Luminox 3050 Colormark Series is Cheap. But is it Durable?

The first time I came across the Luminox 3050 Navy SEAL Colormark Series, I was struck by the quality, durability and strength that exudes from the watch.

With a casual glance, the watch provides a durable and strong look gives the wearer a look of confidence and poise. Upon closer look, the carbon-reinforced case, bezel and crystal materials used in the construction provide durability at an affordable price.

The real strength of this collection lies in the high-quality materials, long list of features and the expectation of a long life. I’ll discuss the major points to consider when deciding on purchasing your watch in this complete Luminox 3050 review.

Major Highlights

Apart from the impressive glow in the dark tubes designed to last 25 years, the Luminox brand of watches host a variety of other characteristics you would expect from a watch designed for the most strenuous and demanding conditions.

Whether you want to wear this watch with a high-quality suit or during your next expedition, the style and comfort afforded by this line of watches will meet your needs.

The Luminox brand of watches comes from a long line of Swiss made watches. You know what the Swiss-made label guarantees – reliability and accuracy.

The total diameter of the watch comes in at 44mm, and maintains water resistance up to 200 meters or approximately 660 feet. It is certainly not the deepest if the best diving watch is what you’re looking for. But for most of us, beyond 200 meters down the earth tummy is unimaginable.

Since the 3050 colormark series is used by the US Navy SEAL, you can expect each watch to be in adherence to the strict quality guidelines put in place by Luminox or the military requirements rather.

The case is reinforced with a lightweight PC carbon material. The unidirectional bezel provides added convenience and PC carbon reinforced materials.

The bezel comes standard with a complete 12-hour half-day cycle fitted with color light tubes and sapphire crystal. The case backing is also PC carbon reinforced materials and the crystal is mineral-based, and hardened to ensure reliability and durability.

The crown of the watch comes with a 316L stainless steel and yet the total weight is only 65 grams. The total case, comes in at less than 17mm.

Special features include a luminous second hand, tachometer, and excellent shock resistance. In all, this is a high-quality watch that is sure to provide you with years of enjoyment, comfort and reliability.

Be Spoiled with Variety of Style and Colors

The complete 3050 series comes in several styles to provide you with a quality watch that fits your preferences.

Models 3051, 3053, 3059 and 3067 come fitted with a black case and your choice of a mixed black and white, black and blue, black orange or black and green dial.

The colormark collection comes with two special editions. The special 3051.BO (Black Option) is fitted with a solid black dial.

But if you are a white tough watch lover, a white casing would certainly bring delight and that’s what you are going to get with the 3057.WO (White Option). If white is your color, be sure to check out our best of white G-shock collection.

The white version also comes with a white band, while the other models comes only in black.

For use in the dark, the dials change color and each provide a different color. The dial of each watch is fitted with a colored light tube with sapphire crystal.

Points to Ponder

Bezel Dimension

For the price and features, the Luminox watch series provides a good investment for your money. Compared with the Omega, Citizen, and TAG Heuer watches of similar quality, this watch provides a nobel Tritium illumination vitals for clear viewing in any condition.

The watch is a must for any personal collection and meets the needs of the most demanding situations, without sacrificing elegance.

One downside is that the watch is a bit larger than other watches from competitors. It’s about 3mm larger than TAG Heuer Formula I. But it depends on your wrist size.

If you have a larger wrist diameter, this would work in your favor instead. The larger surface area provides additional clarity and response in low-light conditions.

The Weight Issue

The one-way bezel prevents you from losing time unless you manually turn the dial backwards and the bezel feels solid as you turn the watch to adjust the bezel’s placement.

The actual numbers on the watch are etched and painted into the surface to provide additional durability and reduce the possibility of the numbers wearing off with use.

While some may pick up the watch and scoff at the lightness of it, since it’s made from polycarbonate and carbon composite materials, the watch actually has remarkable durability and strength.

However, for those that want a weightier watch, this might not be the right watch for them.

But for those who need to work with explosives, or constantly find themselves navigating treacherous terrain or working with a handheld compass, the watch provides ample durability without affecting the magnetics of other devices.

The Crown Issue

The crown does pull up, would could reduce the reliability of the water resistance. However, even with the crown pulled up the watch seems to prevent water from entering the watch.

For security, you can push the crown down before entering the water, or submerging the watch for extended periods of time.

In Holistic

Overall, I think Luminox 3050 is a tough watch to beat but it is certainly not the best tough watch around.

But if all you need is a watch that will stand up to abuse and allow you to not have to worry about scratching the outside cover regardless of your work, this watch is hard to beat for the level of comfort, performance, durability, reliability and obviously price.

Now that you’ve seen the ins and outs of the Luminox 3050, do you think the US Navy SEAL made the right decision in selecting their watches? If you’re still undecided and still looking for alternatives, why not check out what are the toughest analog watches you can get in the $200 price range.