Best lume watch

Many watches claim to be luminous watches but fall short with lackluster lume and a notable lack of full dial coverage. A brief history of luminous watches would come with its share of studs and duds, with the typical example usually falling somewhere in the middle of that.

From luxury watch offerings crafted by the likes of Rolex and Tag Heuer, to budget options released by Timex and Seiko, you can find luminous watches suitable for all budgets in the marketplace today. However, which watches are true luminescent beauties and which are the ones that try to get by with hour markers and hands that barely glow?

While we’re not gonna name names in regards to the latter, we did decide to do some testing and create a definitive list of the 6 Best Luminous Watches For Sale in 2021.

Whether you’re searching for your first watch or a new water-resistant timepiece for your growing collection, the following countdown definitely has something that’ll grab your attention.

The 6 Best Luminous Watches To Buy In 2021

6) Timex Expedition Scout Luminous Watch

A casual field watch that offers many hours of illumination thanks to Timex’s Indiglo technology, the Timex Expedition Scout Watch is one of the brightest budget watches we’ve ever profiled. The included quartz movement is also pretty dang precise which makes overall maintenance a breeze. Available in a wide variety of color and strap options, this adventure watch offers great durability and good lume at a very reasonable price.

Specs

Display Window Material: Mineral

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Buckle

Case Material: Brass

Case Diameter: 40 mm

Case Thickness: 11 mm

Strap Material: Fabric

Strap Length: Men’s Standard

Strap Width: 20 mm

Strap Color: Green

Dial Color: Beige

Bezel Material: Brass

Movement: Quartz

Water Resistance: 50 meters

Pros

• Timex’s Indiglo technology offers powerful illumination for less money than you’d think.
• There’s plenty of designs for you to choose from.
• The crisp dial design is simple yet quite attractive.

Cons

• These watches might be a bit too loud for some.
• The date window is pretty small and hard to read.

5) Luminox F-117 Nighthawk 6400 Series Stainless Steel Men’s Watch

The Luminox F-117 Nighthawk 6400 Series Men’s Watch offers the best of both worlds for those looking for a masculine luminous watch. With an unabashed American flair and a fantastic movement created by a venerable Swiss company, this watch blends the boldness and utility into one of the coolest watches ever released in its price range. And with a self-powered illumination system powered by tritium gas tubes (and their 24-year half-life), there isn’t a dark room out there that stands a chance.

Specs

Display Window Material: Sapphire Crystal

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Fold-Over Clasp with Push Button

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 30 mm

Case Thickness: 15 mm

Strap Material: Stainless Steel

Strap Length: 10.5 inches

Strap Width: 5 mm

Strap Color: Black

Dial Color: Black

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Swiss Quartz

Water Resistance: 200 meters

Pros

• This watch shines long and strong thanks to the inclusion of tritium tubes.
• The sapphire crystal window fends off scratches and glare with efficacy.
• The included Swiss quartz movement keeps time remarkably well.

Cons

• The slanted design makes it an odd fit for some wrists.
• The brash curves and structure of this watch don’t cater to all aesthetic tastes.

4) Seiko Men’s Automatic Analogue Dive Watch

Who needs LED technology when creating a luminous timepiece? The Seiko Men’s Automatic Analogue Watch bypasses LED lights in favor of phosphorescent paint, and the results are stunning both in the dark and in the deep. A diving watch that can withstand prolonged submersion in water to a depth of 200 meters, this low-cost Seiko standout does so much more than just glow in the dark. It guides the way during both night runs and scuba diving sessions, a beacon of reliability and great craftsmanship.

Specs

Display Window Material: Hardlex Crystal

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Buckle

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 42 mm

Case Thickness: 13 mm

Strap Material: Rubber

Strap Length: Men’s Standard

Strap Width: 26 mm

Strap Color: Black

Dial Color: Black

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Japanese Automatic

Water Resistance: 200 meters

Pros

• The Hardlex crystal dial window is a fine, scratch-resistant alternative to sapphire crystal.
• Seiko’s Lumibrite illumination system is quite impressive, especially considering the affordable price point.
• The rubber watch strap is deceptively comfortable and easy to size.

Cons

• Automatic movements require regular maintenance to keep them on time and target.
• The dial design feels a bit cramped with the hour indices and minute markings.

3) Luminox Modern Mariner Blackout Men’s Watch

Yet another dive watch on this list, the Luminox Modern Mariner Blackout Men’s Watch uses tritium gas tube technology to light it up on water and land. It’s built from extremely sturdy watch materials, including a sapphire crystal dial window impervious to scratches and dings. We’re also huge fans of its blackout design scheme — an aesthetic treat that looks even better at night. There aren’t many watches like it out there, and that’s rare to say in the watch industry.

Specs

Display Window Material: Sapphire Crystal

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Buckle

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 45 mm

Strap Material: Leather

Strap Length: Men’s Standard

Strap Width: 23 mm

Strap Color: Black

Dial Color: Black

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Swiss Quartz

Water Resistance: 200 meters

Pros

• 200 meters of water resistance and a glare-resistant sapphire crystal dial window is the perfect combination for shallow-water exploration.
• The Swiss quartz movement limits clock drift quite well.
• The pop of white from the date window is a very nice touch.

Cons

• For those with visual impairments, the blackout design is going to be a tough read.
• It’s somewhat gaudy and thick structurally.

2) Nomos Glashuette Men’s Autobahn Automatic Analog Watch

The first of two luxury watch options to finish off our countdown, the Nonos Glashuette Men’s Autobahn Analog Watch is a design marvel. The eight lume plots of Super LumiNova in the middle of the dial resemble a racecar speedometer when fully illuminated. Contrasted against the gorgeous midnight blue dial and accenting the German art influences present in the dial design, this burst of lume is simply otherworldly in a dark room. It’s simply an awe-inspiring timepiece, full stop.

Specs

Display Window Material: Scratch-Resistant Sapphire Crystal

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Tang Buckle

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 41 mm

Case Thickness: 10.5 mm

Strap Material: Textile

Strap Width: 20 mm

Strap Color: Blue

Dial Color: Blue

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Automatic

Water Resistance: 100 meters

Pros

• The striking blue dial looks great in pictures, but even better in person.
• The included automatic movement is at the top of its class.
• The strips of luminous material in the middle of the watch are both unique and extremely powerful in the dark.

Cons

• With a normal retail value of a few thousand dollars or so, this watch isn’t for budget-conscious consumers.
• The textile strap is comfortable enough, but you may want to replace it with leather or something else.

1) Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT Analog Automatic Watch

A watch made by engineers for engineers and regular citizens alike, the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT Automatic Watch comes as close to pure perfection as a luminous watch is going to come. Featuring three timezones, 300 meters of water resistance, a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal dial window, and a gorgeously curved case, everything just clicks into place with this piece. And with the help of gas tube illumination, this artful watch will beam in the dark for decades upon decades after purchase.

Specs

Display Window Material: Sapphire Crystal

Display Type: Analog

Clasp Style: Deployment Clasp

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Case Diameter: 42 mm

Case Thickness: 14 mm

Strap Material: Stainless Steel

Strap Color: Silver

Dial Color: Black

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Movement: Automatic

Water Resistance: 300 meters

Pros

• This watch may not burn the brightest, but it sure lights up the longest of the ones we’ve tested.
• It’s a superb dive watch with 300 meters of water resistance and a design that cuts through the wet stuff with ease.
• The sapphire crystal dial window is almost impossible to scuff.

Cons

• It’s the most expensive watch on our list. It’s going to be a hard sell for some.
• The dial design is a little crowded for some tastes.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Best Lume Watches

What is the brightest watch lume?

There’s a misconception out there that tritium gas tubes create the most resonant and brightest illumination for a full lume dial. That’s not exactly true. Tritium is a long-lasting luminous material that doesn’t require light for its form of self-powered illumination. But, it doesn’t quite hold a candle to the luminous paint applied to some other luminous watches.

Back in the 1920s, watchmakers used radium paint to create luminous coatings for timepieces. As you might expect, it led to major health problems for consumers. As a result, watch companies began to search for non-radioactive options such as safe-to-use phosphorescent paints.

Now, modern lume watches are covered with phosphorescent material such as the C3 Super Luminova, regular Luminova, and BGW9 coatings. These all light up brilliantly in low light to varying degrees (and in varying colors), and can be found on affordable luminous watch and luxury watch brand offerings alike.

Does Seiko have the best lume?

Seiko’s Lumibrite technology is definitely potent. The glow-in-the-dark luminous paint used by the Japanese watch brand to coat their current watches lights up the night for very reasonable price points. And thanks to Seiko’s well-reviewed and celebrated watch build quality, a Seiko timepiece might very well be your best bet if you’re looking for a cost-effective watch with strong initial brightness and good lume overall.

Yet, while Seiko watches are incredibly bright in low light, they don’t beat high-grade options like the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT Analog Automatic Watch in terms of overall brightness. However, Seiko is still a watch industry stalwart that creates luminous watches well worth your time and money.

Closing Thoughts

All the watches on the countdown above have one thing in common — they feature watch dials that pierce through the night, glowing beautifully when strapped around your wrist. Whether dive watches with black leather straps are your thing, or you’re a bigger fan of vintage watch designs with modern updates, you can find exactly what you’re looking for somewhere in our in-depth compendium of the best luminous watches around.