A soldier might require a glow-in-the-dark watch dial for legibility while for others it might simply elicit a childlike sense of wonder. The most common way for watchmakers to achieve this effect without the use of batteries or electricity is with luminescent paint, colloquially called lume — but it's not the only option.
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Traser P68 Pathfinder Automatic Read More -
Ball Engineer III Legend Read More
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Marathon General Purpose Mechanical Read More
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Luminox Original Navy SEAL 3001 Read More
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Nite MX10 Read More
What Is Tritium?
Modern lume needs to be “charged” by absorbing light from an external source and then will proceed to glow for a number of hours. An alternative approach toward creating luminescence makes use of tiny glass tubes filled with tritium gas which glow constantly and autonomously for years, but only a handful of watch companies regularly employ this interesting technology.
Tritium gas tube illumination was pioneered and developed by the Swiss company MB Microtec, which not only makes its own watches under the brand Traser but also supplies other companies with these glowing tubes. Other uses for this tech include emergency exit signs and gun sights. Tritium is radioactive but not at all harmful in the form or quantities found in watches today.
Is Tritium Better Than Lume?
Compared to conventional luminescent paint, tritium has some benefits and drawbacks. Unlike, say, Super-LumiNova, which is brightest directly after being charged and then fades significantly over the following hours (its quality, brightness, and longevity depend upon a number of factors), tritium glows steadily and consistently. Tritium glows less brightly than many lume applications at full charge, but will often be brighter within the first hour as the lume fades.
Tritium, however, has a half life of 12 years, meaning after that time half its glow will be gone. After, say, 24 years, it'll be further halved, leaving only 25 percent of the glow it had when new, and so on (thanks to the commenter for correcting our chemistry). Traditional lume such as Super-LumiNova doesn’t last forever, either, for what it's worth.
Many watches use modern lume and tritium side by side with some colorful results, and the five light-show-on-your-wrist watches below — many of a tactical or military nature — are representative of the best brands specifically known for their use of tritium illumination.
Traser P68 Pathfinder Automatic
- Movement: ETA 2824 (or Sellita SW200) automatic
- Diameter: 46mm
Other watch brands that use tritium it’s safe to say, are not making this specialized product in-house. Traser, however, is unique as a watch brand owned by the Swiss company MB Microtec which produces and supplies much of the watch industry with these tiny glowing tubes. Traser has also provided watches to the US and other militaries. Its 46mm-wide P68 Pathfinder has a Swiss automatic movement and is something of a light show in the dark with both Super LumiNova and tritium.
Ball Engineer III Legend Chronometer
- Movement: ETA 2892 automatic
- Diameter: 40mm
Ball Watch Co. is perhaps the brand best known for its use of tritium — and the company likes to lay it on thick. Whereas other companies use tritium primarily to reinforce legibility, Ball makes it a design centerpiece and brand signature. The Engineer III watch shown here, for example, features no fewer than 29 of these tubes between its hands and dial, including each segment of those large Arabic numerals. It's an unusually bright and colorful affair for a tool watch (though more monochromatic options are also available).
Marathon General Purpose Mechanical
- Movement: ETA 2801 automatic
- Diameter: 39mm
Marathon is known as a function-first tool and military watch brand, and tritium illumination is a core element across its lineup. If you want a legitimate tactical watch, Marathon has a claim to that designation and has a steady track record supplying various governments with combat-ready wrist gear. The brand offers practical mechanical watches as well as affordable quartz options, but the simple field watch style of the plainly named General Purpose Mechanical hits all the right notes.
Luminox Original Navy SEAL 3001
- Movement: Swiss quartz
- Diameter: 43mm
Luminox, as its name suggests, has a focus on nighttime legibility, often using both lume and tritium. The brand concept is built around tough military watches with land, sea, and air collections, as well as a mix of quartz and mechanical options. The quartz-powered Original Navy SEAL 3001 watch has the brand’s signature look and approachable price point. With tritium as its sole illumination, it will remain stealthy but readable in all lighting situations.
Nite MX10
- Movement: Ronda 715 quartz
- Diameter: 39mm
This company's name hints that it places emphasis on low-light visibility. The British brand Nite offers a range of sporty quartz watches often with a military theme — and tritium features prominently in all of them. Nite watches also tend to be relatively affordable, and the MX10 has a Swiss Ronda quartz movement and a sleek field watch look with its 39mm case in black PVD.
ProTek Dive Series 1005
- Movement: Miyota 2S60 quartz
- Diameter: 42mm
From the same people that founded Luminox comes a new brand launched just in 2022. You'll see a lot of similar military themes and rugged specs, and a familiar aesthetic, but ProTek offers a wide range of fresh designs and pretty affordable prices. It even packs in a carbon fiber case, sapphire crystal and 300m of water resistance. Of course, there's plenty of tritium to illuminate that dial.
