StrapHabit's Top 11 Watches With The Best Lume

This year marks the 5-year anniversary of StrapHabit. After listing the Top 10 Watches under $500, I thought it would be fun to take another look back at the watches reviewed on the site. In addition to good value, watch collectors love illumination!

Rather than an extensive list of all watches available, here you'll find a list of my favorite lumed and lume dial watches that have been reviewed on StrapHabit. Not only brightness is considered, but also legibility, duration, and creativity as some applications are just plain fun. You'll find a brief summary and a link to a full review for each watch listed.

Most of the watches in this article are compatible with StrapHabit 20mm or 22mm straps. You can view our favorite straps for all of your watches at the links below and view our Guide to Choosing a Watch Strap.
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11. Omega x Swatch Moonswatch Mission To The Moonphase Full Moon

Although the regular lume is not that bright, the Moonsatch Mission To The Moonphase models feature a hidden secret when hit with a UV Flashlight (like this one).

The stars glow, and we see a secret message from Snoopy! The black Moonswatch New Moon features the same message, but I prefer the orientation of the moonphase on the white Full Moon model.

10. Casio Hidden Glow Casioak GA2100HD-8A

I was already a big fan of the Casioak, so when Casio added a lume dial version, it was a no-brainer. The off-white dial looks cool in the daytime when paired with the gray case...

...and at night, it emits a green glow. If that's not enough, it still packs a backlight, which can even charge up the lume a bit.

9. Swatch Neon to the Max

The Swatch Neon to the Max is the brand's throwback to the brand's 90s Grand Prix model. It appears to glow in the daylight and has a cool lume pattern on the dial when the lights go out.

Like the Snoopy, this one also looks awesome when you hit it with a UV Flashlight. Then the whole case glows!

8. Marloe Coniston Vulcan

British brand Marloe sent me the Coniston to review back when I was writing for the WatchCharts blog. Its watches feature thoughtful and attractive designs, and I'm surprised that I don't see them featured more today. The Coniston Vulcan featured a matte gray dial with a crisp white recessed ring around the outer edge.

In daylight, it doesn't appear to be lumed, but turning out the lights reveals that it's BGW9 and glows bright blue. Applied metal indices overlap the lume area, providing a clean way to tell the time, while the lume hands mostly sit over the dark part of the dial. A smart design that I think still looks cool years later.

7. Grand Seiko SBGX341

The lume application on the 9F Quartz Grand Seiko SBGX341 is not as bright as other Seikos that you'll find on this list, but it is more fun to look at. Many Grand Seiko models don't have lume at all, but this one uses two colors! Bright green fills the hands and the indices at the quarters, while the other hours are filled with blue. It's always a fun treat when wearing this watch and the lights go out.

6. Seiko Prospex Marinemaster SJE099

Seiko Prospex divers are known for having bright lume, but the MarineMaster models are a step above. The lume on this watch is so powerful that it emits a glow even when in daylight. So why did it only finish in 6th place? In dim, but not dark light conditions, the light-color dial tends to blend in with the markers. Additionally, the markers and hour and minute hand shapes are similar and harder to distinguish. Still, this watch is one of the brightest glowing that I've seen.

5. Sinn U1 S

If you read the Sinn vs Seiko comparison, you'll know that Sinn's lume is not as bright as Seiko's. So how did it finish so well? First, the dial layout. The markers and hands are so large and distinctive that it's easy to read even in changing lighting conditions. Also, even though the lume is not as powerful, it's very long-lasting. This helped give Sinn a strong spot on the list.

 

4. Ming 37.07 Mosiac

While the floating hour markers glow quite bright, I'll be the first to admit that the lume application on the hands is not very bright on this Ming. Despite that, it ranks high on the list simply for how cool and innovative it is. Ming added a sapphire disc above a full lume dial and applied its mosaic pattern. This gives in an amazing three-dimensional look day or night, helping it to secure fourth place.

 

3. Par Weber Coefficient

When I reviewed the Par Weber Coefficient over four years ago, I was excited to see some real innovation happening in the watch space. The founder of the brand invented a new method of illumination, using ultra-low power LEDs to provide constant illumination without requiring light exposure or pushing any buttons. The "Enduro-Lume" system's separate battery was promised to last as long as the one powering the movement too! I looked forward to seeing the brand release additional models, but unfortunately, it seems to have ceased operations. Still, the Coefficient earns the third spot on the list.

 

2. Islander Watch Sands Point ISL-161

When Islander Watch released its Sands Point diver, it took the Seiko 5 Sports/SKX platform and gave it some major upgrades. A sapphire crystal with AR, plus a sapphire bezel insert in a coin-edge bezel meant that it came standard with the upgrades that you'd otherwise add in the aftermarket. Additionally, the case was made from bead-blasted titanium, substantially reducing weight and adding scratch resistance.

On top of that, the Lume Coral Dial ISL-161 model adds shockingly bright C3 SuperLuminova across the entire dial and bezel. The coral pattern makes it more fun too. The hands are filled with blue BGW9 lume too. This looks awesome in photos, but it makes it a bit tougher to read in low light than if the hands were just filled black (like the hour markers). Still, the lume is impressive, especially for a watch under $400.

 

1. Seiko Prospex Black Series Limited Edition SBDX033

Watch collectors won't be surprised that the top spot goes to a Seiko. The recent 300m Prospex models (unofficially dubbed the MM300, as Seiko dropped the Marinemaster text from the dial) feature the brightest lume that I can recall seeing on a watch. It's noticeably brighter than the already strong SPBxxx 62MAS Prospex models.

Not only is it bright enough to glow during the day, but the large and distinct hour markers and hands make it easy to orient and read. The raised and polished indices and off-white lume stand out against the dial during low light, and bright green Lumibrite can be seen throughout the night. Seiko also lumes the first 20 minutes of the dive bezel for those who are actually using its diving abilities.