Howdy. I’ve read elsewhere that replacement of the tritium vials in the luminox watch face is doable… anyone aware of someone that does it? It’s not listed as a service on the luminox US repair site.

As someone who repairs watches for a living you can't just replace the tritium hour markers and or hands outside of Luminox.

Go ahead and give them a call and your send watch to them I believe there is only one repair site in the United States that all of their watches have to go to.

Depending on how old the watche is and if they have parts for it they'll probably just replace the entire dial and set of hands which is the only way to fix your watch.

Get a quote first before you mail it in to make sure it's worth fixing vs buying a new one.

My luminox has been disappointing from beginning to end. My lume is already basically dead. Not much of a half life. It has had issues from the start. I wouldn’t waste my money on this company ever again. There are better options.

Years ago, Saltzman's would do it (Luminox's only stateside authorized repair center) for something around $250. Not sure if they do it anymore.

Depending on the model, it might be cheaper to just buy a new watch. With the exception of the higher end and mechanical versions, you can usually find Luminox on sale. Seems like every other day Midway USA or some else is running a sale on them. I picked up a Blackout 3051 a few years ago for like $150.

quote:

...My lume is already basically dead. Not much of a half life...I wouldn’t waste my money on this company ever again... There are better options.

I own a few, and there's a few that still catch my eye, but I'm starting to fall into this category.
My first watch isn't all that old and it seems like the lume has dropped a ton. Plus they seem to burn through batteries way faster than my other watches and are notorious for bands breaking way too easily.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
My luminox has been disappointing from beginning to end. My lume is already basically dead. Not much of a half life. It has had issues from the start. I wouldn’t waste my money on this company ever again. There are better options.

I have a number of Luminox watches. Yeah, I'll never buy another one.

I've had my Luminox quartz B.O. for 10-11 years now. It's been through 2 complete servicings/ checks so far but the batt died a couple months ago and needs to go out again. For the first 2 services I used Saltzmans, as it's the only authorized Luminox service dealer in the U.S.

Previously there was a specific Luminox service/ repair form that you could download and fill-out that offered a cafeteria type plan of available services/ repairs that listed the individual prices, but just checking now, it looks like Saltzmans has switched to a more generic service form for the various brands they service, and no longer include prices, so it appears you now need to either wait for their repair estimate or call them.

My first Saltzman service on my Luminox was a good and relatively inexpensive service. On the second service to them I'm mildly irked at Saltzmans because in addition to the complete service they insisted on replacing both the movement and the stem if they were going to warranty their work, even though the watch was working fine and keeping good time. I grudgingly agreed just to keep the warranty in effect.

The old Luminox service forms included an option to replace LTT tubes which I think is the Tritium tubes. When I spoke to a Saltzman rep. about the additional replacement parts/ labor they wanted to do during the last servicing I asked them about both replacing the crystal as well as replacing the Tritium tubes and they indicated they could do both, but this last service was in 2018, so not sure if this is still true.

You're best bet is to call Saltzmans and talk to a rep, although I suspect dfens is correct and they will want to replace the entire dial and hands.

Overall, I'm happy with my 11 year old quartz Luminox (from our very own Dave Truong who was great to work with! ). It generally keeps great time, gaining just 5-6 seconds per month, and a batt lasts 3- 3.5 years. The Tritium has noticeably dimmed, but is still easily visible in no light/ low light.

But I'm at a bit of diminishing returns point with my Luminox. The plan is to talk to Saltzmans and see what another complete service is going to cost and then decide whether to keep servicing this watch or invest in a new one. I figure one more servicing will probably put me over the original cost of the watch... but this Luminox has proven to be a good 'everyday' watch and it's composite case paired with a NATO band has made it a lightweight, accurate, reliable, durable part of my EDC.

It came new with a leaking gasket so it fogged. It disappeared into their system and after awhile I tried to track it down. They couldn’t tell me they even had the watch. One day it just arrived back in my hands.

The band broke well inside a year. I went to Walmart and bought a cheeeaaap replacement and it still is fine. That’s fucked up.

It eats batteries.

The lume is basically dead.

Nope, fool me once. I’m pretty much back to where I started. A cheap g shock 5610-1. It’s like the 80’s all over again. It always works, solar powered and sets the time every night. 100 bucks. Best value out there.

I used to send mine to Saltzman's for battery replacement, but after the second trip I just decided to do it myself and just not take the watch swimming anymore. Started getting pricey for a watch that ate batteries.

I haven't had any issues with fogging, even with the heat and humidity of the south.

I was suckered in, and not too long after I bought one I posted a question here asking if the Luminox wasn’t the most over-hyped watch of all time. The plastic back cover cracked by one of the screws and, “No, we can’t send you a replacement.” The first time I wore it and the sun shined on it, it fogged up. As I was about to send it off for warranty service I found a fine print warning online that fogging was normal and to be expected if exposed to changing temperatures—like jumping into the ocean? I still have it when I want to be able to read the dial in the dark, but as soon as anything else dies, in the trash it will go. I don’t know what the Navy SEALs got for their supposed endorsement, but hopefully it was a worthwhile sum to compensate for the hit to their reputation for being associated with such a piece of crap.

To answer your question, yes, they will re-lum your Luminox watch. I called (917) 522-3421 them to see about having mine done. I don't remember the price, I think it was $65. I discovered that the issue was my night vision. Lum is still visible and my eyes are better.

I have had my Luminox 3089 since prior to 8/2014. No fog, no other issues. Keeps accurate time. Battery about every 2 years. I ordered the watch directly from and was shipped by Luminox.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Johnny 3eagles,

Reading some of the complaints from Luminox owners I can only guess that either I got relatively lucky with mine, or Luminox quality took a nose-dive after I bought mine.

I can maybe see Luminox using a vendor that provided a bad batch of seals that lead to fogging, but even if that were the case there is no excuse for not standing by their warranty and covering those. They pressure test these at the factory and authorized service/ repair dealers so you would think their QC procedures would find a bad seal before it leaves the factory.

Batt life seems to vary, probably dependent on the power draw requirements of specific models, and it wouldn't surprise me if some of the Batts have been sitting on store room shelves for a while before being installed in new watches. After my first service the batt Saltzman installed lasted a little over 3 years, but the batt from the second service lasted every bit of 3.5 years, and a bit more than that.

Broken case backs? That's no bueno.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
...The plastic back cover cracked by one of the screws and, “No, we can’t send you a replacement.” The first time I wore it and the sun shined on it, it fogged up. As I was about to send it off for warranty service I found a fine print warning online that fogging was normal and to be expected if exposed to changing temperatures—like jumping into the ocean? ...

Ha. Here's a bit of irony for you to shake your head at.

When I last sent in my Luminox for the standard complete service in 2018 it had a bit of cloudiness on the crystal, mostly towards the edges. I assumed the watch just needed a good wipe down or, at worst a new crystal, but I could still easily read the dial and hands so I just ignored it. After the Saltzman tech evaluates it they contact me and tell me that they need to replace both the movement and the stem which I questioned as both worked fine, but the tech tells me that they noticed fogging on the crystal. They didn't specifically state this, but I took this to mean that the presence of fogging on the crystal may be an indication that the movement was exposed to moisture and be compromised to the point where it may not be reliable/ accurate per Luminox spec, and therefore they wouldn't warranty the watch unless I agreed to the parts replacement...

...so, while you read online that the fogging on your watch was normal for Luminox watches, they required me to replace parts due to the fogging.

Go figure.

FWIW, you and I more or less live in the same climate, although you are several thousand feet above me. The only time I saw any fogging on my Luminox was some time after the first complete service, and it never returned after the second service.

I've had very good experience with my Luminox watches over many years.

Personally, I suggest the best option is save the money and buy a g shock.

Marathon and Ball are options for tritium dial watches.

Marathon will be military style and Ball will be more dress/sport.


However, I agree that nothing beats a G Shock as a tool watch.

I've had my Luminox SAR for maybe 9-10 years. Band was crap, broke in less than a year. Changed to a NATO and never looked back. Lume from the tritium failed after about 5 years. I send it to Dave Truong (where I bought it) about every 3 years for a battery.

My GShock Rangemaster was far more watch at about the same price. I bought the Luminox for the orange dial and still love the look but when you compare it to even the lower end Casio's, they are not particularly well built.

I have never wanted a tritium capsule watch for just this reason. Within ten years (or less), you are going to to want to re-lume it.