Luminescent Watches have long been used for the purpose of tracking time at night. They have become increasingly popular with a diverse range of sports and hobby groups that have need to operate in low light or night time conditions. Adventurers, campers, fishermen, and outdoor enthusiasts are amongst the most serious non military users, but of course much of the development of these instruments has come from the exacting needs of military personnel.
Military demand for high quality night vision, and long lasting low light readability has led to significant improvements in overall design and and functionality over recent years. Luminescent Watches are a crucial tool for many military operations and law enforcement activities.
If you are looking to purchase a Luminescent Watch there are few things that need to be considered, but probably the most important factor will be the ease of readability at night time. To be easily read in low light conditions the luminescence generated needs to be bright enough to allow the watch face to be easily seen, and the luminescent charge will need to last long enough for the intended use before it needs recharging.
There are primarily 2 types of Luminescent Watch, and it is important that you get the correct one depending on the intended use.
One type of watch uses only phosphorescent paint on the dial and watch hands. These tend to fade after a few hours in the dark, and will need recharging with a bright light source once they become dim. State of the art Luminescent Watches now use a form of H3 Tritium Gas, often combined with phosphorescent paint, to illuminate the watch dial, minute, and second hand. H3 Tritium Light source watches glow 50 to 100 times brighter than watches that only use phosphor based paints. They will glow brightly all night long whilst using only using microscopic amounts of the H3 Tritium Gas, which is usually captured in tiny sealed glass tubes, and then painted on to the watch components. This makes it both safe and resilient to every day usage.
There are a number of manufacturers of Luminescent Watches, although Luminox is well known as a leading manufacturer and is responsible for producing The Original Navy Seal Dive Watch. This was originally commissioned for use by the Navy Seals, and is also water resistant to 200m.
So like many items Luminescent Watches vary in both price and quality, from the budget end through to sophisticated functionality and design at a more premium price. Generally though, if you remember the intended use and ensure that readability and luminescence are of sufficient quality for your intended purpose, you will not go far wrong.