Any watch brand that attaches itself to the likes of survival expert Bear Grylls or military watchmaking will naturally be known by every masculine word there is: rugged, durable, essentially, a beast. Luminox is known for all of these things, especially as its watches are made with CARBONOX, a lightweight carbon composite; they’ve become a favorite among outdoor enthusiasts who need something exactly like this.
When Luminox first started in 1989, its Luminox Light Technology could glow for 25 years (years!) without fading, meaning the dial was visible all night long — an exceptionally important feature for a Navy SEAL. This LLT is self-motivated, like the best entrepreneurs, meaning it doesn’t need an external light source for charging.
When Luminox was just three years old, a toddler who had not been walking for all that long, it caught the eye of Chief Nick North, the Navy SEALs’ Assistant Officer in charge of Research, Development, Test and Evaluation at the time. And, like all good fairytales, this led to a “happily ever after” in the form of a collaboration between Luminox and the Navy SEALs.
Luminox 35th anniversary Heritage Collection
Now, Luminox is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the partnership with three new watches—the equivalent of a sheet cake and party hats in the watch industry. The Swiss-made, American watch brand has brought out three of its most iconic watches from the vault and added them to the Heritage Collection, with each one representing the Navy SEALs on all fronts: Sea, Air, and Land.
Navy SEAL Original 3000 Series
The Navy SEAL Original 3001.H represents the very first Navy SEAL model that came out in 1994, and despite the new take, it still maintains the original build with a few enhancements. This includes anti-reflective sapphire crystal, scratch resistance, and an upgraded ETA F06.412 quartz movement. On top of that, the battery life is now seven years! To distinguish this new iteration from its predecessor, the 43mm CARBONOX case has a red “30” on the bezel, representing 30 years since the Original Navy SEALs watch.
F-117 Nighthawk x Skunk Works
Inspired by the original Luminox F-117 NIGHTHAWK Stealth line, the F-117 NIGHTHAWK x Skunk Works 6442.H represents “air.” Originally conceived by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division, the F-117 NIGHTHAWK pioneered radar invisibility in the ’80s. For the 35th anniversary of the Luminox and Navy SEALs collaboration, this revamped edition features the Skunk Works logo integrated into the dial, which is illuminated by Super-LumiNova in the dark. On the back, Skunk Works and Lockheed Martin’s logos are featured on the caseback. In a nod to pilots and travelers, the hour markers on the bezel feature dual time zone readability.
RECON Point Man 8820 Series
The Luminox RECON series was created in collaboration with former Swiss Army Military Security NCO Andrea Micheli, and now, they’ve come out with the new RECON Point Man 8825.H. This watch was made to assist military professionals, with noteworthy attributes including inner bezel cardinal points, a tachymeter for pace measurement, and dual kilometer and mile markers on the dial (making it obvious that this watch was made to represent “land”). This watch features a large 45mm CARBONOX case, and is powered by a Swiss quartz movement with the RECON logo on the base of the dial.
How much are they and where can you buy them?
Prices for the new Heritage Collection pieces start at $545 and go up to $645, and all are available on the Luminox website.
