The new Luminox Pacific Diver was “Inspired by sun-kissed beaches, palm trees, and endless adventure… designed for surfing, swimming, diving, paddle-boarding, and beyond.” Arrrrggghhh! The Oxford comma! To be fair, I’m fighting a losing battle on that one. Just don’t get me started on male models without chest hair. Anyway, the new technicolor Luminox Pacific Diver will also light up your life at work, home and a party reminiscent of 1999.
If you do spend time underwater – and I don’t mean financially – know this: orange is the most visible color beneath the waves.
Elevating Luminox’s diver series from rugged AF Rolex Submariner/TAG Heuer Formula 1 wannbes to the inexpensive tool watch for the harsh marine environment. One that will continue ticking down to 200 meters/20 ATM/660 feet.
The Diver’s case is made of the usual stuff: 316L stainless steel. Who’s complaining? The high-grade metal is ding-resistant, corrosion-resistant, rust-resistant and hypoallergenic.
It’s the CARBONOX™ bezel that’s the business. For one thing, the Pacific Diver’s crenelated one-way bezel clicks with confidence-inspiring accuracy, and locks down as tight as a flea’s rectum.
Better yet, the bezel’s built from Luminox’s proprietary carbon compound, fashioned from varying [model-dependent] percentages of carbon long bars or carbon powder.
In addition to its strength, durability and corrosion resistance, CARBONOX™ steel is six times lighter than steel and three times lighter than titanium. The Luminox Pacific Diver weighs-in at a scant 106 grams (3.74 ounces).
As a dedicated minimalist, I’m totally onboard with the dial design. With hour markers instead of numbers – aside from the 12 and 6 – it’s dead easy to use the numerically numbered bezel to time boiled eggs, business calls and the kids’ permissible UV exposure.
The Diver’s black-boxed date window pops against the orange dial, making it more usable than 90 percent of other date windows (for us hard of seeing). Syringe hands and the BRANDED matching rubber strap complete the look. And, of course, there’s Luminox’s illumination.
Forget solar-powered lume. The brand’s proprietary Luminox Light Technology uses tiny micro gas light tubes filled with tritium, that glow for up to 25 years.
Full marks for using marks instead of tubing-up numbers, as seen on the chunky monkey known as the BALL DeepQUEST II.
The caseback proclaims “every second counts” – a welcome reminder for military members who rely on Luminox to show up on time, when showing up on time is a matter of life and death. “Always visible”? Definitely not for them as much as it is for Luminox’s marketing mavens.
The Luminox Pacific Diver’s crowning achievement: a screw-in crown sealed with a double security gasket, protected by the crown protectors’ protection. To top it off, the Luminox Pacific Diver’s dial nestles under a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Yellow! What’s this? The Pacific Diver’s other new color scheme. I think yellow watches are a bit brash, but then I wear a hat while swimming.
Oh, I almost forgot: the Diver’s powered by a Ronda quartz movement – the same engine motivating a $3400 Hermès quartz watch.
The Swiss Luminox Pacific Diver sells for $625, some $2,775 less than the French watch, whose leather strap likes water like HoDinkee likes calling a spade a spade.
Different strokes for different folks, but if you like to swim, it’s Luminox for the win.
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