Everyday Carry

Trending: Luminox A.3901 Original Navy SEAL Watch

Authored by:
Mikey Bautista
Trending: Luminox A.3901 Original Navy SEAL Watch

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The Luminox 3901 is the watch that put the brand on the map since its introduction in 1994. Due to its association with the legendary special forces and exceptional build quality and details, it's stood the test of time and continues to be a popular choice for both servicemen/women and everyday watch enthusiasts alike. The beefy 43mm CARBONOX case comes with a Swiss-made quartz movement with a date window at the 3 o'clock position and a field watch dial design. A double-security gasket on the crown helps ensure internal integrity, giving the Navy SEAL up to 200 meters of water resistance.

But the watch's killer feature becomes more apparent as the lights go out: specially developed Night Vision Tubes (borosilicate glass capsules) give the dial illumination--25 years' worth of continuous, self-powering light--on critical parts like the hands, hour markers, and bezel, making sure that crucial timekeeping information is always available at a glance. Check out the Luminox Navy SEAL at the link below.

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Mikey Bautista

Director of Everyday Carry Operations


About the Author
Mikey Bautista is an everyday carry (EDC) expert who has been working with the EverydayCarry.com team for nearly a decade, starting with an interest in EDC as a hobby and ending up as a writer for the site in 2014. Through the years, he’s led the site in editorial content and writing about products across every category, from knives to bags to flashlights and everything in between, as well as discovering, bringing exposure, and building bridges with many brands in the industry. Today, he is the site's Director of Everyday Carry Operations, leading the editorial team and managing day-to-day operations.

He has lived through many personal and professional lives, spending nearly a decade in the workforce management industry, a minor career in gaming, and has lent a hand with entrepreneurial efforts back home in the Philippines. He has also been an active participant and helped build a number of significant social communities online, both for EDC and his other hobbies.

Mikey has been at the cusp of gaming, technology, and the internet since the ‘90s and continues to lend his experience, expertise, and authority to all his pursuits. When not online, in a game, or watching movies, you'll find him in the gym, speedrunning his next hobby, or talking at length about EDC with anyone willing to listen.

Discussion (2 total)

NUNQUAM NON PARATUS ·
Never. Again. I owned one Luminox, a Luminox 3951 which was the original "Navy SEAL" edition. It was a terrible watch

In the 3 years I owned the watch the mineral crystal shattered due to impact twice. The impacts were moderate at worst (wrist hitting a concrete wall while walking at normal pace and wrist hitting metal racking while retrieving items from the shelf). They tout these watches as "indestructible" and it is a lie. Basic, cheap Timex and Casio watches are all more durable than a Luminox. If you don't believe me-- go check out some of the negative reviews of their products.

The real rub comes with the customer service. There is only one jeweler /watch repairman that is "authorized" to work on a Luminox-- That is Saltzmans Watches of Rhode Island. Since there is no competition, that means the sky is the limit when it comes to cost of repairs-- and Saltzmans has no problem taking advantage of this monopoly. Beyond that, Saltzmans was very rude. They will not provide an over-the-phone estimate, so if your watch has problems your choices are A) trash the watch or B) send your watch to Saltzman having no idea how much the repair will cost, and having no idea how long it will take.

Trying to get any information from Saltzman over the phone seems to insult them and cause them to be defensive and short. They won't even tell you what the average cost is for a standard service like replacing a battery or mineral crystal. That seems sketchy in itself. If they are the only jeweler to repair Luminox watches they should have it down to a science as to how much it costs to replace standard items. But they refuse to offer a quote over the phone, so you have no choice but to wait until you have sent it in, and they have charged you just to look at it. Only then they will give you a quote. I even pointed out that I was preparing for an overseas deployment and needed my watch working in a couple weeks-- hoping to get some form of promise on timeframe for repairs-- Their response was essentially "So what-- Are you going to send the watch or not?". The bill for replacing the mineral crystal, including shipping worked out to about $125 per instance.

In addition to this gripe, this watch (like the model 3951 before it) is marketed as a watch worthy of the elite SEALs, world renowned for their daring swim/diving tactics. And yet this watch is not a true "dive watch" and lacks an ISO 6425 dive rating / water resistance. $395 seems to be a steep price for a "diver-inspired watch" with a quartz movement and no actual ISO rating.

Lastly, I implore folks to do some research on Luminox themselves. They seem to have no qualms about touting their military and law enforcement agency customers. They make money off of associating their product with elite tactical organizations. But from what I can tell, they do little to nothing to give back to that community. They do not contribute a portion of their proceeds to any veteran or LEO-related cause, nor even sponsor any veteran or LEO fund-raising events. This is not a veteran owned company. This seems to indicate that they only care about that community so much as using their name to sell products, and that is it. Seems pretty unscrupulous. Military service is not a "brand" to be marketed for profit. And if a company is going to be so bold, at least make a product worthy of actual field use by those service members.
1 Reply
J.Lo ·
Yeah these watches suck. Horrible reputation and customer service. They advertise being heavy duty carbon fiber navy seal watches blah blah blah, garbage. Everybody I’ve ever met who’ve owned these say the same. Save your money. Buy a Seiko with the same amount of cash and get a great watch.
1 Reply