Luminox is a high-end watchmaker based in San Rafael, California. Their watches are

Swiss made Swiss made is a label or marking used to indicate that a product was made on the territory of Switzerland. It is also a geographical indication protected under different Swiss and international laws and treaties. According to the Swiss Federal Ac ...

and are notable for containing tritium inserts, providing long-term luminescence. Luminox Navy Seals watch

Luminox history

Luminox Watch Company is a U.S. company founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Rafael, California. Luminox also makes branded watches for various military groups with custom insignias and designs. Among these are the Heliswiss team, the US Bobsled Team, US Coast Guard, US Air Force, and a variety of other

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

and EMS teams worldwide. The brand has since expanded into over 30 countries. Among the more popular watch models are those designed using visual elements of the fighter jets made by

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

. To date, Luminox has designed watches taking cues from the

SR-71 Blackbird The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. It was operated by the United States Air Force ...

, the

F-117 Nighthawk The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was the first operational airc ...

, the

F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...

, and the F-22 Raptor. In 2006, a fifty-percent stake in the Luminox company was purchased by the Swiss brand Mondaine, giving Mondaine increased access to the American market, and Luminox increased access to the European and Asian markets. In 2016, Mondaine Watch Ltd. took over the remaining half of Luminox to become sole owner.''About us.''
mondaine-group.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.

Notable technology

Luminox watches are advertised to possess "always visible technology." The watch hands and markers contain tritium inserts which provide long-term luminescence, as opposed to phosphorescent markers used in other watches, which must be charged by a light source. The tritium in a gaseous tritium light source undergoes beta decay, releasing electrons which cause the phosphor layer to fluoresce. During manufacture, a length of borosilicate glass tube which has had the inside surface coated with a phosphor-containing compound is filled with the radioactive tritium. The tube is then fused with a CO₂ laser at the desired length. Borosilicate glass is used for its strength and resistance to breakage. In the tube, the tritium gives off a steady stream of electrons due to beta decay. These particles excite the phosphor, causing it to emit a low, steady glow.

Products

Luminox offers four lines of water resistant watches, labeled "Sea", "Air", "Land" and "Space". There are reported cases of

counterfeit watch A counterfeit watch (or replica watch) is an unauthorised copy of an authentic watch. High-end luxury watches such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Richard Mille are frequently counterfeited and sold on city streets and online. With technological adva ...

es in circulation for the Luminox brand. The fake Luminox watches are reported to be shinier than originals and have wrong font numbers on the dial.

References

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External links

Official website
Privately held companies based in California Manufacturing companies established in 1989 American brands Watch manufacturing companies of Switzerland Watch manufacturing companies of the United States Swiss watch brands