The Roundup is the Windup Watch Shop's weekly rundown of the latest and greatest watches, accessories, EDC, and more. Top billing belongs to the Treat Yourself category, which spotlights special watches worth their price tag, while the Value-Packed Pick celebrates a timepiece that provides great bang for buck. Upgrade Your Kit highlights indispensable everyday carry gadgets. When You Have Too Many Watches is all about accessories and peripherals for your watch collection. Last but not least, the Deal of the Week is a limited time bargain that you will not want to miss. Don’t forget to join the Windup Watch Shop Rewards Program to save and earn points with every purchase. The Windup Team is also available to schedule a consultation or demo with you to answer any questions you may have.
This week we take a special journey down the path of lume dial watches. Historically limited in their production and seldom seen on mainstream watches, fully-lumed dials offer exceptional visibility in the dark and represent an aesthetic category of their own. They are most commonly found on sports watches – particularly dive watches – and can typically be sniffed out thanks to the dial’s creamy hue; however we will soon see this is not always the case. These are our picks for some of the most interesting and fun lume dial watches from the Shop. Reach out to our team if you have any questions!
Citizen Promaster Aqualand
The Citizen Promaster Aqualand isn’t just a famous lume dial watch; it’s become quite the cult favorite in its own right. As the first of its kind in the mid 1980s, the Aqualand represents a period of time when dive computers and modern diving technology began to overtake the traditional dive watch as standard equipment. With its hybrid analog-digital display and distinct depth meter, this watch has become a collector favorite and is instantly recognizable. One of its most striking features is certainly its fully-lumed dial, which remains one of its calling cards. The modern Aqualand retains all of its world-famous functionality and still looks great today.
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Bulova Oceangrapher GMT
Bulova also makes the Oceangrapher GMT with blue and black dials, but the white dial version has a trick up its sleeve. You already know what it is. As a sort of do-it-all watch, the Oceangrapher is immensely appealing. It’s a wearable 41mm x 48mm, offers 200 meters of water resistance, and is functioning traveler-style GMT with its Miyota 9075 caliber. The large vintage-style lume plots on the dial and thick, legible hands make this a compelling option for those who are looking for a classic dive watch aesthetic with some extra functionality to boot.
Tissot Sideral
The Sideral, available in a rainbow of colors, was one of Tissot’s most unexpected, but exciting, releases as of late. The new marbled forged carbon case protects Tissot’s now-ubiquitous Powermatic 80 movement and adds a layer of cool to what is a decidedly retro watch. Originally conceived with yachting pretensions, the Sideral now offers robust water resistance (300 meters!), special yacht race countdown bezel markings, and, you guessed it, a lumed dial and bezel – but in color. With red, teal, and blue-green hues, the dial and bezel pop in low light conditions. It’s unlike any other watch in recent memory.
Bertucci A-2S Ballista X1
Bertucci brings us back to basics with the A-2S Ballista X1 Illuminated. It’s a handful of a name, but the watch is as straightforward as you could ask. It’s a 40mm field watch with classic field watch hallmarks: the arrow hour markers, the inner 24-hour scale, the matte PVD-finished stainless steel case. But while its design may be rooted in the mid-century, its specs are markedly modern. It’s got 200 meters of water resistance, a recessed crown at 4 o’clock, and a lume dial that rivals even Timex’s electronic Indiglo technology. Inside is a precise Swiss quartz movement that keeps the accuracy high and the price reasonable.
