Welcome to Brand Breakdown, a series of comprehensive yet easy-to-digest guides to your favorite companies, with insights and information you won’t find on the average About page.
Founded in 1989 by American entrepreneur Barry Cohen, Luminox occupies a unique segment of the watch space that bridges horological enthusiasts, outdoor recreation, and emergency services/military. Elite groups such as the U.S. Navy SEALs have depended on their timepieces as an essential component of their kit. (A full list of the distinguished organizations that use Luminox watches can be found here.)
In addition to emergency services, Luminox takes environmental responsibility seriously — they offer multiple watches made of #TIDE material (ocean-collected waste plastic). Luminox’s parent company, Mondaine Watch LTD is a carbon-neutral manufacturer and publishes an annual sustainability report. Part of this comes in the form of Luminox’s (Mondaine Group’s) partnership with FairVentures, an organization that implements agroforestry to assist in offsetting carbon footprints.
Luminox remains a value-driven adventure watch company that stands out by being a leader in watch luminescence technology. LLT (Luminox Light Technology) consists of tritium gas-filled tubes that illuminate hands and hour markers on the brand's wares. The distinct advantage of using LLT for lume is that the luminance does not rely on a battery or have to be charged by ultraviolet light (like the sun) to be activated. The tritium tubes are safe and stay constantly illuminated for 25 years. This technology is perfect for Navy SEALs and other elite organizations.
True to its ethos, Luminox is a partner of the Navy SEALs Foundation, providing support for warriors, veterans, and families of Navy SEALs with resources for tragedy, recovery, education, and programs for physical and mental health.
Brand History
In contrast to legacy Swiss brands, Luminox was started in 1989 in the United States — the name is derived from Latin: Lumi (light) and Nox (night). (The company's goal was to provide quality timepieces that were highly legible in the dark.) In the early '90s, Luminox founder Barry Cowen partnered with the United States military to develop a watch specifically for the Navy SEALs.
After the success of the Navy SEAL watch in the early 1990s, other elite organizations began to request Luminox as their watch of choice for duty. Some of these early adopters include the New York City Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard. By the late 1990s, Luminox was supplying U.S. Air Force pilots and had partnered with aerospace company Lockheed Martin.
As Luminox continued to grow, the company began supplying athletes with watches. Among the most notable partnerships were the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton teams for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Luminox watches could be seen on many of the wrists of those Olympians as they competed on the icy track.
In 2006, the Swiss group Mondaine purchased a fifty-percent stake in Luminox. With the influx of capital, Luminox was able to distribute its watches in over fifty countries. In addition to becoming part of the Mondaine Group, Luminox could now be labeled as “Swiss Made.” (As of 2017, the Swiss Made designation requires watches to have a certain percentage of manufacturing costs generated in Switzerland − 60% for quartz and 80% for mechanical watches.)
Luminox continues to be a leader in micro gas tube luminescence technology and has built a following among enthusiasts and outdoorsmen. Availability and price accessibility make Luminox a military and civilian favorite. (If you're looking to see these watches in extreme environments, follow Luminox brand ambassador Bear Grylls on one of his adventures. )
Air
The origin of the AIR series began when Luminox developed a watch for F-117 Nighthawk pilots. Today, air forces from many countries are supplied with AIR series watches, all of which feature have flight-specific functionality.
This true survival watch can track three time zones: In addition to the local hour hand, a 24-hour GMT hand provides a second time zone on the inner dial, while the world time function printed on the CARBONOX™ bi-directional rotating bezel can show a third.
Movement: Ronda 515 HF 6 quartz
Diameter: 45mm
Material: Stainless steel
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap: Mesh stainless steel bracelet or fabric strap
Price: $795 (bracelet); $695 (strap)
The Luminox F-117 Nighthawk GMT features Luminox Light Technology on the indices and hands, while SuperLuminova is applied to the numerals. The angular contours of the bezel help you grip it, similar to how the same contours on the F-117 Nighthawk aircraft help to reduce its radar cross-section.
Movement: Ronda 515 HF 6 quartz
Diameter: 44mm
Material: PVD-coated stainless steel
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap: PVD-coated stainless steel bracelet or Kevlar strap
Price: $1,575 (bracelet); $1,075 (strap)
Sea
The SEA series is the core of the Luminox brand. With its origins in co-development with the Navy SEALs, the SEA series provides a complete collection of Luminox watches that range from tactical to contemporary.
If you're looking for something a little less tactical, Luminox offers the Automatic Sport Timer 0924 (blue) and 0921 (black), which feature mechanical movements with a classic sport diver aesthetic.
Movement: Sellita SW-220 automatic
Diameter: 42mm
Material: Stainless steel
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap: Bracelet
Price: $1,425
Movement: Swiss quartz
Dimensions: 43mm
Material: CARBONOX™
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap: Rubber
Price: $395
Land
The LAND series from encompasses watches designed for extreme adventuring, search and rescue, and military field operations.
The Luminox Bear Grylls Survival Land Series 3798 features some handy tools for wilderness situations: The tachymeter scale on the bezel is replaced with a walking speed indicator that is used in conjunction with the chronograph complication. Additionally, Bear Grylls has replaced the traditional strap with braided paracord. Instructions for using both emergency features can be found HERE.
Movement: Ronda 5021.D quartz
Dimensions: 45mm
Material: CARBONOX™
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap: Paracord
Price: $695
The Atacama Field Automatic is a traditional field watch with a mechanical movement. With its legible, clean design, it's a more conservative choice than other Luminox models — though like all Luminox watches, it features LTT technology for a constant glow.
Movement: Sellita SW220-1 automatic
Diameter: 44mm
Material: Stainless steel
Water Resistance: 200M
Strap: Steel bracelet or webbed fabric strap
Price: $990 (bracelet); $975 (strap)
Luminox partnered with the Icelandic Association of Search and Rescue to create the Arctic series watches. There are six different dial color options: charcoal, black, dark blue, light blue, and white. Each ICE-SAR watch comes with a rubber strap that has fabric stitched onto the exterior.
Movement: Ronda 515 HF 6 quartz
Diameter: 46mm
Material: CARBONOX™
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap: Rubber strap
Price: $545
Collaborations
Luminox collaborates with brands and organizations to create specialty watches. These partnerships include ones focussing on ocean conservation; the Navy SEAL Foundation; Luminox’s brand ambassadors; and Major League Fishing.
The #TIDE Recycled Ocean Material Eco Series watch is made out of — you guessed it — recycled ocean plastic waste. Luminox uses 100% recycled material for the case, bezel, and strap. The ocean plastic waste is collected from the Andaman Sea before being upcycled into 3D printing material used to manufacture the #TIDE Eco Series watches.
Movement: Ronda 515 HH6 quartz
Diameter: 46mm
Material: Recycled ocean waste (plastic)
Water Resistance: 200m
Price: $545
The Pacific Diver incorporates a traditional dive watch design with proprietary technology such as LLT lume and a CARBONOX™ bezel. It's also the flagship watch of Luminox’s sponsorship of the Major League Fishing/Bass Pro Tour.
Movement: Ronda 515 quartz
Dimensions: 44mm
Material: Stainless steel
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap: Rubber strap or steel bracelet
Price: $595 (strap); $695 (bracelet)
The Navy Seal Foundation Exclusive watch is about as core Luminox as it gets: The Navy Seal Foundation supports US Navy SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-craft crewman, Naval Special Warfare personnel and their families. Buying a watch that supports such an initiative is a win-win.
Movement: Swiss quartz
Diameter: 44mm
Material: CARBONOX™
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap: Rubber
Price: $435
