I have always been a fan of Luminox, although I will openly admit that not all of the brand’s designs are exactly my cup of tea. Given that Luminox originally built its reputation by producing tritium-illuminated watches worn by Navy SEALs, the brand largely adheres to a fairly utilitarian overall design language. However, some of its models are so visually tactical that I would struggle to organically wear them unless I were living in the wilderness or actively serving as a member of the armed forces. With that in mind, other Luminox models offer a far more approachable and civilian-oriented aesthetic, and among the brand’s 2024 releases that were announced earlier this year is the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series, which represents a premium version of the brand’s best-selling dive watch.

In our original news article about the collection, I mentioned that the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series models aren’t just mechanical versions of the standard quartz Pacific Diver Ripple watches. Along with being powered by self-winding movements, the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series models are a different size than their quartz siblings, and they offer several details relating to both their design and materials that make the lineup a more elevated expression of the brand’s quartz Pacific Diver. Instead of featuring bezels made from CARBONOX (Luminox’s carbon-composite material), the stainless steel rotating bezels on the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series receive polished ceramic inserts, and rather than having dials with standard printed indexes, the dials fitted to the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series have applied hour markers with a horizontal wave pattern adorning their surfaces. Despite sharing the same fundamental design, the automatic models offer a more refined appearance due to their different dials and bezels, and they are very much the premium versions of Luminox’s fan-favorite Pacific Diver.

At the time of writing, the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series is available in three different colorways, which were all part of the inaugural launch when the model was first announced this summer. Alongside a black version with a rubber strap (ref. XS.3101) and a blue model with a stainless steel bracelet (ref. XS.3104), is the white-dial execution featured here (ref. XS.3101.H.SET), which features a fully luminous dial and a black rubber strap. While the distinctly modern case profile of the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series feels somewhat similar to what you might get from a brand like TAG Heuer or Formex, the specific model featured here actually most reminds me of the white-dial Omega Seamaster Diver 300M due to its black ceramic bezel and white wave-pattern dial. That said, while the Seamaster is a distinctly dressy dive watch, the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series takes the same aesthetic in a noticeably more sporty direction with its chunky rubber strap, fully luminous dial, and radioactive tritium tubes.

Crafted from 316L stainless steel with brushed surfaces and wide high-polished bevels running down either side of its case, the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series measures 42mm in diameter (at this narrowest point) by 13mm thick, and while its lugs are set a sizable 24mm apart, they are fairly compact in their overall design and only extend to create an overall lug-to-lug profile of 48.5mm. Not including its strap or bracelet, the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series weighs approximately 85 grams, and while I initially thought that a 24mm lug width would be far too large for a 42mm watch, the crown guards and similarly sized protrusion on the 9 o’clock side of the case help to correct what might otherwise be a rather disproportionate ratio. Although I still would prefer a slightly narrower lug width, I ultimately found the Pacific Diver’s 24mm lugs to be far less formidable once I actually strapped the watch down to my wrist.

Protecting the dial of the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series is a flat sapphire crystal (with anti-reflective treatment), and surrounding the crystal is a 120-click unidirectional timing bezel. On the white-dial model featured here, the bezel is fitted with a polished black ceramic insert with a luminous 60-minute scale and a glowing tritium tube embedded within a capsule at the zero-marker. As is typically the case with Luminox’s modern watches, the bezel action on the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series is quite good with virtually zero perceptible back-play, and the stainless steel bezel ring extends to form a protective ring for the capsule that houses its tritium tube. Unlike the quartz Pacific Diver models that have standard solid casebacks, the automatic versions are fitted with screw-down exhibition casebacks that have sapphire display windows, although both versions feature signed screw-down crowns between their guards at 3 o’clock, which help ensure the 200 meters of water resistance that is offered by the Pacific Diver collection.

All three versions of the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series have dials that appear in the same overall style with a wave-pattern surface, applied hour markers, a date window at 3 o’clock, and a full set of radioactive tritium tubes horizontally set within an angled chapter ring that surrounds the periphery of the display. Rather than appearing in a sickly green/yellow hue like some fully luminous dials, the white-dial Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series features a crisp white surface, and its syringe-shaped handset is given a brushed gunmetal finish with a bright red accent on the tip of its seconds hand to provide better contrast against the light-colored surface of the dial. Additionally, while opting for a matching white calendar disc would have been an obvious choice, the white-dial version of the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series is equipped with a black date display to add visual balance against its black-filled applied hour makers.

On the fully luminous white-dial version of the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series, the dial surface and bezel scale are finished with photoreactive Super-LumiNova, which means that they glow in response to light exposure, with both components emitting an aqua blue-colored glow in the dark. Conversely, since the tritium tubes set within the hands and chapter ring are filled with a radioactive gas, they will glow continuously for up to 25 years until the radioactive material eventually burns itself out. While the dial and bezel scale on the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series ref. XS.3101.H.SET both glow blue, its tritium tubes either glow orange or green to create a rather striking multi-colored display in the dark. To help provide clear orientation and aid with tracking elapsed time, the minute hand, 12 o’clock index, and zero-marker on the bezel all receive orange-glowing tubes, while the rest of the tubes glow green, and the applied hour markers are completely finished black to provide maximum contrast against the white luminous surface of the dial.

Just like the majority of Luminox’s other mechanical watches, the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series is powered by the familiar Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. While the 26-jewel Sellita SW200-1 and its ETA 2824 equivalent represent the single most commonly used Swiss self-winding movements within the industry, their fundamental design is the definition of proven, and I doubt that anyone expects a more elaborate movement (let alone an in-house offering) from one of Luminox’s automatic watches. Although its architecture is proven and its design is reliable, the finishing on the standard Sellita SW200-1 is rather spartan and industrial, although the movements fitted to the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series feature black-finished rotors, which visually separates them from the off-the-shelf versions of this ubiquitous caliber.

Unless you opt for the bracelet-equipped version, the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series watches come equipped with a chunky black rubber strap that has the ”Luminox” name boldly embossed across either side between the lugs. Tapering from 24mm at the case down to 22mm on the underside of the wrist, the strap features a cut-to-fit design with integrated quick-release springbars, and it is completed by a fairly standard stainless steel folding clasp that has a double push-button release and an additional safety latch. The strap appears to be made from reasonably decent materials, although I am categorically opposed to cut-to-fit straps, as I have always felt that the fundamental design is rather shortsighted and makes for a truly unforgiving sizing process. Simply put, a watch strap should not have to be permanently altered just to change its size, and this especially true when the clasp that comes with the strap lacks any type of micro-adjustment system beyond three sizing holes to place the springbar.

In my opinion, cut-to-fit straps shouldn’t still exist in 2024 (especially on any watch that cost more than the price of a sandwich); however, my other nitpicks with the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series are fairly minimal. Just as I state in many of my reviews, I wish that the minute hand was slightly longer so that its tip would extend all the way to reach the corresponding markers of the minute track. Additionally, while I still feel that a slightly narrower lug width would have resulted in a more successful design, this is ultimately an area of personal preference, and there are going to be other folks out there who will be happy to have the additional width, as it provides the watch with additional presence on the wrist. Nitpicks aside, the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series is easily one of the most elevated and versatile offerings within the brand’s current lineup, and it would easily be among my top choices when it comes to Luminox watches that I would actually wear on a daily basis.

While I can certainly appreciate Luminox’s ultra-tactical timepieces, it would ultimately feel a bit like cosplay if I were to wear one as my everyday watch, and the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series represents an entirely different side of the Swiss brand’s catalog. With an official retail price of $1,395 USD for the fully luminous white-dial reference XS.3101.H.SET featured here, the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series is roughly twice the price of the brand’s entry-level Pacific Diver models; however, it also represents an entirely more elevated offering, and it is easily one of the most refined and versatile models in Luminox’s current lineup. Between its modern styling, durable construction, and luminous tritium-tube display, the Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series still offers all of the hallmark traits of a Luminox watch, and it is ideally suited to play the role of a person’s do-it-all timekeeping companion. For more information on the Luminox Pacific Diver Automatic 3100 Series, please visit the brand’s website.