It’s a big EDC market out there, and tons of awesome gear is released all the time. We made The Drop to help you discover the latest and greatest essentials worth a spot in your EDC.
There are rugged watches, and then there are rugged watches. Designed to the military performance specification standards of MIL-PRF-46374G used by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Luminox MIL-SPEC 3350 is designed to take whatever you can throw at it, featuring durable materials and an upgraded Swiss quartz movement that offers additional protection against both impacts and extreme temperatures.
The MIL-SPEC 3350 features a 46mm case crafted from CARBONOX+, a carbon-composite material consisting of 40% long-bar carbon fibers. It offers improved performance over the standard type of CARBONOX used in Luminox watches. CARBONOX+ is durable, lightweight, shock and scratch resistant, resistant to temperate changes, exceptional chemical resistance, and non-metallic, anti-allergenic, and anti-magnetic. Protecting the dial is a flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal surrounded by a unidirectional rotating timing bezel made from sandblasted titanium, while the crown and screw-down case back are both made from 316 stainless steel. Everything combined gives the MIL-SPEC 3350 a substantial 300 meters of water resistance, making this a dive watch through and through.
The dial’s hands and hour markers are fitted with tritium gas-filled tubes, which provide constant illumination for up to 25 years due to the radioactive nature of the material. And unlike other luminescent materials, tritium requires no light exposure to “charge” its lume. The MIL-SPEC 3350 uses a glowing mix of red, yellow, and green colors to provide excellent legibility during low-light conditions.
Most watch manufacturers would have stopped there and called it a day. Luminox, however, takes things a step further by equipping the MIL-SPEC 3350 with an ETA F06.412 quartz movement, which offers a 7-year battery life and features HeavyDrive and PreciDrive technologies. HeavyDrive is an innovative shock-management system developed by ETA. It incorporates an integrated circuit that effectively detects impacts and signals the motor to counteract the shock by applying a corresponding force. Additionally, it securely immobilizes the seconds hand, preventing any unintended skipping. PreciDrive, also known as ETA’s thermal compensation technology, plays a crucial role in maintaining precision. By intelligently adjusting the motor pulses in response to the surrounding temperature, the MIL-SPEC 3350 Series achieves an impressive accuracy rating of +/- 10 seconds per year.
What we like: Luminox has built its reputation by creating watches trusted by Navy SEALs, and that dedication to durability and accuracy continues with the MIL-SPEC 3350. It successfully checks three of the most important things to look for in a reliable watch: accuracy, durability, and a long battery life.
What to watch out for: Its 46mm case diameter and 14mm height adds some significant bulk to your wrist.
Final verdict: We live for over-engineered dive watches, and Luminox delivers in spades.
