Many are familiar with the childlike sense of delight a glow-in-the-dark watch dial can elicit. The most common way to achieve this effect without the use of batteries or electricity is with luminescent paint, colloquially called lume. Modern lume needs to be “charged” by absorbing light from an external source and then will proceed to glow for a number of hours. An alternative approach toward creating luminescence makes use of tiny glass tubes filled with tritium gas which glow constantly and autonomously for years, but only a handful of watch companies regularly employ this interesting technology.
Tritium gas tube illumination was pioneered and developed by the Swiss company MB Microtec, which not only makes its own watches under the brand Traser, but also supplies other companies with these glowing tubes. Other uses for this tech include emergency exit signs and gun sights. Tritium is radioactive, but not at all harmful in the form or quantities found in watches today.
Compared to conventional luminescent paint, tritium has some benefits and drawbacks. Unlike, say, Super-LumiNova, which is brightest directly after being charged and then fades significantly over the following hours (its quality, brightness, and longevity depend upon a number of factors), tritium glows steadily and consistently. However, tritium gas tubes have a half life of 12 years and will need to be replaced after roughly 24 years (modern lume such as Super LumiNova doesn’t last forever, either). Tritium glows less brightly than many lume applications at full charge, but will often be brighter within the first hour as the lume fades.
Many watches use modern lume and tritium side by side with some colorful results, and the five ultra-bright watches below — many of a tactical or military nature — are representative of the best brands specifically known for their use of tritium illumination.
Traser P68 Pathfinder Automatic
Other watch brands that use tritium, it’s safe to say, are not making this specialized product in-house. Traser, however, is unique as a watch brand owned by the Swiss company MB Microtec that produces and supplies much of the watch industry with these tiny glowing tubes. Traser has also provided watches to the US and other militaries. Its P68 Pathfinder has a Swiss automatic movement and is something of a light show in the dark with both Super LumiNova and tritium.
Ball Fireman Night Train DLC
Ball Watch Co. is probably the brand that is best known for its use of tritium — and the company likes to lay it on thick. Whereas other brands use tritium primarily to reinforce legibility, Ball makes it a design centerpiece and brand signature. The Roadmaster StarLight dive watch shown here, for example, goes so far as to totally write out all 12 Arabic numeral hour markers in tritium.
Marathon General Purpose Mechanical
Marathon is known as a function-first tool and military watch brand, and tritium illumination is a core element across its lineup. If you want a legitimate tactical watch, Marathon has a claim to that designation, and has a steady track record supplying various governments with combat-ready wrist gear. The brand offers practical mechanical watches as well as affordable quartz options, but the the simple field watch style of the plainly named General Purpose Mechanical is both.
Luminox Navy Seal 3501
Luminox, as its name suggests, has a focus on nighttime legibility, often using both lume and tritium. The Luminox brand concept is built around tough military watches with land, sea, and air collections, as well as a mix of quartz and mechanical options. The quartz-powered Luminox Navy Seal watch has the brand’s brand’s signature look and approachable price point. With tritium as its sole illumination, it will remain stealthy but readable in all lighting situations.
Nite Icon 216 Automatic
The British brand Nite offers a range of affordable watches with quartz and automatic options — and tritium features prominently in all of them. Nite watches also tend to be relatively affordable, and the Icon 216 has a Swiss automatic movement and slick military/pilot look with its 44mm case in black PVD.
Ahh, the rarefied world of military timepieces. Often developed under contract stemming directly from a country’s armed forces, these watches were designed for timekeeping under particularly adverse physical conditions, and often incorporated special features that, over time, found their way into watches meant for the civilian market. Read the Story