The 2010 Luminox Essential Gear Land is the third and the last model in the quartz-powered, professional-grade Essential Gear family designed either for the military or the people who simply prefer a more ‘rugged’ approach to personal style. This ‘Land’ variation features the same overall exterior as the Essential Gear Sea and Air SAR models, but is available in a different color that is more appropriate for members of the armed forces that spent the recent decade fighting terrorism in desolate deserts and mountains of the Middle East.
Yes, besides the usual for the brand black-on-black color scheme that is all the rage right now among persons looking for a nice ‘military watch’, the Luminox Essential Gear Land is the only model in the family that also comes with a less sexy, but, from my perspective, a lot more practical olive-gray dial that will blend nicely with your other gear if you happen to be a special forces operator stationed somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan.
While Superluminova and similar chemical compounds that work by absorbing light and then emitting it in the dark are usually a material of choice for the majority of watchmaking brands around the world, Luminox prefers its longer-lasting tritium-filled LLT-microtubes that, while looking a bit more archaic, will do the job of telling time at night a lot better and, what’s even more important, with greater reliability.
While the Superluminova (or most other luminous substances of similar properties) will glow brightly only for three-four hours and then will gradually fade away, tritium tubes will emit their low-radioactive light literally for decades, because they don’t need external light sources to ‘recharge’. After Chernobyl and other nuclear accidents around the globe, people are normally afraid of any sources of potentially dangerous radiation, however, these tubes are virtually harmless since the dangerous particles simply don’t have enough energy to break even through the thin layer of glass of the micro-tube and, unless you for some reason decide to get the tubes out of their housings, chew them in your mouth and eat (probably pushing them through with a glass of mercury,) the radioactive gas won’t cause you any harm.
The LLT tritium light tubes are colored red with an extra tube on the rotating bezel glowing ice-blue for better readability. Frankly, I would prefer the usual ‘diving scale’ on the bezel to feature more luminous elements for easier operation, but even as such the timer is adequate for the job when you only need a rough idea how much time you have left before ahem the eggs are boiled.
The watch, which is both light and rugged, comes with a carbon-reinforced plastic case that provides good protection for the movement inside and is secured to your strap using a black rubber strap with the Luminox logo. I would immediately have the band replaced with a textile strap of olive color for more comfort and, well, more style, but that’s my personal preference.
It is water-resistant for 200 meters, which makes it a good choice for a skin diver, too, although I wouldn’t recommend going on an actual scuba diving trip with it: there are better choices with better water resistance.
Luminox doesn’t specify the movement that powers the Luminox Essential Gear Land, but it is known that it is Swiss-made quartz, so reliability, efficiency, and accuracy is guaranteed.
WWR Verdict
Originality 4.5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Overall Legibility: 4.5/5
Nighttime Legibility: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
See also: Glycine Incursore Power Reserve DLC
Photos: Luminox
Luminox Essential Gear Land specification
Price range: $295 (MSRP)
Movement: Swiss quartz
Functions & Complications: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date
Power reserve: Approx. four years
Case: Carbon-reinforced polymer
Shape: Round
Size: 44.00 mm
Height: 14.00 mm
Dial: Black or olive
Hands: Black, luminous (tritium LLT tubes)
Water resistance: 200 meters
Strap: Black rubber with metal pin buckle
Crystal: Mineral, scratch-resistant
Back: Solid
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Bought my first mechanical watch in 1986 and it took me ten more years to realize that I have a problem: at some point in time watches became my passion. Well, it could be worse.