The formula is simple. Lume is cool, so that must mean the more lume, the better. Rather than pointing out any potential flaws in my logic, here’s a roundup of the best full-lume dial Swiss made replica watches that are currently available, covering different styles and price points, but offering more than enough night-time legibility.
A brief history of luminous watch dials
Murphy’s Law states, “A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.” In watch collecting circles this is invariably true, but the number of UK AAA fake watches in a collection is likely proportionate to the mania of the addiction, rather than proportionate to how punctual the collector might be.
It also seems to be true that you need to know what time it is most urgently when you don’t have a clock nearby. This seems to happen generally at night, when you wake in a panic, disoriented and wondering how long till you need to get up for work, and you can’t see your alarm clock for the simple reason you only uncover it once you turn on the light. I like to think this was the problem the Swiss boffins were trying to solve when they started producing luxury replica watches with luminescent dials, tired of the drowsy confusion in the middle of the night and determined to bring clarity to this midnight mire.
In reality, it was driven by the need for soldiers in WWI to have perfect copy watches that were easy to read in low light. Initially, the chosen method for making it possible to read a watch dial in the dark was the highly toxic material of radium, applied by women working in factories. To have a brush fine enough to paint the markers, the women would lick the brush to a point, ingesting paint in the process they were told by the company was totally safe. When the women started developing anaemia and necrosis in the jaw due to radiation poisoning, litigation was brought against their employer, and the use of radium was slowly phased out. Replacements for radium included tritium (a radioactive substance that is significantly less dangerous), photoluminescent materials such as LumiNova and LumiBrite (used by most brands these days), and even electroluminescence used by Timex in its Indiglo dials.
Replica TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Night Diver Watches
Part of the headlining release of the redesigned Swiss movements fake TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 watches, the Night Diver recalls the blacked-out and lumed-out models of the 1980s. With bicolour lume and black markers that contrasted against the glowing backdrop, it’s another example of TAG Heuer super clone watches for men taking the correct amount of inspiration from its back catalogue, while avoiding unnecessary campiness. Price: US$4,100
Fake IWC Pilot’s Watches Automatic 41 Black Aces
Given the recent news, you may have expected a different IWC to make this list, but seeing as the Ceralume is still just a prototype, the 2024 wholesale replica IWC Pilot’s Watches Black Aces is its natural replacement. Created as a tribute to watches specially made for Strike Fighter Squadron 41 members, also known as the Black Aces, this ceramic-cased timekeeper houses the ValFleurier-produced IWC 32100 movement, sharing some specs with Baume & Mercier’s Baumatic, including the five-day power reserve. Price: US$6,800