Luminox launches a trio of new field watches called the Atacama Field Series. Each watch features a textured dial meant to evoke the terrain of its namesake Atacama Desert.
These 43mm carbon-cased watches offer easy-to-read Arabic numeral markers within a clean, open dial that is especially broad thanks to a fairly thin bezel.
Smaller numerals display a 24-hour scale while a red-tipped seconds hand and red arrow next to the date (at 3 o’clock) make for instant readability.
As with all Luminox watches, each of the new Atacama Field Series watches are notably visible thanks to Luminox’s own Always Visible Light Technology, which the brand says will remain bright for up to twenty-five years.
Luminox offers the new Swiss quartz-powered series with three dial color options: full blackout, a dark green dial with sand-colored hour numbers, and with a black dial with sand-colored hour numbers.
Each is also fit with a black rubber strap with black textile on top (tone-in-tone stitching) and a buckle made of a carbon composite called CARBONOX, the same shock-resistant material that makes up the case. All are water resistant to 100 meters.
One of the three new Luminox Original Navy SEAL 3000 EVO Series debuts, here with a sand-colored dial and matching rubber strap.
The series is the direct descendent of the Original Navy SEAL 3001 that has been officially licensed by the U.S. Navy since 1992.
The 43mm by 13mm Swiss quartz-powered watches, with their new sand, green or white dials and matching rubber bracelets (the white-dialed model features a black rubber strap), retain their robust, military approved specs.
These include 200-meters of water resistance, a tough Carbonox carbon-composite case, a sapphire crystal, a screw-in double security gasket crown and a unidirectional Carbonox bezel.
And as with all Luminox watches, the newest Original Navy SEAL 3000 EVO watches benefit from the watchmaker’s famed luminous dial treatment called Luminox Light Technology.
On these models Luminox places its self-powered micro gas light tubes on each of the hour markers and at the 12 o’clock position on the unidirectional turning bezel.
All the markers and hands on all three watches will glow in any light condition for up to twenty-five years.
Luminox adds bright colors to its Pacific Diver Series with a pair of 200-meter dive watches with new tropics-inspired orange and yellow hues.
One of two new models in the Luminox Pacific Diver series.
The new watches extend the color options within the watchmaker’s Pacific Diver 3120 collection, a solid group of 44mm three-hand date models with superior easy-to-read dials, tough unidirectional carbon bezels and a wide array of steel and rubber bracelet options.
Luminox of course has long separated itself from the pack of watchmakers offering quartz-powered dive watches thanks to its unique application of self-powered micro-gas tube illumination on its watch dials and hands.
Here, Luminox places illuminated green hour markers around each dial with orange illumination at the 12 o’clock location and on the minute hand.
The watchmaker says this Luminox Light Technology will provide glowing source of dial-reading assistance for twenty-five years.
Price: $645.
Specifications: Luminox Pacific Diver
Movement: Quartz Ronda 515 with 50-month battery life.
Case:44mm by 12mm steel with Carbonox uni-directional rotating bezel fitted at 12 o’clock with a protected colored light tube, screwed-in sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, screw-in protected crown and case back. 200-meters of water resistance.
Strap: Yellow or orange rubber.
Dial: Yellow or orange with black and colored light tube markers. Hands also with colors light tubes.
The Luminox ‘secret sauce’ has always been making large, rugged, watches with tritium markers. This one, the 44mm Luminox Pacific Diver Chronograph, is no exception. It has all the features that you would expect from Luminox, like 200 meters of water resistance, a sapphire crystal, and a Ronda quartz movement.
The Luminox Pacific Diver Chronograph is priced at $795 on a black, white or colorful rubber strap and is $895 on the steel bracelet.
Despite having three additional functions on the dial, the hands are broad and easy to see against the backdrop of the busy dial. Otherwise, reading the time would be like playing “Where’s Waldo?”.
Looking at the bezel, the forward action is great if you like a loud tactile ‘clack’ that can scare the neighbor’s cat. However, it does have a bit of back-play. The chronograph pushers are tactile and make this watch a fidgeter’s dream come true.
Quality product
This Luminox feels like a quality product on the wrist and all of the features are a pleasure to use.
What could Luminox have done better?
The markings on the bezel are a real point of contention for me. When you set the bezel anywhere on the lower half of the watch, the “05” reads like a “50”. I also feel like the pip should have more contrast with the rest of the bezel as it takes me a second longer to find it. Perhaps adding a dash of red or white would have solved the problem. And unfortunately, the bezel on my example does not line up well with the dial.
Typically, this is no big deal if you are paying less than $400, but when you’re forking out $795-plus I would hope for better.
How does it wear? Awesome, actually! I have small wrists and this watch sits flat and comfortably all day. A lot of that is due to the well-designed lugs that are compact and hug the case.
Due to the fact that this watch wears a lot smaller than it is, wearing it in public doesn’t make me feel like I’m compensating for my little man syndrome. Although the specs might suggest otherwise, I am happy to report that the Pacific Diver Chrono does not wear like a “wristburger”!
Light show
We have ignored the star of the show. The real magic happens when the lights go out and the tritium ampules fluoresce. I love setting this watch on my night stand and being able to see what time it is when I get up for the fifth time at night. It’s a game changer.
So what’s the verdict? The Luminox Pacific Diver Chronograph is perfect for you if you are someone who likes the functional look of a big watch, a busy dial, and tactile feature interfaces.
If you can forgive the minor issues with the bezel, this watch will reward you with a taste of that sweet Luminox ‘secret sauce’. If you are the kind of person who wouldn’t touch a 44mm watch with a ten-foot pole, try one on before you make any assumptions. As for me, I found myself slapping this watch on the wrist and showing it off a lot more than I expected to. I really like it for what it is.
Luminox celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of the Navy SEALs, a long-time Luminox partner, by issuing a specialized version of its all-black Series 3580 Navy SEAL series watch, one of the watchmaker’s best-selling chronographs.
The Luminox “Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast” Series 3580 chronograph.
To help celebrate the famed military unit’s anniversary, Luminox has emblazoned the SEAL mantra “Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast” in all capital letters – and in red – on an otherwise dark dial. The tip of the seconds hand and the hour markers are the only other red accents on this nicely textured black dial.
The Navy SEAL mantra is meant to remind Luminox wearers that often the best and quickest way to accomplish any task is to take time and to slow down and focus on the task at hand.
The 45mm quartz-powered chronograph model is encased in Luminox’s carbon alloy called Carbonox, which also comprises the material for the unidirectional bezel.
As you’d expect from this brand, the new model incorporates Luminox Light Technology, which ensures that the markers and hands remain visible in any light condition for up to twenty-five years.
Luminox protects the Ronda quartz chronograph movement inside with 200-meters of water resistance, an especially hardened crown, a double security gasket and a steel caseback.
The watch’s black rubber strap is held to the wrist with a stainless steel brushed IP black signature Luminox buckle. Price: $595.
Smaller numerals display a 24-hour scale while a red-tipped seconds hand and red arrow next to the date (at 3 o’clock) make for instant readability.
These include 200-meters of water resistance, a tough Carbonox carbon-composite case, a sapphire crystal, a screw-in double security gasket crown and a unidirectional Carbonox bezel.
The watchmaker says this Luminox Light Technology will provide glowing source of dial-reading assistance for twenty-five years.
