Luminox Men’s Original Navy SEAL Dive Watch #3001
- Precise Swiss-Quartz movement
- Mineral crystal
- Case diameter: 43 mm
- Polyurethane case; Black dial; Date function
- Water-resistant to 660 feet (200 M)
Amazon.com Product Description
Prized for its durability and unique illumination system, the Luminox Original Navy SEAL Series 1 stainless steel men’s watch exudes confidence and power whenever it’s worn. Thanks to the vaunted Luminox self-powered illumination system, this watch’s hands and dial markers glow 100 times brighter than other luminous watches and will provide continuous illumination for more than 25 years. It’s also water resistant to 200 meters (20 ATM, 660 feet), which is suitable for recreational scuba diving.
The large, black-plated stainless steel watch case–measuring 1.7 inches wide and 0.4 inches thick–is topped by a ratcheting, unidirectional rotating bezel with engraved 5-minute Arabic numerals in white and coin-edged detailing for an improved grip. The black dial face is accented by white Arabic numeral markers, large white baton hands (with seconds hand), and a date function at 3 o’clock. It’s completed by a comfortable polyurethane (PU) diver’s strap in black. Other features include a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, multi-jeweled Swiss quartz watch movement, double gasket crown, and 4-year battery life. It’s backed by a 1-year Luminox warranty.
Luminox Self-Powered Illumination System
Each Luminox watch employs tiny self-powered micro gas lights (borosilicate glass capsules), which are firmly embedded in the hands and the hour indicators on the watch face (as well as on the turning ring of diver’s watches). Luminox watches need no external light source to “charge” the paint on the dial or hands in order to glow as do conventional luminous watches, nor do they require a push of a button to light the dial as do electro luminescent watches.
About Luminox
Luminox combines the finest tradition and precision of Swiss watchmaking with the durability demanded by US armed forces and the latest innovations in timepiece technology. The company pioneered the development of small, individual luminescent tracer lamps and was contacted by the U.S. Navy SEAL teams to build a dive watch for their use on night missions. After their popularity in the Navy grew, the Air Force asked Luminox to develop a watch specifically for F-117 Nighthawk Stealth pilots.
Luminox Men’s Original Navy SEAL Dive Watch #3001
Tags: #3001, Dive, Luminox, Men's, Navy, Original, SEAL, Watch
March 7th, 2010 at 3:39 am
The basic Luminox watch is a superb day watch. Although I am on my second one in eight years, this may be a record, as I am not gentle with watchs. The first one’s crystal cracked, but the second one is driving on like a champ.
Pro’s-
The luminous stuff on the hands and face (tritium vials) is bright. I mean really, REALLY bright. None of this hold it under a light” silliness, but wake up at three thirty in the morning and have no trouble reading it.
The twelve o’clock tritium vial is orange not green, acting as an index point even in complete darkness. See remark about 0330 hrs.
The bezel can be turned reasonably easily, but won’t turn by itself when you are not looking.
Accuracy is good.
Shock resistance, overall durability is very good (damage to my first watch was purely my fault and exceeded any reasonable expectation of survival).
Con’s
The Navy SEAL propaganda can be mildly annoying.
The bezel is synthetic (plastic), and after two or three years of use starts to go smooth and the numbers start to wear off.
The luminous stuff on the hands and face (tritium vials) is bright. I mean really, REALLY bright. This con is a special case. If a service member wants to wear this watch in the field, one of those watchbands with the flap to cover the face is a REALLY good idea.
The synthetic strap isn’t so good. I replace the watch band with a nylon/velcro one on the first day.
The little compass that comes with it is a wasted effort, get a Suunto watchband compass. Same size, superior in every way.
On the whole, a tremendous value for money, and when I abuse my current one beyond usefulness, I will certainly get another one.
Rating: 4 / 5
March 7th, 2010 at 5:26 am
Loved this watch when I first got it – has great styling and was a great backup to my dive computer. Used it for diving here in Alaska. Unfortunately quit working within a year. Quality for the price is pretty questionable. No response from company on fixing it….
Rating: 2 / 5
March 7th, 2010 at 6:16 am
I bought this watch a few years ago. I like the luminous dial, and it has proven to be an accurate and rugged watch. I am disappointed that after a few years the plastic watch band cracked and was no longer usable. Given the price of this watch, and all the military specifications Luminox claims to meet, I did not expect this to happen. I assumed this must have been a defective watch band. When I contacted Luminox to point this out, and asked if they would replace it, they sent me a very curt and direct message in which they stated:
“The warranty does not apply to the band, crystal, crown, bezel or battery.”
In looking for a replacement band, I discovered that authorized Luminox distributors sell them for $39.00. I think this is bit ridiculous for a watch band that only lasted a few years. I’ve bought complete Timex digital watches for less than the price of this band, and never had the watch band break. In shopping around, I found a Timex watch band made for Casio watches that looked like the original Luminox watch band. I bought it for $8.87 at Wal-Mart.
While I still like the Luminox watch itself, I’m very unhappy with it coming with either a defective or very cheap watch band. I’m also very unimpressed with Luminox’s customer service. Given my experience, I’ve come to the conclusion that Luminox watches are overpriced, and their service is poor. If I could do it all over, I wouldn’t buy this watch again.
Rating: 2 / 5
March 7th, 2010 at 6:30 am
I read up on this watch and decided to buy it, thinking if it’s good enough for a navyseal it’s good enough for me. 1 month later the wristband spring that connects the belt to the watch popped off during a basketball game. Ever since it keeps happening when small amount of force is applied. The luminox glow in the dark thing works great but it fell off on one of the hands inside the case. I feel bad for our military.
Rating: 2 / 5
March 7th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Please do yourself a favor and avoid Luminox watches at all cost.
I am a firefighter and assumed that a watch good enough for Navy Seals would meet my on the job needs as well. How wrong I was.
After less than a year I cracked the crystal by setting the watch on a plastic countertop. Apparently they are not made to handle impact of any kind. Navy Seals must be a fragile bunch.
After considerable hassle, the Luminox service center repaired the watch, but charged me an outragous $120 dollars – and it took them all of 16 weeks.
Several months later the glow-in-the-dark paint fell off of the second hand and now sits inside the watch housing, getting pushed around by the hands.
I like the look of this watch, but the quality is terrible. Even worse, it costs more to fix the frequently broken parts than it costs to buy a better watch.
Give your money to a watchmaker with a quality product who cares about its customers – Luminox is not that company.
Rating: 1 / 5