MEET THE WATCH: Lum-Tec Combat B35

Long-time readers of the Watch Hunter Blog, already know that I have a soft spot for watches made by Lum-Tec, the Ohio-based watch manufacturer. This is because Lum-Tec offers tremendous value for high-quality watches with stellar lume characteristics. Their way of applying up to 12 layers of Superluminova is patented under the name MDV Technology, or “Maximum Darkness Visibility”. Back when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons with my dorky junior high pals, we would have loved to have a spell to cast by this name to illminate the darkest corners of the enemy’s stronghold. Luckily, you don’t have to live in a fantasy world to enjoy some of the strongest, and longest lasting lumed dials on the market. Just buy a Lum-Tec watch and your quest is done.

I have a personal history with Lum-Tec so I am writing this review from the perspective of a long-time wearer and admirer of the brand. I have spent my own money on their products and that alone is a strong endorsement. Lum-Tec was one of the first watch brands that I collected before I knew much about watches, and happily, I have not grown out of them. I cannot say that about some other brands that did not seem so great once I learned more. I am not going to mention any names because there is a time and place for wearing cheap fashion watches. While those early brands went stale, Lum-Tec’s watches looked better to me as I gained more watch knowledge. I was sure that I had made the right choice in buying at least 6 of their watches.

The biggest problem that you might encounter with a Lum-Tec watch is actually picking just one or the availability if you dilly-dally. You see, most of Lum-Tec’s watches are numbered limited editions to some degree or another. Some watch runs only have 200 made, like the Combat B35. Some runs have a little more, some significantly less. My point is that Lum-Tec is a small manufacturer who does not have a robotic factory churning out thousands of watches a day. Think if Lum-Tec as the equivalent of a micro-brewery craft beer and you will start to see what I mean…  low numbers, high quality and very satisfying.

Last year, I reviewed a Lum-Tec Combat B18 watch with a bronze case. The stainless steel Lum-Tec Combat B35 has similar traits to the B18 watch with the same 43mm case, fluted bezel, and big crown. In fact, most of the Combat B series share similar design specs at first glance. The differences often appear in the aesthetics of the dial and the choice of movement. Lum-Tec makes changes to create unique watches that also can be recognized as the same family, like the siblings below.

Even though the dimensions are the same, the Lum-Tec Combat B35 looks larger than the Combat B18 Bronze that I previously reviewed. The optical illusion is created for several reasons. First, the black of the dial and the case combines visually to make the dial look larger. The layout of the dial is more open opting for less condensed, but smaller numerals. The circular track on the bronze Combat B that tends the make the dial look smaller has been replaced with a sparse dark gray minute track.

Other changes include a longer seconds sweep hand, smaller logo that has been pushed towards the dial center, smaller model name, and longer hands. The position of the circular date window has been moved to the 3:00 position. Lum-Tec is working hard not to repeat themselves. More variety can only be good for the consumer too. Could you possibly own both? I think the answer is yes, especially if you chose two Combat B models as different as these shown below.

The Combat B35 feels like it has an old soul, but Lum-Tec’s watches are modern creations. You might think that you have seen a watch like the Combat B35 before. It is possible that you saw earlier models in the Lum-Tec Combat B series. There have been a total of 42 models as of January 2018. There is a lot of variety within the family and you could spend many hours Googling images. Something from history also makes these Combat B watches seem familiar. The style of the case with a coin-edge bezel suggests watches from a certain dark period of history from the last century. This motif still appears on German historically-based Fliegers. In fact, I have noticed two famous European watch brands (Oris and Hanhart) releasing watches that have a similar feel to the Combat B35, but those other two watches cost significantly more than the B35’s list price of $895.

Lum-Tec has given the Combat B35 a retro vibe by using a cream-colored patina lume with a warm presence to suggest aged tritium. Tritium is the slightly radioactive luminescent material that was used on watches in the mid- to late-20th century. As these watches aged, the glow of the tritium lume would diminish and the color would gain character changing to anything from a dark-cream to golden orange. Thankfully, Lum-Tec used a lovely vanilla instead of the overly orange “fauxtina” lume that some brands are using on re-issue watches. Lum-Tec stayed within the bounds of good taste, and a darker lume might have lessened the excellent readability of the dial. If you can’t read the time, then what’s the point?

Lum-Tec applied what they call a military grade anti-reflective coating on the inside of the watch crystal. The tell-tale way to see this is to point the watch at a large light source like a studio flash. The reflection will give off a slightly blue color as seen in the photo below. If you think that seeing the blue below proves that the coating does not work then you are missing the point. That is a full blast of flash power and you can still read the dial. A watch crystal without this coating would have just appeared as a white reflection. In normal use, the crystal is ummm… crystal clear. You can also see that the dial sticks out slightly above the fluted bezel. Because this is a sapphire crystal, the bezel is protected. The slightly domed crystal has a great box edge that picks up reflections emphasizing the edges of the crystal. This beveled edgle brought life to the dark case.

Getting Stealthy with a Blacked-out PVD Case and Patina Dial

While I am claiming that Lum-Tec’s use of a black dial and case is stealthy, it is not the most stealthy Combat B. That would be one of the other variants with black features and greatly reduced contrast on the skeleton hands and indices like the Combat B39 Phantom. I bet Darth Vader would wear that watch and smile inside his helmet.

The Lum-Tec Combat B35 is more akin to a pilot’s watch that presents a dark wrist presence but still has an extremely legible dial and handset. You can read this thing from across a room in the light or dark. The black PVD brings to mind military applications where even the slightest glint of shiny metal could reveal your position to the enemy. It feels “military” without being a military issue watch. It feels retro without being made 50 years ago. And, it feels like a pilot’s watch even though it is not limited to use in the cockpit. This watch is many things and also its own thing… in short, it’s a Lum-Tec.

The Combat B35’s bead blasted case is coated in PVD which reduces hard reflections. It is similar in appearance to one of my favorite handguns. The surfaces can be seen, but they are not shiny. The highlights are subdued but still there. Only the details on the dial jump out for maximum legibility.

The deep, rich matte PVD gives the watch a tactical vibe. This watch might not be out of place on a SWAT trooper’s or Black Ops soldier’s wrist. For us mere mortals, we can also fit the basic black watch into our weekend or work wardrobe. It is versatile because it can be customized easily.

A black watch is something that I think every man should own. They are incredibly versatile and can be customized with a quick change of the watchband. The Lum-Tec Combat B35 can look different in 5 seconds if you use the two included 22mm wide NATO straps. One is midnight black and the other a very interesting dark olive with a black underside (a separate option). Below, you can see the Lum-Tec Combat B35 on a brown leather NATO as seen on the Lum-Tec web site. This is the leather strap that comes with it and suggests a pilot watch from another era. You will also receive Lum-Tec’s display case that has hidden compartments to store your straps, and a numbered warranty card too.

You can go your own way customizing the watch to your own style countless NATO strap options too. One thing that you will quickly realize this that most NATO straps tend to come with some form of silver stainless steel hardware. This can clash with the PVD treated case. This is not a big deal because Lum-Tec has several watchband options with black hardware and buckles. You can also explore vendors such as Crown & Buckle who specifically fill this void. Try their Premium NATO Watch Straps with PVD buckles.

If you want to make the Combat B35 sit as low as possible on the wrist, there are also options for rubber dive straps and PVD stainless steel bracelets. These remove the little extra bit of height caused by every NATO strap. The rubber straps provide a sporty waterproof look and the bracelet an goes for a more industrial aesthetic. That is going to be a lot of black on your wrist, but some people will just nod and say “the more the better!” It would look mean as hell.

There is also a great combination available from Lum-Tec if you don’t mind putting the pieces together. By combining a Brunswick light tan strap and a PVD black buckle, you will get the wonderful combination seen below. I Photoshopped the parts together to simulate the look. This is what I would personally go for because the tan of the strap and lume complement each other perfectly.

My opinion is that a black watch pairs with brown leather more than you might think. While it may be a fashion faux pas to wear black shoes and a tan belt, that logic does not always carry over to what you wear on your wrist. I think that contrasting colors enhance a watch if done correctly. I have found that having a black watch with a black dial on a black strap can be a little too severe for me, but that is my opinion. Using a lighter, contrasting color can really brighten the Combat B35. Many watchbands have a lighter stitched component that ties into the creamy lume color too so mix and match until you get the look you want.

You can use thicker leather straps like the hand-made, rustic sample above, or the Lum-Tec Combat B35 can be dressed up. I paired it with a high-end model from Worn & Wound and liked the results. It looks sophisticated to me. You’ll just have to see for yourself what works best for your style and find the perfect watch/watchband combo that suits you. The possibilities are endless.

Using the STP Automatic Movement

While the look and versatility of a watch are important, a movement can be equally as important for buyers. I was excited to review this watch because it was the first time that I have sampled an automatic movement from STP. There is a bit of a backstory concerning this caliber manufacturer, but I’ll simplify the timeline the best that I can.

ETA is a brand that has been traditionally making movements for many Swiss watch brands. They decided that they no longer wanted to provide their movements to other brands outside of the Swatch Group, the owner of ETA. There is more to the story including declining production over time, but many watch manufacturers would soon be unable to buy movements directly from ETA. This left many manufacturers scrambling to find replacement watch movements for their watches.

Ideally, the new movement would be the same size as the most popular ETA calibers and have similar features. This way, watch manufacturers could use the new movement without retooling or suffering an interruption in production. This is where the company STP comes in. STP stands for “Swiss Technology Production”, and it is actually part of the Fossil Group. Yeah, that Fossil that makes fashion watches. But don’t worry, the mechanical movements are Swiss Made and boast some serious specs. To learn more about the company, read A Blog to Watch’s Visit to STP or check out the STP website.

Lum-Tec uses the STP1-11 in the Combat B35, which is analogous to ETA’s 2824-2 movement, a workhorse caliber that is in more watches than you might suspect… even big name brands. The STP1-11 is a 26 jewel, self-winding watch with a power reserve of 44 hours. It has a sweep seconds hand and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. The date wheel can be customized in color and font, which is a real advantage over ETA caliber date wheels, which usually only are available in black or white. The movement is decorated with perlage and looks better than the average off-the-shelf movement. Accuracy is rated at +/- 0-3 seconds/day (in six positions). Not bad at all.

Using the STP1-11 is very similar to using ETA movements. There are no surprises here. You can quickly set the hands and the date by pulling the crown and adjusting them. Winding the crown gave a satisfying feel with a small hint of resistance. I should mention that the large crown is a joy to handle. I have come to prefer big crowns over tiny ones… they are so much easier to manipulate. The Combat B35’s crown is a screw-down variety with double diamond seals so the watch is rated for 200 meters water resistance. It also has tough Viton gaskets (used in some high-end tool watches) which is perfect for an adventure watch. Here are some of my adventure snapshots below.

Speaking of adventures, the Lum-Tec Combat B35 performed admirably during my adventures of desk diving, couch potatoing, and dog walking in the local forest. Seeing how this was a loner watch, I did not feel comfortable attempting skydiving, kayaking or riding a long skateboard down a mountain pass. However, I can tell you that I do not baby my Combat B18 Bronze and it is a trooper. It’s a wear-and-forget watch looking better if I scuff it.

The B35 should be very similar the B18 except that it has the black PVD coating. Having a few other Lum-Tec watches with this treatment, they have held up well over time and years of wear. You would have to try very hard to scratch the PVD coating, but anything is possible given enough effort. If you make a habit of gravel surfing, then you could possibly scratch it, but even then it might look cool because the edges can become highlighted.

There are only 200 of the Lum-Tec Combat B35s made worldwide so this is a rare and limited edition watch. If you want one, head over to Lum-Tec to secure yours. It comes with a 2-year limited warranty and lifetime free timing adjustments, seal cleaning, and pressure testing. That is a pretty sweet deal for a watch that is tough, looks great and is hand assembled in the United States. Plus, if you have not experienced the glow of Lum-Tec’s dials, then you are really in for a treat.

Visit Lum-Tec for more product information about the Combat B35 and the rest of their watches.