luminox watches

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rluebb

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Oct 28, 2002
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I found a site that has a luminox seal team watch for $128.00 but the sellers are not a factory authorized dealer. Should I spend the extra money to buy from an authorized dealer? The dealer selling the 128.00 watch will give me a two year warranty and will replace if anything goes wrong with the mechanism. Other prices range from $158 to $189.00 . Thanks




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Word on the net is Luminox warranty service is managed by SATAN. If you can get any warranty at all from the dealer that will be immensely better than trying to get Luminox to fix it, by all reports.

I have no personal experience with them, but those who have will probably see this thread soon and swarm all over it.
 
Their warrenty sucks.:barf: :barf:

I sent my Navy Seal Series 1 watch in to get fixed. I got this watch as a gift so I couldn't produce a receipt (which is what you need to get any warrenty) and they told me that it wasn't warrented. I spent $60 to get a new crystal, case and stem. My watch was pretty beat up, but they are not as tough as they say they are. I think a real Navy Seal would demolish my watch in a couple of days.

My next watch is going to be a Seiko Auto Diver.:D
 
Check out Bill Yao (www.mkiiwatches.com). You can get the navy seal watch, without the logo and the words, "Navy SEAL".

Seiko divers are a bang for a buck as well. Bill has em converted too.

disclaimer: I do not work for Bill Yao or his company, I did buy my watch from him.
 
I have three watches by Luminox (SS SEAL Watch with black face, Original SEAL Watch with yellow face, and Captain's Field Watch with leather band and black face) owned over the past five years. They have been perfect timepieces for the money, keeping excellent time and remaining in excellent condition. Because they are well-built, I haven't had the need to experience their warranty department. My experience has not been consistent with several others here.

Because of the excellent experience I've had, as have a handful of my friends who are also Luminox owners, I surmise that Luminox are well-built watches for the money. Apparently their warranty department leaves a bit to be, but I know of only a few in the minority (only those here on BladeForums.com) who have been quite vocal, sharing their displeasure (which is certainly their prerogative).

Regarding warranty departments, let me float a thought for consideration. Many of you know I’ve spent my life predominately in management of customer service departments; most recently, at SOG Specialty Knives. A portion of my job there included the oversight of all warranty concerns. I tried very hard to offer the highest level of product support, honoring the customer in the highest levels possible. While at SOG, though, bad things happened regarding product/customer support. I would go on vacation for a couple weeks. I’d have to fire an employee, hire a replacement, and train them (taking a couple months). Or other scenarios which would adversely affect work flow. The result would be a handful of SOG customers receiving service not rising to the level of excellence I expected. Consequently, there are handfuls of SOG customers who think SOG’s warranty department SUCKS! I was mortified over each of those encounters, but not all of them could be reasonably resolved. Those customers have and will talk “trash” about SOG. There was nothing I could do past a certain point. A mishap occurred and the customer could just not be consoled. It would be grossly unfair to come to the conclusion that SOG SUCKS! Regarding Luminox, be careful to not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

For the money, these watches are very COOL and very much worth the money. I’d recommend them without hesitation!
 
I don't know what SOG's warranty has to do with Luminox, but they are notorious. There are lots of places where people have complained about Luminox quality and service, check a watch forum. Part of the problem is that Luminox is nothing more than a marketing arm, Mircotech makes the watches for them and several other companies. I have four of them now, I have traded into all of them here on BF. They make good everyday watches, great trade bait, but at anything over $150 I think they are overpriced. I would put the quality of build below Seiko and Citizen watches at the same prices. I have some high end stuff and it is overpriced too, but much more durable. Seems to be hit and miss with Luminox, about half the ones I have owned have had serious problems. I know a few retailers that have dropped them because of returns and poor service. At the price you mentioned and a warranty, that is a good deal. The trasers are hard to beat at night, and you get used to having them. I found that my Luminox Captains watch is by far the brightest of my Luminox's and the original SeAL is the least bright.

I would reccomend you also check out Stocker and Yale, Traser, and Ball watches as well.
 
Hi Bigcozy,
Originally posted by bigcozy
I don't know what SOG's warranty has to do with Luminox, but they are notorious.
Click to expand...
It's called an example (made exceptionally clear in the closing two sentences of that paragraph). But more importantly: is "notorious" modifying the warranty processing of SOG or Luminox? Or were you making a statement of plurality?
 
Hi Bigcozy,

I have no personal beef with you (you seem like a nice guy) nor have I seen any posts of yours, other than Luminox-oriented ones, which have raised in me any concern. You and I haven’t interacted on Luminox in about a year and a half (to the best of my knowledge) and now you take an unprovoked pot shot at me. Again, I have nothing against you personally. I do, though struggle with your “story,” “experience,” and “position” you herald regarding Luminox.

Here’s my response to you and a little personal insight on this topic.

  • Please understand that in this thread your post came after mine (not the other way around).
  • In the thread you've just referenced, I only pointed out some grossly inconsistent statements in your account.
  • There are only several individuals here on BladeForums.com who are militantly smearing the good name of Luminox and are owners of a Luminox product.
  • Perspective: Luminox is an inexpensive watch brand (price range of $200-500 est.). The complaints I’ve seen lodged against it are far more appropriate to watches in the $5,000-20,000 range. I would approximate that a consensus of the marketplace and the average watch prices would place Seiko watches either on-par or ever-so-slightly better than Luminox watches (just a gut guess on my part). I’ve owned maybe 10 Seiko watches over the past 25 years. Currently having five watches in circulation on my wrist (two Seiko and three Luminox), I can say that from my firsthand experience, the Luminox watches are either on-par or slightly better than my Seiko watches.
  • My interpretation of this Luminox bashing phenomenon is like the Ford/Chevy/MoPar arguments friends of mine engaged in years ago. “Fords are the best and Chevy SUCKS!” Or “MoPar RULES and Fords are Found On Road Dead.” I’m sure we have heard them all. Truly: Do Fords suck? Are Chevys the worst cars on the road? OF COURSE NOT! They are all fine American made automobiles. These exaggerated sentiments have roots in folk lore.

    By way of a fictitious example, “little Johnny’s” father’s best friend once had a service problem with his ’67 Ford Mustang and ever since that day, he has talked trash about Ford to everyone who would listen…including “little Johnny’s” dad. Johnny’s dad made it a habit to share those bitchy concerns with Johnny every time they talked about cars (which was often). Johnny in turn spent years in elementary school, junior high school, and finally in high school verbally slamming ALL FORD PRODUCTS (not just Mustangs)…LONG BEFORE HE EVER RECEIVED HIS DRIVER’S LICENSE AND COULD DRIVE ONE FOR HIMSELF! Finally, Johnny buys a Chevy because he heard from his dad that they were the best, he’d still never owned or driven a Ford, but continued to down-talk them just the same. We all know this is a very real scenario! WHAT A BLEMISH ON OUR SOCIETY!

    So, it is similar here. A small handful of people are complaining about their experience with Luminox and I see TONS of people who have never owned a Luminox bad-talk them because of the "experiences" of a few (which are not verifiable) very vocal people. I’m trying to bring balance to this blown-out-of-proportion Luminox bashing! I’m trying to treat Luminox honestly, fairly, and in proportion to their outstanding track record.
In person, I know about 20+ close friends and acquaintances who are Luminox watch owners. I do not know of one who has ever needed to use Luminox’s warranty services. On the internet, the number greatly increases of those I know who own these watches and are greatly satisfied. If I were to research here on BladeForums.com, I’d be fairly certain that I could count on one hand the number of Luminox owners who have personally had poor AND/OR unjust experiences with the Luminox warranty department.

So in summary, there is a very vocal minority slamming the Luminox brand here on BladeForums.com. Should it be right for each to share their experiences; whether they are good or bad? Of course! But at the point where a vocal minority hijack this site and become militant, belligerent, and combative in a minority disposition, I think a moderator or other highly respected tenured members need to bring balance and perspective to the topic. That is what you see me doing.
 
My only complaint about Luminox is the "wannabe" aspect of it. Early on, their claim to fame was their touted "Navy Seals" issue. Truth be told, the Luminox was never "issued" to Navy Seals at all.

The Luminox Navy Seals watch is/was made by MB Microtec in Switzerland. The same company, MB Microtec at one time produced watches for a bonafide military contracter, Stocker and Yale. Stocker and Yale did make watches under the P650 type 6 specification that appeared on the Government Qualified Products List (QPL). Since it appeared on the QPL, the P650 was eligible to be purchased by any military unit. There was some evidence that some Ranger units obtained P650's. That is is SOCOM tie in, if there is one.

The P650 is actually a Navigator's watch and not really a (SEAL) dive watch at all.

For this tenuous tie-in and promotional opportunity, Luminox paid a royalty for every "SEAL" case produced.

I have no opinion regarding the warranty or service issues for Luminox, but I do think their advertising is/was quite deceptive with regards to the NAVY SEAL tie-in. It fools/fooled a lot of folks. I get emails constantly asking about the Navy SEALS Luminox. Most people think they've gotten some genuine military issue product when in fact, it is simply a marketing gimmick.
 
Hi Bob,

Thanks sincerely for your input here. Regarding this quote:
Originally posted by BobHWD
Early on, their claim to fame was their touted "Navy Seals" issue.
Click to expand...
There are many companies who make similar claims and not may companies that don't use similar tactics. "Marketing," as an industry, leaves much to be desired by those driven by ethics. If a consumer discounts a product because of deceptive marketing, he/she would be rich with cash and poor in material consumer goods.

Case-in-point: I love sporty cars. You can see my beloved Z in my Avatar. Marketing companies tout sport cars as performance powerhouses. I laugh at the fine print on television which says something like: “Do not personally try this. Car driven here by professional driver on a closed course.” So, they make a car that is clearly made to break the law, they market it (on TV and in ads) to break the law, but they tell you to drive like a grandma.

Though much marketing I’ve seen really turns me off or is just a “joke,” I need to get past that and evaluate the product and company independent of their promotions.
 
Originally posted by Ron Andersen
Hi Bob,

Thanks sincerely for your input here. Regarding this quote:There are many companies who make similar claims and not may companies that don't use similar tactics. "Marketing," as an industry, leaves much to be desired by those driven by ethics. If a consumer discounts a product because of deceptive marketing, he/she would be rich with cash and poor in material consumer goods.

Case-in-point: I love sporty cars. You can see my Z in my Avatar. The marketing companies tout these cars as performance powerhouses. We even see in the fine print on television add something like: “Do not personally try this. Car driven here by professional driver on a closed course.” So, they make a car that is clearly made to break the law, they market it (on TV and in ads) to break the law, but they tell you to drive like a grandma.

Though much marketing I’ve seen really turns me off or is just a “joke,” I need to get past that and evaluate the product and company independent of their promotions.
Click to expand...

Well now that you've managed to hijack this thread, let me say that my personal car is also touted as a performance powerhouse. However, I have never seen them discouraging anyone from trying "these driving techniques at home." Instead, my car merely offers a suggestion that tire pressures be adjusted for sustained high speed driving, which is well over the speed limit in my home town.

I think what really turns off "real operators" is not so much the false claims, but that HUGE Navy SEALS LOGO that Luminox put on some of their watches. To make a marketing claim is one thing. In my opinion, that logo is over the top and needs to go.

psi.jpg
 
Originally posted by rluebb
I found a site that has a luminox seal team watch for $128.00 but the sellers are not a factory authorized dealer. Should I spend the extra money to buy from an authorized dealer? The dealer selling the 128.00 watch will give me a two year warranty and will replace if anything goes wrong with the mechanism. Other prices range from $158 to $189.00 . Thanks



Since this thread got a little out of hand I wish to voice my opinion one more time after I read your post a little better. My experience with Luminox should not deter you from buying one.
I know that I will never buy another one, but if you can get one for $128 with a two year warranty I feel that it is a pretty good deal. Mine lasted for a little over two years until it needed repair. If I could have done it all over, I would have purchased the Luminox witht the steel case. My series one has a plastic case and the holes where the band pins go in tend to wear out. Once those wear out, the band won't stay in and then you can't wear the watch.

I do have a question. Does anyone know what kind of warrenty Luminox actually has? I know that they require proof of purchase but I have no idea of how long the watch is warrented or what they cover. I would be interested in knowing this.
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Have a look at the watch forums, www.timezone.com www.broadarrow.net etc. and you'll see this information doesn't come from just a few Luminox owners -- far from it.

The tritium gas vials are very bright. If that's what you want go ahead and buy one; it's a reasonable price for that. Just be aware you're not buying a particularly reliable or durable watch -- not bad but not at all comparable to Seiko or Casio or at all like the way it's advertised -- and be aware of the warranty service issues. All things considered it's still a reasonable buy for what it is (ie a cheap quartz watch with tritium gas vials). If you don't mind the logos....
 
rluebb,

Lots of help aren't we;) Obviously you have people with both good and bad experiences. I would say that the bad experiences are in the FAR minority. HOWEVER, if and when someone does get a lemon, its a lemon...and not the easiest to get fixed.

I am one of those that not only likes this watch, but thinks its ruggedness is on par with any other diver from 100 to 300 dollars(yes, I say diver--any watch that is good to 660 ft, I consider good enough for the snorkeling or scuba I might do. I have a Marathon Navigator--without getting up and looking at it, rated to approx 200 ft...not a dive watch). I have two of the basic 3000 series watches: a red-dial for over three years and a "Bill Yao" black face without the SEAL logo (face looks much like a Sandy of old). These two watches (since purchase, pretty much only wear the Yao) have put to rest one Seiko diver and four G-Shocks. Watch stays on my wrist ALL the time (minus PT--can't replace the heart rate monitor) and has seen most everything from months of daily dips in Bahamian saltwater to dusty or cold environs--my Waterborne straps are showing more wear than the watches. I personally like the 3000 series (plastic instead of stainless/titanium) because of weight--for it's size, a very lightweight watch.

While I'm at it, someone mentioned problems with the SEAL logo. I agree! Unfortunate (or idiotic) that Luminox does not give the OPTION for a sterile watch--without any scientific marketing research, I firmly believe they are missing out quite a bit of business. That said, quite a few soldiers (SWAG is probably three to seven percent--not bad when most soldiers only look at Wal-Mart for a cheap Casio or Timex) here at Bragg wear a Luminox--not because they are "wannabes" or even like wearing something proclaiming "Navy" when they are Army. For many the tritium is well worth it (know of any other light system that is HANDS-FREE in the dark??? and NVG compatible). Ruggedness for the MAJORITY is also there.

Because of this I looked at getting my second watch from Traser UK, but luckily also considered a Bill Yao conversion--Traser distributes essentially the same watch as Luminox (MB-Microtech the Swiss manufacturer makes both lines), but their customer service is considered on par with other reputable businesses.

My advice to you is to look at Bill's site--he will NOT ship you a lemon (he's a watchnut like most of us are knifenuts) and his prices are very reasonable.

Rather long-sorry--but at least I didn't get in a spat with anyone else-I think? :D

Best of luck,
Glenmore
 
There isn't much disagreement over facts here, it's just that different people feel differently about the same facts. Some people take hype seriously and get outraged by it; others feel, well, it's only advertising, pay no attention to it.

Hype aside, the tritium gas vials are very bright, all the time, an ordinary quartz watch is plenty tough enough for most people, and if you can get a warranty from the dealer so much the better.
 
Originally posted by icarian
rluebb,

I am one of those that not only likes this watch, but thinks its ruggedness is on par with any other diver from 100 to 300 dollars(yes, I say diver--any watch that is good to 660 ft, I consider good enough for the snorkeling or scuba I might do. I have a Marathon Navigator--without getting up and looking at it, rated to approx 200 ft...not a dive watch).
Click to expand...


Well perhaps you didn't know this, but, the Stocker and Yale P650 type 6 and the Marathon Navigator are the same specification. They differ only in aesthetics!

The Stocker and Yale P650 Type 6 and the Marathon Navigator Type 6 both have the exact same specification, and in fact, the very last year of production, Stocker and Yale, and Marathon split the Government order 50%-50%. For the purposes of the military contract, one was interchangeable with the other.

So it really doesn't make sense to call one a dive watch, but not the other.... Hope that makes sense.
 
I bought a 3401 with a steel case, screwdown back, saphire crystal, NATO strap and converted face (no logo) from Bill Yao.

Those features coupled with the always-on tritium and accurate quartz movement was everything I needed.

The black coating on the case is very tough. I inadvertantly ran a course flight jacket zipper across the face of the watch. There was a terrible scraping noise but no scratches were to be found.

The 3401 is not a heirloom quality watch. As a task watch, it does it's job very well.

Can't say anything about the warranty or the quality of the 3000 series luminox.
 
orginally posted by bobHWD
So it really doesn't make sense to call one a dive watch, but not the other.... Hope that makes sense
Click to expand...

Bob, are you trying to pull me into this:D No disagreement. The watch distributed by MB Microtech now is obviously NOT the same spec as "navigator" watches (besides the different atmospheres each is rated to, I can "feel" that the Marathon isn't as durable as my other two tritium watches). I compared the Sandy to the Luminox "watch face" only in the visual aspect in my previous post. As far as the "tie in" you mentioned, I think I indirectly commented on that by calling them "idiots" along the same lines.

later,
Glenmore
 
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