I first found Luminox, a military watch supplier in 1991. It was Christmas-time and I was visiting a watch store when my eye caught something different, something highly unique. I was shopping for my wife, but you know how that goes! I was more than a little curious about these luminous”tritium” watches, in a case of their own showcasing a number of different models. I picked one out and the store manager took me into a dark storeroom so I could see this watch do its thing. For each hour marker, there was a tiny tube filled with tritium, a phosphorescent, radioactive gas. The tips of the watch bands had even tinier tubes of this material. The lume was absolutely amazing and I knew that I had to have this watch.
Luminox is known for designing its watches to meet military specifications, including having a case that can withstand a dive depth of 200 meters and handle dirt, sand, mud, and be highly shock resistant. Today, the more expensive models are built around a stainless steel, titanium, or carbon fiber (Carbonox) case. These are some of the most durable watches on the planet. Back in the 90’s, I believe Luminox had an exclusive agreement with the Swiss-made owner of the patent for tritium, as used in its watches but by the year 2000, there were several other manufacturers that became Luminox competitors, also offering a high level of build quality and made to either the same or similar specifications. Names like Praetorian, TAWATEC, Armourlite/Isobrite, and others had come on line and were offering well-crafted, tritium designs. Various militaries around the world began contracting with these companies to supply their special forces.
Today, I see at least a dozen different companies using tritium tube technology for luminescence and dozens of brands which use “Superluminova” phosphorescent paint. But with all those options out there, I still prefer Luminox. Though I wear a Nite “Hawk” because of its half-centimeter larger case, if I could have just one watch it’d be a Luminox. The first Luminox watch that I purchased some thirty-six years ago is still going strong but I probably haven’t worn it in ten years and don’t recall when I could no longer see just a bit of tritium lume. I believe that it went several years beyond the anticipated range of twenty-five.
It was about this time that many outdoorsmen and extreme athletes had come to take notice of this new watch phenomenon. Watch enthusiasts and collectors everywhere had come to find what the fuss was about. Casio G-Shock had long been a military supplier with its bombproof models designed for extreme use and is, today, one of the biggest suppliers of tactically -oriented watches to the US military. Many soldiers simply purchase their own time pieces and the burly, large-cased designs appeal to many young people in the military. These are not your “el Cheapo” Casio’s that you can find for $50 to $125, but much more seriously built models that start at around $400 MSRP. The company even makes a number of models ranging in price from $600 to over $1,000 and are highly thought of in military circles. But, even with such stiff competition, Luminox is still among my three favorite brands. My only gripe is one of case diameter. Luminox’s early designs were spec’d-out with a case dimension of 44 mm, which seemed large enough back in the day. In thirty years, that dimension has only grown to 46 mm, which is a bit smaller than some of their competition. G-Shock’s tactical designs are between 51 mm and 55 mm, and most of the other companies have most models dimensioned at 47 mm. Some, even larger. The trend has long been for larger, more robust designs.
About five years ago, I discovered a brand I hadn’t before seen. It’s a relatively young company called “Nite”, based in Christchurch, UK. I had an overnight infatuation with Nite’s “Hawk” model. My last two watches, including my daily driver, have been acquired through Nite’s sumptuous website, which is the only means of buying one. I have a Nite Hawk “Blackout” and the same watch, but with a cool orange face. Like other companies, Nite’s watches are designed in one place (the UK) and manufactured in another (Switzerland…the same country in which the tritium tubes are produced). With its Hawk series, you can see a strong resemblance to watches made by Luminox and Isobrite, Traser, and Marathon, with large (51 mm) and burly cases, all good for diving to 200 meters and withstanding considerable abuse, as would be seen in the military. Nite has four or five lines. with a watch for everyone, but only the Hawk is 51 mm. The others are quite a bit smaller but are beautiful timepiece examples with a more sophisticated look that would work nicely at the office or on a night out with friends.
When it comes to luminescence, tritium is not the only option. Many companies, such as Citizen, use luminescent paint, the best of which is called “Superluminova”. This stuff is like the luminescent paint used on many watches by Seiko back in the day, except on steroids. With a bright light charge for a few minutes, these watches will luminesce through most of the night, getting linearly dimmer with each passing hour. Still, they are extremely good watches built to a large watch case. These, too, meet military specifications for build quality and waterproofing. I very much like Citizen’s “Eco-drive” Professional models. These can be had for a little more than $500, MSRP, and there are automatic chronograph models which are priced at around $800. I got both of my Nite watches on sale for $450. Most Luminox’s are $600, and up.
In terms of longevity, Luminox states that its tritium tubes last for an average of twelve years (based on the half-life of Tritium, which is a radioactive element, harmless when used in the tiny quantities related to watch luminescence), with 25 years being the maximum. There are now a few companies offering T-100 tritium which is, in my opinion, is a bit over the top – particularly if you’re a nighttime military operator whose life depends on not being seen. Since the tritium tubes are all sourced from the same Swiss company. results can be expected to be the same across the board. Luminox has a “best in the business” warranty of two years, but you must buy from an authorized dealer to get the warranty. Other manufacturers offer a warranty period of one to two years.
While tritium is radioactive, it is well contained and well below hazardous limits. A quick search reveals several Swiss companies that are associated with tritium, but the company that first came out with the tritium watch tubes is MB Microtec. You can learn more about the company and tritium as used for watch luminescence at:
One of the earliest watch makers to use tritium is Ball Watches with its “Engineer” dive model which has expanded into the Engineer I, II, and III. This is an extremely beautiful and well built dive watch which can be found at a higher price point of between $2K and $3K. They use multiple colors, larger tubes, and light up the night like a Christmas tree. I would be more comfortable wearing one for a night out rather than having it get battered around while I’m wrenching on my ATV. It’s just not that kind of a watch, more like a fine timepiece. But, I wouldn’t have any hesitation to recommend it as a dive watch, which is where the design features lie. Unlike some of these other watches, Ball’s Engineer would be just as at home at a black tie affair as it is scuba diving off the coast of Belize.
MTM is a lesser known company making bombproof watches. This brand is truly top-tier, extremely well made with handsome designs. But, for me, the case size is a bit on the small side (42 mm to 44 mm). In contrast, there’s Casio’s G-Shock Rangeman which is a monster of a watch. Though it is seldom purchased for such exclusively hardcore reasons, it is designed to be a sniper’s aid. At 55 mm, it’s not only big, but is built like a tank. It runs on Casio’s solar technology, so battery life isn’t an issue. Casio has yet to utilize tritium technology but instead uses a powered backlight which requires the user to depress a button to illuminate the watch just long enough to catch the time. These watches, along with several other G-Shock models, are extremely popular with the military. They represent a real value in the marketplace, and, with their robust design and large size, they appeal to the younger, military segment. It’s safe to say that Casio’s G-Shock watches have spent more time in extreme conditions than any other watch made.
