Over 20 years ago, Luminox made the Navy SEAL series to meet the needs of military and law enforcement around the world. Having excelled in providing great night vision capabilities and being a tough dependable time piece, Luminox continued this line of watches with improvements over time. One of their latest is the Carbon SEAL 3802. So what’s so special about this one? It’s light, very light! Luminox was kind enough to send me a loaner to review. Let check this out.
The Dial and Lume
The Luminox Carbon Seal 3802 is simple 3 hander with date, along with a cool carbon fiber dial which gives a great three-dimensional look. On the dial there is the standard 1 though 12 o’clock markers and below them there is the 13 through 24 hour makers. Some might consider this a busy look, but it did not bother me.
Luminox uses the Luminox Light Technology(LLT) to illuminate their watches (aka tritium). This particular model has a total of 16 tubes used. Hour and minute hands carry ice blue tubes and the second hand is carrying an orange tube. Bezel marker and 12 o’clock marker both have the orange tubes and the remaining markers are all in ice blue. The lume rating for all of this this is at T25 – a soft glow – and is very legible. You can find watches out there up to T100, but T25 is really all you need.
The Case
This is where the Luminox Carbon Seal 3802 blows me away. This is not a small watch at 46mm wide and 14mm thick, yet it only weighs 97 grams, including the bracelet! Made from a 40% carbon long bar compound, the case (and bracelet) is very durable, scratch resistant, and hypoallergenic (it’s worth noting that the case back and screw-down crown are both stainless steel). Covering the dial is a thick AR-coated sapphire crystal. Rounding out the specs, water resistance is an impressive 300m.
The Bezel
The Bezel is a 60 click unidirectional with single LLT tube at the 60 minute mark. This is a gear type bezel with sharp edges which make for very easy grip with gloves on. The bezel has a very light feeling due to the carbon compound while still giving a solid feel to its movement.
The Bracelet
Looks like plastic, light like plastic, yet it isn’t plastic. I found the bracelet of the Luminox Carbon Seal 3802 to be very smooth, didn’t have it pull any arm hair, and just overall had it feel very solid on the wrist. It has a lot of removable links, which mean I could fit it to my 6.5″ wrist with a few more links still available to take out (for those smaller wrists out there). My only wish for the bracelet would be the inclusion of a divers extension in the clasp.
Overall Impression
This watch completely messes with me, in a good way. I have always had heavy watches, and all around 45mm or larger, with them tipping the scales between 140 and 176 grams. With the Luminox Carbon Seal 3802, you hardly notice it’s on. Make no mistake, though – while it’s light, this is a watch that can take a beating. It carries the Swiss-made label with a quartz Rhonda 715 HH6 movement and 8 year lithium battery. In my book, that all chalks up to a pretty good deal for a retail price of $750. luminox.com
REVIEW SUMMARY
- Brand and model: Luminox Carbon Seal 3802
- Price: $750
- Who’s it for: Diver, the military, and the adventurous
- Would I wear it: Oh Yes
- What I’d change: Add a divers extension.
- The best thing about it: The light weight
Tech Specs from Luminox
- Materials: Carbon Compound
- Crystal: Sapphire glass anti reflective coating
- Dial: Carbon Fiber
- Movement: Rhonda 715 HH6 Quartz with 8 year lithium battery
- Bezel: Rotating 1-Way Diver
- Measurements: 46mm wide and 14mm thick
- Water resistance: 300 meter or 1000 feet
