Talk about some nice alignment of coincidences – yesterday I brought up our review (parts 1 and 2) of the Ocean7 sapphire-bezeled LM-5, and then I run across an upcoming Lum-Tec model that features a lumed sapphire bezel as well, the 300-M series. Read on for some thoughts on the new model, as well as a great lume shot.
The last time I looked at a Lum-Tec model, I noted that they are well known for how well their watches glow (they actually have an 8-layer application process; 6 of which are the lume). This new model looks to follow along that path, this time using another great combination, blue and green.
So, once the lights go down, you’ve got quite the light show going there on your wrist. If it was strapped on, you’d also be carrying a watch the featured the following:
- 40mm 316L stainless steel case (titanium PVD coating shown in the pictures here)
- 22mm lug width
- Uni-directional 60-click bezel
- 21,600 BPH Sii NH35 automatic movement (hacking/handwinding)
- Screw down crown
- 300m water resistance
So, you can see this is a nice bit of hardware. You may give pause to see that Sii movement in there, instead of one of the more familiar names. From what I’ve been able to find online, it should be a reliable and lasting movement – so no demerits from me. I do like that the bezel is unidirectional; the nit-picky side of me wishes it was 120-click.
If you do pre-order one of the watches (requires a 35% deposit; pricing starts at $743; goes up to $786), you’ll save 15%, and get to make your choice of case size (40mm w/ 22mm lugs or 45mm with 24mm lugs) and finish (stainless or PVD). Regardless of that choice, you’ll get it with a rubber strap and a stainless steel bracelet (with diver’s extension).
I’m quite happy to see more models jumping into the pool that feature the lumed sapphire bezel – it adds an additional bit of polish (and usefulness) to what may otherwise be an ignored (and underused) function on a watch.
