Watch: I think I want a Luminox.

[ASH556]

I have 2 watches currently: Cheap and cheaper. Daily wear is a $20 Casio Quartz plastic thing from Wal-mart. Works like a champ. Hands have luminescent paint that you can load with a flashlight, but otherwise is not visible in dark.



Dress is an Invicta, black with black bracelet. Bracelet shows heavy wear on the bottom from rubbing on desk typing on keyboard (used to work an office job).



My wife asked me about my annual combo birthday/fathers day/anniversary gift and I mentioned I'd like a nice watch. More utility than dress I think, but something that could go either way. Thinking stainless. I'd like it to either have a button I could push to light it up or tritium so it would glow all the time to be able to tell time in the dark. I used to work in a gun shop that was a Luminox stocking dealer, so I guess that's where the thought comes from.

Stylistically, this appeals to me:

[vcdgrips]

So if lume driving the train, Luminox is certainly the most well known. There are a number of other brands using the technology in both quartz and automatic models i.e. Ball, Smith & Wesson, Traser, Marathon.

1. What is the budget?
2. What size watch are you looking for?
3 Automatic or Quartz movement?

[ASH556]

So if lume driving the train, Luminox is certainly the most well known. There are a number of other brands using the technology in both quartz and automatic models i.e. Ball, Smith & Wesson, Traser, Marathon.

1. What is the budget?
I'd like to stay around $200. I'm not a watch collector, just something functional, like a Glock.
2. What size watch are you looking for?
Not picky except that I have pretty large wrists, so nothing too small. The Casio specs say 44.6mm case. The Invicta is larger. I prefer the Casio.
3 Automatic or Quartz movement?
Don't know the difference, so I guess I don't care. I like to see the seconds "tic" if that's what it means. Let's me time things better.

[voodoo_man]

Seeing as how we have one of the best utility watch companies as supporting businesses here, I'd suggest checking out their Combat B series.

[ASH556]

Seeing as how we have one of the best utility watch companies as supporting businesses here, I'd suggest checking out their Combat B series.

I appreciate that, but their lowest cost product is more than double my budget. I'm really liking the looks of this Citizen: https://www.macys.com/shop/product/c...82e?ID=2641296



What are some things to know or consider about it? Also, as far as price, I see it listed for $115 on some sites and $225 on others. What's with the price delta?

[voodoo_man]

At the below $200 price point you are looking at typically a quartz watch (battery) and I would highly recommend staying away from automatic movements at that price point as they will probably be the cheapest of movements. Quartz will function better at this level.

I would also suggest trying on a few of these watches you are talking about (not buying) and giving it a few days to think about while doing some more research.

There are literally hundreds of watches at that price point which all appear very similar, so you should pick a few things (like size, or color) which you absolutely want and then go from there.

[BillSWPA]

Re: Luminox: I purchased one in 2002, and still have it. It is a very accurate, durable, attractive, and easy to read watch. Typical accuracy is +4 seconds/month, which is excellent even by quartz standards. Mine has been dropped about 4 feet onto a metal tile floor with no damage. The tritium is amazingly bright when new, but of course dims over time. 15 years later, it is still quite readable in the dark, but definitely is no longer highly visible in all light conditions when new. I'd buy another one and/or recommend them without hesitation.

Re: quartz v. automatic: there is a big difference.

Quartz uses a battery powered stepper motor. They are accurate, typically about +/- 15 seconds/month. They have fewer moving parts, making them inherently more shock resistant. Some regard quartz as "cheap," but this is absolutely false. Quartz movements can be had in any price/quality range you want.

Automatic uses a self-winding mechanical movement. Accuracy is about -20/+40 seconds/day for a typical automatic, or about -4/+6 seconds/day for a COSC certified Swiss automatic (about an order of magnitude in price over the OP's budget). Yes, that is right; a $25 Casio is more accurate than the most expensive Swiss automatics. An automatic will run as long as you are wearing it: your wrist movement drives the oscillator which winds the watch. However, it will need a service every 7-10 years. If properly cared for, they have a higher overall longevity, and your kids and even grandkids will still be wearing it. It definitely has a higher jewelry value than quartz, and some watch enthusiasts regard the difference between automatic and quartz as though it were the difference between a diamond and a cubic zirconium.

[orionz06]

That watch is ~$130 on Amazon (with free returns in case you don't like it). Some places, like Macy's list products at full MSRP, others don't. I buy from the ones that don't.

Macy's will still typically accept coupons and what not on top of sales. If they had a watch I desired I'd certainly poke into the store and see what's up.


I have a Luminox. I have one because I wanted one and it was a gift. It's far from the Saturday night special of watches but among watch folk it's on par or worse than the watch that comes with a happy meal. Thankfully lots of others are the same way. I will however caution that more than one friend has had theirs become problematic.

[txdpd]

I have a Luminox Navy Seal watch from 2001. The original crystal was pretty lame and once it got scraped up, I had it replaced with a sapphire crystal. After 10 years the movement died and a replacement Ronda was $100 installed. Turns out a trip through the washer and dryer, with the crown unscrewed, is really bad for watches. On the plus side of Luminox, they use a commonly available movement and if something happens, you're not going to have a dead watch with no parts or pay exorbitant labor cost to get it fixed.

[richiecotite]

One watch I've had my eye on is Smith and Bradley's Springfield watch. I checked out the kickstarter a few years ago, and liked their story (American company company looking to produce quality at an affordable price point, assembled in America)

https://www.smithbradleyltd.com/prod...nt=13773917063


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