. Fratello’s May 16, 2024 feature describes the calibers as 1970s examples serviced by the brand, and reports that each of the 69 watches is individually numbered.
What movement is in the Bucintoro 1969?
The Bucintoro 1969 uses a manually wound Lemania 1873 chronograph, not an automatic movement. Venezianico describes it as Swiss Made and meticulously restored. Its vintage origin means this is a different proposition from a newly manufactured contemporary caliber: the appeal lies in the historical movement and its restoration, as well as the watch’s design.
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- Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
- Case Dimensions: 42mm, Lug to Lug 49mm
- Case Thickness: 11.70mm (Without Glass)
- Crystal: 1.90mm, Double Domed Sapphire
- Movement: Automatic Seiko NE88A
Venezianico says the Lemania 1873 was employed by NASA staff and describes its predecessor, caliber 321, as the first movement to reach the lunar surface. Fratello also links the 1873’s lineage to Omega caliber 321, which it identifies as the movement worn by Apollo 11 astronauts. These are claims about movement history and lineage, not evidence that the Bucintoro 1969 itself went to space.
How does the countdown dial work?
The dial’s launch sequence is marked T-60, T-10, T-5 and launch. The countdown is a visual theme; the chronograph is used to time events, and the tachymeter scale can be used to calculate speed over a known distance. The dial also has three chronograph counters and a central seconds hand.
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- Case Dimensions: 40 mm, Lug-to-Lug 46.7 mm, Total Thickness 11.4 mm
- Movement: Seiko NH39, Automatic, 2-Hands, Modified for Regulator Function
- Material: 316L Stainless Steel
- Dial: Multi-Level, Semi-Shiny Rings, Sunray-Finished, Fume, Lacquered Base
- Crystal: Sapphire with Anti-Reflective Coating
The scale and countdown make the watch’s theme unusually explicit compared with a conventional chronograph. They do not change the movement’s basic role: this is a manually wound timing instrument, with the tachymeter providing a way to interpret elapsed time as speed when the relevant distance is known.
Venezianico Bucintoro 1969 specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Case | 316L stainless steel |
| Diameter | 42 mm |
| Lug-to-lug | 49 mm |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm excluding the crystal, per Venezianico; 13.6 mm including the domed crystal, per Fratello |
| Crystal | 1.6 mm double-domed sapphire, according to Venezianico; Fratello also notes an antireflective coating |
| Movement | Restored vintage NOS Lemania 1873; hand-wound chronograph |
| Dial | Three chronograph counters, central seconds hand, tachymetric scale, countdown markings and lunar-surface-inspired details |
| Water resistance | 10 ATM / 100 m |
| Crown | Push-pull |
| Included items | Leather strap, rubber strap, Canova bracelet, handmade walnut case and strap replacement tools, per Venezianico |
The thickness figures use different measurement conventions, not necessarily conflicting specifications: Venezianico’s 11.5 mm excludes the crystal, while Fratello’s 13.6 mm includes it.
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- Case Material: Stainless Steel
- Dial Window Material: Non-reflective coating sapphire glass
- Product Number: 3921507
- Movement: Automatic (Seiko NH70A)
- Case Diameter: 42mm
Is the Bucintoro 1969 still available?
As shown on Venezianico’s U.S. product listing on October 7, 2026, the watch is priced at $4,500 and marked sold out: Venezianico’s Bucintoro 1969 listing. Fratello reported a €4,500 launch price in 2024 and said all 69 pieces sold within eight minutes. That eight-minute sell-through is Fratello’s launch-era report, not an independently audited sales figure.
The current official listing establishes that the U.S. page is sold out; it does not establish secondary-market availability or resale prices. A listing price should therefore not be treated as a current offer to buy the watch.
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- Housing: Bronze QAI9-4
- Face: Aged, hand-antiqued brass
- Size: 40mm, 46.7mm lug to lug, 10mm thick
- Movement: Miyota 9039 Automatic
- Glass: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
How does it differ from the Bucintoro 40 – Prima Serie?
The similarly named Bucintoro 40 – Prima Serie is a different watch, not a less expensive version of the 1969 edition. Its official listing specifies an automatic Seiko NE86A movement, a 40 mm case and 14 mm total thickness, while the Bucintoro 1969 has a hand-wound Lemania 1873 and a 42 mm case.
| Bucintoro 1969 | Bucintoro 40 – Prima Serie | |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Hand-wound, restored vintage Lemania 1873 | Automatic Seiko NE86A |
| Case diameter | 42 mm | 40 mm |
| Lug-to-lug | 49 mm | 48 mm |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm excluding crystal (Venezianico); 13.6 mm including crystal (Fratello) | 14 mm total |
| Water resistance | 100 m | 100 m |
| Listing and price | $4,500 on the U.S. listing, marked sold out as of October 7, 2026 | €1,495 on the official listing, marked sold out |
The Prima Serie’s official listing is Venezianico’s Bucintoro 40 – Prima Serie page. Its automatic movement and different dial concept mean it is not a substitute for the 1969 edition if the restored Lemania caliber or Apollo countdown design is the reason for your interest.
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- Case Material: Stainless Steel
- Dial Window Material: Non-reflective coating sapphire glass
- Product Number: 3521505C
- Movement: Automatic (Seiko NH34A GMT)
- Case Diameter: 39mm
Who is the Bucintoro 1969 for?
The watch makes most sense for someone specifically drawn to a hand-wound chronograph with a vintage movement, a prominent space-race theme and a 42 mm case. Its 49 mm lug-to-lug measurement is also worth considering when judging fit; case diameter alone does not capture how much wrist space a watch occupies. The 100 m water-resistance rating and included rubber strap add everyday versatility, though the defining reasons to seek this model out are its movement and limited-edition design rather than a claim of direct NASA or Apollo provenance.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
