Tritium Watches

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browntown

browntown

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 30, 2002
Messages
110
City & State/Province
Salem, OR
Apologize if this has been hashed over many times before but I was hoping to get a consensus. I dig tritium watches. Seems like choices are narrow though. From what I've seen on this board there are a few main choices:

bell and ross
sandy
stocker and yale
marathon
luminox

Here's my gripe, short of bell and ross and luminox the others all look the same, all claim to be official military watches, I've never heard of them (although stocker and yale used to make the old military lensatic compasses before Brunton took that job over) and all look kinda cheap.

So is there an "official" government or military tritium watch out there that I can buy and from a reputable company? Even luminox has a billion models named after military units or even planes, but it sounds gimic to me and not actually issue. Can anyone set me straight?

Thanks in advance
 
As I understand it, the only current issue tritium watches are the Marathon plastic cased ones, and they're intermittently available from Countycomm. Some of the others (not Luminox) were at some point in the past government issue, but haven't been issue for several (many?) years.

Luminox is an excellent marketing company, and has done a good job of either 'borrowing' names (Navy SEALS' or entering into license agreements (Lockheed) with military names. Their watches are pretty decent, though quality varies widely between the various designs, and G-shock seems to be the real military watch of choice.

I've got a couple Luminox, and they're my only choice if I expect to be in the dark, even over my Seiko Dive watches with huge patches of Lume. I occasionally think about one of the Marathon tritium watches, but the design is somewhere beyond minimalist and well on the way to fugly, so I never do.

The real hot choice for Tritium watches is Ball watches, but they're up in Omega territory for pricing, and that seems crazy for a watch with a known lifetime limitation, which all tritium watches face... They're not going to be looking so great in 25 years.
 
here are mine..
watches.jpg
 
exactly the info I was looking for deanster. I think I'll just pick up a plastic marathon for the tritium novelty, and spend the hundreds that Luminox wants on something more suited to edc (I wear a suit everyday, so the plastic marathon will be used for outdoor activities). Now the trick seems to be to find a marathon that was made fairly recently and isnt in its second half life of tritium decay.


edit: this is a link to the countycomm website showing that marathon is the only real issue:

http://www.countycomm.com/watchqpl.htm
 
I spent less on my Luminox than I did on my Marathon. The Marathon is cooler, but it's not quite as durable for what I do. I could tell from wearing it for about a week that had I continued to do so, I would have destroyed the crystal. It's too exposed for me, I've still got the watch laying around and pick it up every now and then, but day-in-day-out I wear a Luminox. Mine doesn't have any of that "Navy Seal" whooey all over the face, it's etched into the back of the case but I never see that part anyway so I don't worry about it. I find my Luminox to be dressy enough for most everything, but my non-clothing is Ti for the most part (ring, glasses, chain) so the metal look of the watch fits everything else.

YMMV, of course. .
 
Ac, not sure what you do but when I was working as an electrician I beat the crap out of my Marathon. I mean beat the living crap out of it, absolute abuse and although the crystal did get scratched up some plastic polish does a good job of buffing them out. The marathon is really a wear to death watch. The only reason I'm not wearing it right now is that my dog chewed the band in half and I haven't ordered another band yet. Anyone know where to get one cheap?
 
Hmmm, been thinking about supplementing my Luminox 910 with another, and I found a new Marathon tritium "official U.S. military issue" watch for $125. Based on conflicting posts here, I am wondering if this is a good deal...or not. Says it's made in April 2004 on the back.
 
Aaagh, forget it, someone just told me CountyComm sells the same model for $100!
 
[ QUOTE ]
They're not going to be looking so great in 25 years.


[/ QUOTE ] For that matter, neither will I! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

My Luminox Titanium has held up well for a few years now; it never comes off.
 
xochi, Countycomm has bands for them. That would be my first guess.

Most of my hours working are considered lifeguarding, but I also happen to be one of the few that know how the pump systems work and everything so I spend a lot of time reaching into pipes and stuff. I also do some facility work, plus climbing instruction, and SAR on the volunteer side. I'm sure I could (and will) buff the scratches out with ease, but it's just as easy to wear my Luminox where the crystal doesn't stick out. My next one will be Titanium, just like McGizmo. .
 
The Marathon is pretty tough. It has a plastic-composite case material and an acrylic crystal. The acrylic can be polished smooth with Brasso polish (it even lists this as a use on it's can) and the case just isn't a concern. I have an older Marathon in it's 2nd half-life with a 17 jewel manual wind movement. They are all quartz now.

I won't link directly to an ebay auction, but try searching with "traser automatic". There is a nice model imported from Germany that has a stainless case and an ETA automatic movement. It also pops up on sales forums of watch collector boards from time to time. I would consider buying one except for the integrated bracelet.

If you have an extra $1200 burning your pocket, there's always Ball Watch Company . Very premium watches with tritium gas tube markers.
 
Yeah, the soft plastic 'crystal' of the Marathon is always the deal-killer for me. I'm not one of these 'only synthetic sapphire crystal will do' snobs, but I'd at least like to see mineral glass...

I want a Ball Watch very badly, but I just can't justify the spend. About once a quarter, I just go to their site and drool for a while.
 
I ordered two watches, one marathon, one navigator from county comm. I returned one and sold the other one. Both watch crystals were totally exposed and reading the time in a really cheap watch enclosure with scratches all over the exposed plastic didn't appeal tome.I subsequently purchased a navy seal luminox and a titanium luminox dive watch. There time keeping could be better but who needs to know the time by the second anyway. Being able to tell the time in the dark is what these are really good for.
 
[ QUOTE ]
BF Hammer said:
try searching with "traser automatic". There is a nice model imported from Germany that has a stainless case and an ETA automatic movement. It also pops up on sales forums of watch collector boards from time to time. I would consider buying one except for the integrated bracelet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good SUGGESTION Hammer. Once I saw it I caved...
 
Browntown, you might like to add the Nite Tritium watches to those you have already listed.
Nite Watches

[ QUOTE ]
browntown said:
Apologize if this has been hashed over many times before but I was hoping to get a consensus. I dig tritium watches. Seems like choices are narrow though. From what I've seen on this board there are a few main choices:

bell and ross
sandy
stocker and yale
marathon
luminox

Here's my gripe, short of bell and ross and luminox the others all look the same, all claim to be official military watches, I've never heard of them (although stocker and yale used to make the old military lensatic compasses before Brunton took that job over) and all look kinda cheap.

So is there an "official" government or military tritium watch out there that I can buy and from a reputable company? Even luminox has a billion models named after military units or even planes, but it sounds gimic to me and not actually issue. Can anyone set me straight?

Thanks in advance

[/ QUOTE ]
 
Recent addition to my stable (sorry for the poor picture taken just now):

ball_marathon.JPG


And yes, the lume blows away the Marathon (which itself blows away most Luminoxes).

As for the plastic crystal on the Marathon, no I don't like that it will scratch somewhat easily. But as mentioned, it WILL buff out. Mineral crystal is the absolete last material I would choose. Unless you live at a desk, it WILL scratch eventually, and you CAN'T buff them out. This is why sapphire crystals are a must for me for EDC wear. Yet, I will wear plastic crystaled watches (Marathon, Timex, etc) for heavy work because I know that they won't shatter (which a mineral crystal WILL). Plus, a well shined acrylic dome has a look to it, a certain shine, that sapphire and mineral can't match. I have an Orient Star 'dress' watch whose acrylic crystal looks GREAT after a little buff with some Brasso.

Mark
 
Hey Minjin I like how the trit vials on the Ball actually form the numerals! Didn't know they came like that. In fact that would obviate the need for the orange-colored trit at the top wouldn't it?
 
[ QUOTE ]
MR Bulk said:
Good SUGGESTION Hammer. Once I saw it I caved...

[/ QUOTE ]

Now I expect a report when you get it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
MR Bulk said:

Good SUGGESTION Hammer. Once I saw it I caved...

[/ QUOTE ]

I caved when I saw it too. Now we will see which arrives first, but, I do live in Florida so I may have a slight advantage /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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