I’m a big fan of Prometheus watches, so when they came out with their new Jellyfish diver I emailed them right away for a review. There aren’t a lot of watches in this category, so let’s dive right in with the specifications.
- 14.4mm thick, 44mm wide, 47.2 at the 6.9mm crown.
- 195g sized to 7.5″ wrist
- 316L stainless steel case, sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating
- 90-click unidirection bezel with inset tritium tube
- Tritium tubes on all three hands and hour markers. Green color except at 12, which is orange.
- SII NE15A (6R15) automatic movement, handwinding and hacking, quickset date, 40 hour power reserve.
- Signed, screw-down crown
- Water resistant to 300m (990ft)
- 3-link Oyster-style bracelet with screwed, solid links, solid end links, brushed throughout. Clasp is snap closure with signed fliplock and 3 microadjustments.
[click to continue to pics + video...]
We've reviewed several Luminox watches and clocks here at Watch Report, and today we're happy to review another: the new F-22 Raptor, model 9282. The brand is clearly moving into more upscale models, and this is a nice example of what they can do.
Let's start with the specs:
- Titanium case, bracelet, and bezel; ion-plated buttons and crown.
- Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
- Ronda 5050 quartz movement with big date, day, 12-hour chronograph, and subseconds.
- 60-click titanium bezel with acrylic inset.
- Water resistant to 200m (660ft).
- Tritium lights on the hour and minute hand, hour markers, and bezel pip (with a contrasting orange tube at 12 o'clock).
- Five-link titanium bracelet (non-tapered) with solid links, solid end links, signed fliplock, and 3 micro-adjustments.
- Signed screw-down crown in ion-plated metal.
- Ion-plated chronograph buttons using a neat pivot design.
- Screwn-down caseback with F-22 engraving.
- 47.8mm across (including the crown) by 15mm thick; 24mm lugs; 140g with all links in the bracelet.
- List price: $1,200.
Please read on for the full review.
[click to continue…]
View the Marathon GSAR Photo Gallery.
The Marathon Watch Company is a supplier of watches to the Canadian military, but their products are also available for use by the U.S. military, law enforcement, and other government agencies. Luckily, they are also available to the general public. The
Marathon GSAR (meaning "Government-issued, Search And Rescue"), is a stainless steel dive watch water-resistant to 300 meters, or 1,000 feet. This is a special edition watch that uses the ETA 2824 Swiss automatic movement.
Let's start with the specifications:
- ETA 2824-A2 automatic movement with 25 jewels.
- 316L grade stainless steel case.
- Water resistant to 30 ATM, 300 meters, or about 1,000 feet.
- Case diameter of 39.5mm (excluding crown and crown guard), or 46mm including the crown.
- Case height of 13.55mm.
- 2.8mm thick sapphire crystal.
- 105g (with the rubber strap).
- Screw-down caseback and crown.
- Date display between the 4 and 5 o'clock markers.
[click to continue…]
In addition to the other timepieces Luminox recently provided us, we also got a sneak preview at the unreleased 6402 'Blackout' seen here. Based on the previous F-117 Nighthawk 6402, the Blackout goes stealth with black-on-black dial, hands and matching PVD case and bracelet. The only color on the face is the tritium tubes and Luminox logo.
- PVD stainless steel case, 45mm by 13mm, 200g
- Swiss quartz movement with end-of-life indicator and matching white-on-black date wheel.
- Blue tritium vials on the H/M/S hands, hour markers and bezel pip, with orange marker at 12 o'clock.
- Solid steel bracelet with flip-lock, solid end pieces and four micro-adjustments.
- Sapphire glass crystal, anti-reflective coated.
- Water resistant to 200m (660'), double gasket non-screwdown crown.
Read on for the review and pictures.
[click to continue…]
Continuing our Luminox reviews, today we have the just-discontinued model 2002 GMT watch. Described as an "Executive Traveller Watch," it combines the utility of tritium illumination with a nice case, bracelet, 24-hour bezel, and separate 24-hour hand. Let's get started with some specifications:
- 40mm by 11mm, 125g.
- Quartz movement, 45-month battery life with end-of-life warning.
- Stainless steel case and bracelet.
- Mineral crystal (appears to be internally convex).
- Hour/minute/second, plus synchronized 24-hour hand separately set and continuously adjustable (works for odd offsets like New Delhi!).
- Water resistant to 100m (330 ft).
- Screwdown caseback and non-screwdown crown.
- Bracelet is 5-link, Oyster-style clasp with fliplock and hidden wetsuit extension, hollow end-link, solid links.
Please continue for the review and pictures.
[click to continue…]
Today's review is a bit unusual because although it's 1mm smaller than the newest Panerai, it's not a wristwatch; rather, it's the Luminox LWAC-B travel alarm clock. When Luminox USA contacted us recently, we perused their product line and were surprised to learn that they offer travel alarms, but if you think about it for a minute, the permanent glow is perfect for an alarm clock. Let's start with some specifications:
- Product LWAC-B, PVD aluminum, also available non-PVD as model LWAC.
- Mineral crystal.
- Quartz movement, powered by a 357 watch battery (1-year battery life).
- 60mm across by about 20mm thick.
- Comes with cylindrical leather case.
- Green vials on hour and minute hand, and minute markers, with orange marker at 12 o'clock.
- Fixed bezel with world time zones.
- 2-year movement warranty, 10 year lume warranty.
Please read on for the review and pictures.
[click to continue…]
There's a lot of innovation going on at Christopher Ward these days. They've just announced a mechanical chronograph and now a new mechanical diver, the Tri-Tech Diver Elite pictured at right. Available in yellow, blue or black dial, this PVD-based beauty sports:
- Sellita SW200 movement (a Swiss clone of the ETA 2824-2).
- Helium release valve for you saturation divers out there.
- PVD-coated stainless steel case.
- Tritium lights, dual color, on hands, indices, and bezel. (Pictures after the break).
- Rubber strap.
- 43mm by 13mm, 90-170g (which implies a bracelet in the offing).
- Knurled screw-down crown.
- Water resistant to 500m (1600ft).
- 4.5mm thick convex sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
- Serial-numbered screw-in caseback.
- Non-EC price of 343UKP, or $558 (395UKP in EC).
Read on for more pictures and discussion.
[click to continue…]
If you've ever wondered what sort of watch would suit military personnel, SWAT teams and police departments, then today's review of the Luminox EVO SEAL Colormark 3051 might be of interest. Let's start off with the specifications:
- Waterproof to 200m (660ft)
- Mineral crystal
- Non-screw-down, double-gasket crown
- Quartz movement with end-of-life indicator (second hand starts jumping when the battery is low) and date complication
- 45 month battery life
- 60 click ratcheting bezel
- 44mm wide case, 14mm high. Case is made of a matrix of polycarbonate with carbon filler. Screwed caseback with SEAL logo.
- Very light weight at 55g.
- Beveled 23mm rubber strap with two-pin thorn buckle, double strap keepers and Luminox logo. Non-tapering, and quite comfortable.
- The standout feature of this watch is the self-powered illumination. (More on this below). There are small vials of tritium-based light at each hour, on all three hands and the bezel pip. It'll glow for years without maintenance. On this model, the vials are green except for the one at 12, which is orange. The Colormark line is also available in other dial and lume colors.
Please continue reading for the full review.
[click to continue…]
View the Ball Engineer Master II Diver photo gallery.
If you're looking to put something a little different on your wrist, you owe it to yourself to consider a Ball.
I came across Ball watches when I was looking for something distinctive and unique; something that combines the tradition of a good automatic movement with modern functionality; something that stands out without being ostentatious. The result was the Ball Engineer Master II Diver you see here.
The best way to appreciate the Engineer Master II Diver is to consider its impressive list of features:
- ETA 2836-2 automatic movement.
- Tritium gas tube illumination (more on this below).
- Inner rotating timing bezel with gas tube illumination (more on this below).
- Beautiful domed sapphire crystal.
- Day and date, both large and readable.
- Shock resistant to 5,000Gs.
- Antimagnetic to 4,800A/m.
- Water resistant to 300 meters, or about 1,000 feet.
- Dual screwdown crowns (one for the movement, one for the inner rotating bezel), as well as a screwdown caseback.
- 42mm brushed stainless steel case, and a unique brushed stainless steel bracelet with a hidden clasp.
As you can see, this is an extremely impressive set of features for a $1,899 Swiss watch (Ball watches were once American made, closely associated with the emergence of the railroad, but the brand was purchased by a Swiss company in the 1990s). Of particular note is the tritium illumination system. The Ball Engineer Master II Diver has no fewer than 53 individual micro gas tubes, making it the most nighttime-readable and functional analog watch I've ever seen. Even the inner rotating bezel and bezel pearl use tritium tubes for diving in dark conditions.
[click to continue…]
View the Traser Classic Automatic Photo Gallery.
For way too long now, I've been lusting after a watch with H3 tritium
vials. I've always been a sucker for things that
glow in the dark (my first watch was the original Timex Indiglo, after
all), and luminescence is a big part of why I collect dive watches. A friend of mine recently bought a Ball Fireman, and after being completely mesmerized by the little glowing
glass tubes inside, I decided it was time to get serious about tritium.
I looked at everything from Ball to Luminox, however my curiosity was particularly piqued by Traser H3 Watches. Traser is owned by mb-microtec, the company that actually holds
the patent for tritium H3 illumination technology.
They have an entire lineup of watches that include divers,
chronographs, and military watches. Buried deep in their web site I
found the Traser Classic series: plain and simple stainless steel watches
that house the fantastic ETA 2824 movement — the same movement found in my
Bathys 100 Fathom and my Tissot Seastar 1000.
The Classic
Automatic is the only automatic model in Traser's lineup, and it comes in
four styles:
- Stainless steel with a white dial.
- Stainless steel with a black dial.
- PVD with a black dial.
- PVD with a black dial and blue
tritium tubes.
Coincidentally, my collection needed a white dialed watch, so the decision was easy.
[click to continue…]
I’m a big fan of Prometheus watches, so when they came out with their new Jellyfish diver I emailed them right away for a review. There aren’t a lot of watches in this category, so let’s dive right in with the specifications.
