The 10 Best Tritium Watches For Men
This wiki has been updated 23 times since it was first published in July of 2018. We promise not to delve into the complex science behind tritium radioluminescence if you simply agree to trust us that watches designed using this technology generate a glowing effect that allows you to see their markers in the dark. They’re ideal for military and law enforcement officials who require nighttime visibility or any men who want a timepiece that is readable after the Sun goes down. When users buy our independently chosen editorial choices, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon
2. Luminox Stainless Mariner Automatic
3. Marathon Swiss
Editor's Notes
September 24, 2019:
These watches are often associated with military use, as most are built to be incredibly durable, surviving in a variety of harsh conditions, from underwater habitats to floating fortresses. That creates something of a debate between proponents of automatic and battery-operated devices, as quartz is going to be undeniably more accurate over the course of days or weeks, but mechanical movements are liable to provide a longer working life without suffering impairment from things like electromagnetic pulses. At the end of the day, our list favors automatic timepieces, and the Ball at number one is an exceptional example of military specs integrating tritium technology.
Thanks largely to a contract with the US government, Marathon has maintained several spots on our list, as their rugged field and dive watches offer the kind of durability you'd expect on a military piece. The same could be said about the Luminox Mariner, a watch that comes from a brand known for making survivalist gear, at number two. Another newcomer to the list is from Vostock, a Russian military contractor who made exceptional dive watches throughout the Cold War, and who has reignited their international branding with extremely functional offerings like their dive watch at number five.
All of these new infusions meant that there were some casualties to the list, and these came in the form of the Carnival pieces that has been suffering from availability problems to begin with, as well as one model each from Armourlite and Bertucci, each of which was close enough in quality to the options that remain that we were comfortable replacing them with models from higher-end brands.
Special Honors
Ball Engineer Master II Normandy Designed to commemorate the invasion of Normandy in 1944, this model is a true pilot's timepiece. It offers a 44-millimeter case, black or blue dial options, big-eye chronograph subdials, and a true slide rule bezel you can use to calculate just about anything, including how much fuel you have left in your fighter plane. ballwatch.ch
MTM Warrior This option comes from a brand that lets you customize a variety of the piece's parameters, from the material and color of its case to the style of its dial. It has a reliable, quartz-regulated movement powered by a lithium battery that's rated to last up to 10 years. Its sapphire crystal is both anti-reflective and scratch-resistant. specialopswatch.com
4. Vostok Lunokhod 2
5. Marathon CSAR Military
6. Marathon Medium
7. Luminox 1101
8. Luminox Atacama
9. Bertucci Camo 13503
10. Armourlite Captain AL303
Daniel Imperiale holds a bachelor’s degree in writing, and proudly fled his graduate program in poetry to pursue a quiet life at a remote Alaskan fishery. After returning to the contiguous states, he took up a position as an editor and photographer of the prestigious geek culture magazine “Unwinnable” before turning his attention to the field of health and wellness. In recent years, he has worked extensively in film and music production, making him something of a know-it-all when it comes to camera equipment, musical instruments, recording devices, and other audio-visual hardware. Daniel’s recent obsessions include horology (making him a pro when it comes to all things timekeeping) and Uranium mining and enrichment (which hasn’t proven useful just yet).