Light Up The Dark: Discovering The Joy Of Owning A Lume-Dial Watch
Lume-dial watches crank up the funk in the best possible way. While they’re nothing new these days, the amount of joy they can bring to watch lovers never loses its novelty. Here are a few lume-dial watches to choose from, as well as an open question: what others could you add to this list?
Admittedly, I’ve only recently been able to experience the pleasures of owning a watch with a fully luminous dial. You see, I am now the proud owner of a vintage TAG Heuer Formula 1 quartz watch, specifically, a reference WA1211. This is from the classic TAG Heuer F1 line, and this specific reference was introduced in the late 1980s (records suggest 1987).
The vintage TAG Heuer Formula 1
It is a 34mm dive watch with a plastic bezel, and when it came fresh out of the factory, it had a 200m depth rating. The case has an 18mm lug width. Recently, TAG Heuer reintroduced the F1 in an updated form. These watches have better specifications (including a sapphire crystal) along with a higher price and a slightly bigger size. By all accounts (I haven’t handled one of the new ones in the metal), they are considerably better made.
The TAG Heuer F1 watch came to me through my friend Dan. He gifted it to me after finding it at a flea market while traveling through London last year. I replaced the rubber strap, which had turned hard, plasticky, and uncomfortable, with a Hirsch rubber strap, which makes the watch far more wearable. On top of that, I had the watch’s battery replaced and the case pressure tested to 10 ATM. Now I can freely take it swimming.
An ode of appreciation for lume-dial watches
The TAG Heuer F1 is a ridiculously fun watch, particularly for the asking prices of vintage pieces on the secondary market. While the release of a modern re-edition caused these pieces to spike a little, good examples can still be found for less than €1,000.
Having a lume-dial watch is simply a lot of fun. Recently, at a party, a bunch of friends saw it glowing in the dark and asked where they could find a watch with a glowing dial like mine. It sparked my interest in gauging other options out there and sharing them here.
Image: Windup Shop
The Citizen Aqualand Depth Meter JP2007-17W
We covered this Aqualand watch from Citizen here. There are a few options from Citizen in the Aqualand range, but this would be my pick for sure. The Aqualand debuted a function of a dive computer (a depth/pressure gauge) along with a traditional dive-watch layout. The modern re-edition is rather faithful, with a full set of technical upgrades. If you can handle the funny case shape and large dimensions, it’s a no-brainer for any dive-watch enthusiast (like me) out there.
Image: Windup Shop
The lume-dial version, reference JP2007-17W, has the added enhancement of extra legibility in low-light conditions. Citizen makes several lume-dial dive watches, but nothing matches this particular reference in terms of heritage, quirky design, and a certain cool factor. This is one of those IYKYK watches.
The Citizen NY0040-09W
This watch is something that Nacho, our managing editor, owns. If the burly case of the Aqualand is too much, this option from Citizen provides an equally wonderful dial in a more conventional case design. The Citizen NY0040-09W boasts a 200m depth rating, a full-lume dial, and, typically, a price of less than €300!
The 42mm × 45mm case is compact. Unfortunately, the NY0040-09W is discontinued, but you can still find it online for around €250–300. This is very fair considering the sheer amount of fun that a watch like this will give you.
The Doxa Sub 300 “Great White” Topper Edition
Doxa makes a regular-production lume-dial Sub 300 Carbon under the Whitepearl moniker. However, this “Great White” special edition, a collaboration with Topper Fine Jewelers, is something special. It has a steel case rather than a carbon one and blue lume instead of the green of the Whitepearl. It’s also super elegant (in Doxa terms) with the blue detailing and crisp, white dial.
For those unfamiliar with the Doxa Sub 300 line, what you get is an iconic dive-watch design that has heritage to match any Rolex Submariner. On top of that, you get a COSC-certified ETA 2824-2 or Sellita SW200-1. A 300m water resistance rating and handsome beads-of-rice bracelet help top off the overall package. There are gripes, however, with a relatively cheap-feeling clasp design. On the regular-production models, I would also say the lume application is a gripe, but such is not the case with this Great White! If you can find one, it’s worth picking up!
The Tissot PRX
The PRX has been a smash hit for Tissot, but many of the releases in the line haven’t truly connected with me. That is, except for this quartz version in white, which features a fully luminous dial. The PRX provides a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to design, build quality, and function.
The cons? As far as I’m concerned, there aren’t many, except to say that the lume-dial version only comes on the rubber strap. Yes, the strap is fine, but it would be great to have the option to buy it with the bracelet. The other issue I have is that, at the time of writing, you can only get a lume-dial PRX in the 40mm size. It would be wonderful to have the option to purchase a 35mm PRX with a full-lume dial. The Tissot PRX provides a lot of fun for your money, and having a lume dial just ups the ante.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces
It should come as no surprise that there’s an IWC on this list. I quite like IWC as a brand, and I have a family connection to Schaffhausen. The IWC Black Aces is a time-only pilot’s watch with a 41mm ceramic case, titanium hardware (including the case back and crown), and the standard (i.e., excellent) technical flair of an IWC Pilot’s Watch. That technical flair includes strong antimagnetism with an inner Faraday cage, excellent timekeeping (no faster than +7 seconds per day), and water resistance to 60 meters with a screw down crown and screw-in case back.
The discontinued IWC Black Aces is a wonderfully fun watch. If you can get past the Black Aces logo and like the aesthetic, it’s really a no-brainer. The watch has a wonderful glow in low-light conditions and enough flair to make for a genuinely fun one-watch collection. Have at it.
Concluding thoughts
Other options could have made this list, and I would be curious to read your suggestions, Fratelli! Having a lume-dial watch is most definitely a fun experience, and the cost of entry does not have to be high. This is evident in the vintage and new options out there that can be had for less than €500.
At the end of the day, it’s hard to describe the childlike joy one gets when you glance down at a glowing watch dial. I’m looking forward to reading your suggestions in the comments!
