I’m not a Navy SEAL and chances are you aren’t one either. Maybe you own a SIG P226 MK25 because that is (was) the SEALs’ pistol. If the SEAL seal of approval is your thing, you’re gonna love the Luminox 3051.
Mine was a Christmas present a couple of years back. What’s that you say? No one needs a watch any more? Everyone already has a time-teller in their pocket?
Wristwatches haven’t gone the way of the buggy whip or the Zune. Yet. Just because you have a phone doesn’t mean you don’t still need or have good use for a clock strapped to your arm. Sometimes it’s just easier and a lot more discreet to glance at your wrist than to look at your phone. Sometimes.
Oh, and good luck swimming with your iPhone or Galaxy.
The 3051’s carbon case and mineral crystal form a seal around a reliable quartz movement that’s rated to 200 meters. That’s not a depth I ever expect to experience, at least not voluntarily. This may be a dive watch, but SCUBA isn’t my thing.
Over the last couple of years, though, the Luminox has held up quite nicely to rain, showers, swimming, a white water rafting trip, and all other forms of abuse I’ve managed to put it through.
That carbon case and the rubber band also keep the Luminox light. As in very. According to my kitchen scale it weigh in at a mere 1.9 oz. Yes, it’s that light. And the 3051’s double-pronged stainless clasp simply will not give way.
One of the most convenient features of the Swiss made Luminox 3051 is its tritium illumination. Just like your XS night sights, the Luminox watch features tritium vials at each numeral, on all three hands and at the zero mark on the bezel ring.
The photo above was taken with an iPhone in complete darkness. There are very few circumstances in which you won’t be able to tell the time.
This isn’t a fancy watch. You may not want to wear it with a suit and tie (I don’t suffer from that problem). Then again, who wears a suit and tie any more? Brooks Brothers had been slowly going bust long before COVID finally sunk it.
Just like your EDC gun and the blade you carry in your pocket, the Luminox 3051 is an EDC tool, and a supremely reliable one. It’s tougher than a two dollar steak and far more satisfying (not to mention attractive in a utilitarian kinda way). It’s non inexpensive. They start at about $225 and range up to roughly $300, but they’re worth every samolian you’ll spend and will probably outlast you.
You don’t have to be a Navy SEAL to wear a watch that’s this good or this dependable. And strapping it on at the same at the you slip your pistol into your holster every morning is a darned good habit to develop.