Watch Assessment: Luminox Authentic Navy SEAL Evo 3001

In case you are of a sure age and occur to have frequented Sharper Picture shops in malls throughout America (and, I presume, the world), it’s possible you’ll recall that Luminox watches had been prominently featured within the famed multi-category idea shops. Sharper Picture was all about carrying high-tech instruments, fashionable devices, and a litany of items for women and men appropriate for every little thing from cooking to consolation. One of many merchandise the shop carried was the “Navy SEAL wristwatch” by Luminox, which supplied the promise of navy performance and sturdiness, together with the intercourse enchantment of a extremely educated commando. Whereas this new Authentic Navy Seal EVO 3001 watch isn’t precisely what you’ll have been capable of buy again then, this “homage” watch to the unique Luminox 3001 watches is a brand new launch by the model that hearkens again to the “timepiece that began all of it” again in 1994.

Since then, Luminox has blossomed past a timepiece that bore an formally licensed United States Navy SEALs brand. The unique watches had been developed in collaboration with Navy SEALs in response to what they mentioned they needed in a wristwatch. These are, certainly, evolutions on historic navy timepieces and felt moderately fashionable on the time throughout the mid-Nineties. The core Luminox theme has endured nicely, as have the handful of different manufacturers that characteristic navy type and embody self-illuminating Swiss tritium fuel tubes as luminant within the arms and hour markers.

When asking the Navy SEALs what they needed, the want checklist made sense given their actions. Observe {that a} vary of different watches has come out since these from Luminox that had been executed as a collaboration with the elite navy unit — however none that I do know are nonetheless as inexpensive as these produced by Luminox. The troopers firstly needed a sturdy, light-weight, and stealthy carbon watch. (Luminox calls its carbon can materials “Carbonox.”) Because of this the matte-black colours of the piece are significantly outstanding. Use of the tritium fuel tubes is valued by troopers as a result of it means the watch doesn’t must be charged in gentle to be seen at midnight.

Navy watches are additionally usually a mixture of area and diver’s watches. Accordingly, the legible field-watch type dial is combined with a unidirectional rotating diver’s-style timing bezel, and the case is water resistant to 200 meters. Over the dial is a hardened mineral crystal, which is meant to be extra scratch-resistant than a typical mineral crystal. Certainly, I would favor a full sapphire crystal, however for moderately esoteric causes, some navy watchmakers really feel that sapphire crystal is just too shatter-prone (it actually isn’t) and like mineral crystal (that chips away extra typically than it shatters, if impacted). A small sapphire crystal is used over the tritium fuel tube used within the pip positioned on the 60-minute mark on the rotating bezel.

For the dial accent colours, Luminox has all the time supplied a spread of hues except for the normal white. This explicit model has cream-colored “previous Radium” hues for the markers and arms. I like this tone lots, as it’s way more nice to the eyes than stark white. Additionally presently accessible within the Evo 3001/3003 is a blackout dial (extra stealthy) and a blue one. The dial has each a 12- and 24-hour scale, in addition to a date window. It’s not a revolutionary dial, and it’s a bit slender given the general case dimension, however this timepiece form and idea nonetheless work very well and really feel like improbable navy items with simply the correct amount of favor and substance.

At 43mm-wide, these are literally amongst Luminox’s smaller merchandise, and these put on small given the flat metal again (the crown can be in metal), gentle weight, and comparatively slender dial-to-case diameter ratio. The case is about 12mm-thick and has a roughly 46mm (moderately modest) lug-to-lug distance. A lot of the perceived dimension is actually associated to the broad facet flanks on the case (which may additionally act to soak up shock). Contained in the watch is a Swiss Made Ronda 515 HH6 quartz motion. Most precise navy functions choose the accuracy of a battery-powered quartz motion to the romance and autonomy of an automated mechanical one. Luminox does produce various mechanical watches, however its bread and butter are nonetheless quartz items.

Connected to the case is an easy however snug tapering Luminox-branded black rubber strap. Many watches of this type have moved to silicone straps, which, for essentially the most half, I don’t choose over high-grade rubber. So, it’s good that Luminox continues to supply rubber straps. This watch would additionally look significantly good on a NATO-style strap, however be aware that it has an odd-sized 21mm-wide lug distance. One criticism I’ve is that Luminox didn’t coat the metal buckle in a black coloration to match the case. Accordingly, I feel they need to have coloured the metal crown black, as nicely. These two black parts would have been extra harmonious with the remainder of the watch and never considerably added to the manufacturing price.

As a every day put on sports activities or “beater” watch, the Luminox Authentic Navy SEAL Evo 3001 is a stable alternative — in a market with numerous stable selections. Luminox isn’t the most cost effective or the least costly however is priced on the high-premium facet given the supplies used. Luminox has a extra recognizable model than a lot of the competitors, and sometimes, folks have a tendency to love the extra commercially attention-grabbing (versus purely tactical or navy) styling of a few of the competitors. I ceaselessly work outdoors, hike, or in any other case do energetic issues, and I discover myself having picked up numerous Luminox watches prior to now for these functions. It was no totally different with the Authentic Navy SEAL Evo 3001. Worth, once more, is a bit premium, however many would argue it’s value it. Retail value for the Luminox Authentic Navy SEAL Evo 3001 watch is $435 USD. Study extra or order on the Luminox watches web site right here.