Taking a quick look at Lum-Tec's new releases

Recently, Lum-Tec sent out information on their new models for 2022. While there are four lines being introduced (or updated), there are two that I want to focus in on today – their solar line, and their Combat B line.

When it comes to a particular movement to have in one’s collection, I’m a big fan of solar-powered quartz watches. Yes, automatic watches are great for storing up power, but there’s something to be said for having the sun charge up your accurate quartz movement. I mean, I’ve got a G-Shock that’s still going strong almost 14 years on down the road.

In other words, the quartz solar movement is the very definition of a set-it-and-forget-it movement (well, except for months that have less than 31 days). Pack this into a rugged-looking 39mm case that has a 300m WR rating and slip the nylon strap into the 20mm lug, and you’ve got a watch that’ll be ready to bang along with you for whatever you’re getting up to. And, of course, coming from Lum-Tec, you’ve got that awesome glow that they’re known for.

The Lum-Tec Solar Marine 1 is at a pre-order price of $420 while the Solar Marine 2 and 3 come in at $465. The pre-order will run until the serials are all claimed (500 of each are being made), or until production begins. Once the watches are produced, they should ship in June or July 2022 – just in time for that bright summer sun to charge them up.

While I gravitated to the Solar Marine watches, the Lum-Tec Combat B models are likely to be more familiar to even casual fans of the brand. With it’s rounded coin-edge bezel and broad Flieger-style hands, this is a watch we’ve seen from the brand for quite some time. Still, you can’t just rest on your laurels, you need to produce some new looks, right?

The one pictured a paragraph up is the Lum-Tec Combat B52 Auto, which features (you guessed it) an automatic movement, the newer Ronda R150. If you want to feel like you’re flying a stealth mission, then there’s the Lum-Tec Combat B53 Max Dark, which is actually one of the best “blackout” dials I’ve seen, in terms of maintaining legibility. And then finally, there’s the Lum-Tec Combat B54 24 Hr, which features a true 24 hour display, which is going to mess with your at-a-glance time reads until you get used it. All three, of course, have amazing nightime visibility as well.

The Lum-Tec Combat B line has a bit more variability in the pricing, due to the different movements that are getting used. The Combat B52 Automatic is on pre-order at $846, while the Combat B53 Max Dark and B54 24 Hr are $420. Again, pre-orders go until serials are claimed (500 of each) or production starts up. These will close faster than the solar just due to timing, as they anticipate shipping the Combat B models in May 2022.

As I mentioned at the outset, there are two other lines up for pre-order – the RPM quartz Chrono, and the M89 Bronze. You can check those out, as well as the ones we talked about up above, over at lum-tec.com

Tech Specs from Lum-Tec

Solar line

Bead blast finish for extra durability
Rotating bezel and steel insert with luminous PIP
39mm case width

20mm lug width
43.5mm lug to lug length
10.7mm thickness including sapphire

300 meters water resistance
Solar powered VS42A movement from Japan
Just 1 minute of sunlight produces a full day of power

6 months power reserve on full charge (5 hours sunlight)
Anti-shock movement mounting system
2mm thick sapphire with double side military grade AR coating

Threaded solid 316L Stainless Steel caseback
Threaded crown with double Viton® seals.
High tech Viton® case gaskets

Nylon military style strap with matched bead blasted SS hardware
Drilled lugs for easy strap changes
Semi-transparent black solar dial

2-Tone X1 grade Super-Luminova C3 Blue and green glow
Premium, diamond-cut hands with X1 grade Super-Luminova
MDV luminous technology on dial and hands

Lifetime free battery changes, seal cleaning and pressure testing
Limited and numbered series of 500 worldwide
2 year limited warranty

Designed, assembled by hand and fully tested in Ohio

Combat B

316L Surgical grade Stainless Steel case
Military grade Titanium Carbide gunmetal PVD hard coating

Bead blast finish for extra durability
43mm case width / 22mm Lug width
51.5mm lug to lug length

12mm case thickness
200 meters water resistance
Movement
- All new Swiss Ronda R150 automatic movement (12H format) (B52 Auto)
- Swiss Ronda 7004.B movement (B53 Max Darkness)
- Swiss Ronda 515.24H movement (24H format) (B54 24Hr)