Luminox watches

StoneAndSteel said:
People have told me that they used to be awesome, but I have been disappointed with all the Luminox's I have owned/handled. I kind of suspect they road the Navy SEAL marketing and didn't bother keeping it up. Other than the lack of tritium, I'll be another that suggests Citizen Eco Drive: lots of options around your price point. Antidotally: 13 years and mine still keeps fantastic time (if I don't leave it in a drawer). I have heard good things about Hamilton as well.
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From what I understand the company was bought out.
I got my first one back in the mid '90s, great watch went everywhere with me. Never had an issue battery got changed in a couple of places that it probably shouldn't have. Send it back to luminox, I thought, it wasn't. Pretty much died in 2013.
Still have it can't bring myself to get rid of it, just looking for a nice respectable watch shop to send it to to get it running again. It's not as bright as back in the '90s but it's a hell of a lot brighter than any of my seiko's Casios or citizens.
 
I used to love luminox watches. I actually still have one. I feel like the quality of the one I own now is sub par to my original one I had 20yrs ago. Last year I made the switch to a Cotizen eco-drive for an everyday watch. I tossed a generic screen protector on it and wear it for everything. I am an automotive instructor and it never leaves my wrist. I have to swap out the screen protectors every month or so because they get so bad, but the watch just keeps looking great and working flawlessly.

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bdmicarta said:
I found that I really liked the tritium tubes. Lume gets a lot of attention in dive watches and in good dive watches it can be very bright right after being charged but it doesn't last very long. The tritium is never very bright but is the same brightness all night - if I wake up at 4:00 in the morning and want to see what time it is I know that I can read the watch.
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This ^ is well observed and by someone who clearly owns a tritium tube equipped watch face.

HD
 
should be pointed out....lume in dive watches is for diving time. recreational dive times are short periods of time. not 8 hours of darkness. that's why dive watches use what is needed for diving lume.
 
WValtakis said:
If you want tritium you want tritium, and no glow-in-the-dark lume is gonna cut it. I'm right there with you... the only real options are Luminox and Reactor at the low end, Deep Blue in the middle and Ball at the high end. I currently wear a Deep Blue 24/7 and absolutely love it.

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Tritium update😁
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jbmonkey said:
should be pointed out....lume in dive watches is for diving time. recreational dive times are short periods of time. not 8 hours of darkness. that's why dive watches use what is needed for diving lume.
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Yes, totally correct.
But I don't dive, I just want to see what time it is when I wake up in the middle of the night. I have a real old Luminox Navy Seal watch. It was all beat up but runs fine, the tritium is fairly dim. I liked it a lot so I bought another used Luminox that I found at a low price. I rotate those watches and wear one of them every night. I discovered Deep Blue watches with their large flat tritium tubes and I now have 2 of those that I wear. I consider them to be my "adventure watches" so I wear one of them every time I travel.
 
My Eco drive seems to dim after a short time. Yet when I wake up in the early morning still dark I can see the watch fine. Has to do with your eyes adjusting to the extreme dark. But nothing is as good as tritium.

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Your story about your Luminox from the '90s struck a chord. I’ve got an old Citizen Eco-Drive that’s been with me through thick and thin, but I’m starting to eye something new. I’ve heard a lot of chatter about rolex superclones as a budget-friendly option for getting that classic style without breaking the bank. I’ve never owned a Luminox, but the Navy SEAL marketing definitely made me curious back in the day. It’s a shame to hear they might’ve lost some of their shine. If you do get yours restored, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
 
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I watched a friend go through hell with the Luminox warranty department. I ended up buying a Hamilton instead.
 
Danke42 said:
I can still read a superlum watch at 4am. Bulova and Maratac.

I will see if I can get a photo tonight.
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All colors/shaess are not created equally.
A quick search should pull up a graph.
My superocean is the brightest and uses C3 which can be read all night.
 
JBoone said:
All colors/shaess are not created equally.
A quick search should pull up a graph.
My superocean is the brightest and uses C3 which can be read all night.
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In the past few years I seem to have accumulated a bunch more watches and I should reshoot. I have a Countycom LSA watch with C3 and it's legible all night. Very happy with it.
 
I always wanted a Luminox, but they were expensive and every time I'd read reviews about them people were complaining about horrible quality and service. Why would I pay extra for that?

Bertucci is cheaper, tougher and now they have tritium, although I haven't bought the tritium yet.

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^^ Bertucci is solid.

Interesting discussion being brought back up.

I guess a couple ground rules need to be established- particularly price point. For some, anything more than a $25 Casio is expensive. Those sporting Rolex and above...a few hundred bucks probably ain't much.

Generally speaking IMHO, the most common 'inexpensive beater' is often a GShock in some form, probably $100 or less, and with good reason. Some of the lower end Luminox versions, such as the Leatherback Giant Sea Turtle comes close...a $100-$150 with a little shopping. I have one...not a bad watch, but definitely their 'econo' line and probably isn't going to take tons of punishment/abuse. I also have one of their higher-end 'Blackout' watches, an XS-3252...definitely cool and appears to be quality made...but not something I'm going to abuse or probably go swimming with.

If you want one, and have the coin, certainly not a bad watch...but if you're looking for a true 'beater,' get a Gshock or some cheaper Timex/Casios...

If you want something a bit nicer, there's plenty to chose from...the Citizen Promasters have a good following. You could also look at the Vaer line...some nice options, nice designs (though the take 'cues' from other brands...like most)...and American Assembled...Here's a couple...

www.vaerwatches.com

C5 Tactical Field Solar - 40mm USA

Introducing the C5 Tactical Field. This military-inspired PVD black tool watch carries over our best-in-class features - locking crown, sapphire crystal, USA assembly, plus the addition of 25 layers of C3 Super-LumiNova for our strongest lume performance yet. Includes a standard Quick Release...
www.vaerwatches.com www.vaerwatches.com

www.vaerwatches.com

D4 Meridian - Navy USA Solar 38mm

The D4 combines best-in-class durability with timeless design and the distinct characteristic of full USA Assembly. Simultaneously rugged and refined, the Vaer D4 represents our vision for the future.
www.vaerwatches.com www.vaerwatches.com

Timex also has some choices, like the Navi Harbor or their new Ti Deep Water Reef:

timex.com

Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium Automatic 41mm Synthetic Rubber Strap Watc

Merging resilience and elegance with crucial functions for underwater pursuits, our Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium Automatic is expertly engineered to venture deeper. Built with a durable and lightweight 41mm grade 2 titanium case, fortified with a screw-down crown and screw-on caseback, it...
timex.com timex.com


The Casio Pro Trek line also has some nice watches...sometimes you can get a decent deal on one at local membership club retailers.

www.casio.com

PRO TREK | CASIO

The official PRO TREK site. A rich assortment of PRO TREK authentic outdoor gear products. This lineup is optimal for mountain climbing, trekking, and fishing. CLIMBER LINE, ANGLER LINE Smartphone Link, CAMPER LINE
www.casio.com www.casio.com

The only limit is your budget...

Mr. $.02 worth,
Boss
 
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BOSS1 said:
I guess a couple ground rules need to be established- particularly price point. For some, anything more than a $25 Casio is expensive. Those sporting Rolex and above...a few hundred bucks probably ain't much.
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I've seen pictures of Bill Gates wearing a Casio analog watch that costs $50 on Amazon.
I've owned a few Omegas in the past but these days all of my watches were under $500 new (each). I'm currently wearing a Pagani Design that I bought for about $80 on Amazon black friday a year ago. IOW it is possible to get a pretty good watch without spending a lot of money. Of course we're on a knife forum and it is possible to get a pretty good knife without spending a lot of money, but many of us do have knives that cost a lot more.
 
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