Oceanus Watch: Luminox Men's 8352 EVO Ultimate SEAL Chronograph Watch Review

Average Reviews:
4.5 out of 5 stars

(More customer reviews)Review of the LUMINOX EVO "Ultimate Seal" Chronograph 8352 / 8351

For those who did not read the review I did of my first "Ultimate Seal" model 8251, I will recap some of the new features of the Luminox EVO "Ultimate Seal" collection.......
The "Evo Ultimate" series has come a long way from the original plastic Luminox I remember years back. I cant believe it is the same company and it isn't (kind of). The "EVO" stands for evolution and marks the new products from Luminox since the merger with the Mondaine Watch Ltd Swiss company. This is a huge step for Luminox taking their watches more upscale. (Pricier $$ but better)
No gratuitous military logos across the face. A honest to goodness professional rugged tritium timepiece. The watch is very solidly built out of stainless steel with excellent machining details over the entire watch.
The case itself is made out of stainless steel that is coated with a satin PVD plating.It is very tough. So tough that when I was adjusting the bracelet, my tool slipped with great force across the link and did not leave a mark. What ever Luminox is using for their PVD plating, its almost scratch proof!That being said, PVD will eventually get scratched if you use the watch so be prepared to live with the scratch or use a black sharpie marker to touch it up. All of the edges are debured for a snag free feel (very nice). The stainless steel bezel has a striking two tone metallic silver finish contrasting in satin and flat mat. The bezel clicks very firmly and solidly in a unidirectional direction. It is machined to have excellent grip for turning underwater or with gloves on. The bezel will not be unintentionally turned. The back of the watch has screw down polished stainless steel lid. It is smooth and very comfortable.The watch face has a anti-reflective scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. This is the best you could ask for at any price point. It is crystal clear. So clear you have to tap on the face of the watch to see if there is anything protecting the display.

The CHRONOGRAPH model...
The Luminox EVO "Ultimate Seal" Chronograph model 8352 and 8351.

The 8352 and 8351 are the same watch other than the 8352 comes with a steel two tone bracelet and the 8351 comes with a rubber strap with double prong buckle.

The bracelet is very solidly built out of solid stainless steel links with a two tone PVD plating and a satin stainless steel "dog bone" design. It is very heavy duty weighing in at 100 gr. Just for the bracelet alone. It has a safety clasp with divers extension. The under side is very smooth and does not pull hair on the arm. (See at bottom for: "Tips and tricks on adjusting this type of bracelet.")
The watch is heavy but wears very balanced on the wrist.

The Chronograph uses the excellentRONDA 5050. B. Big Date movement.
The USERS GUIDE and operation instructions and chronograph hand calibration info can be found here....

[...]

The chronograph uses 3 dial set up that counts the 1/10second, second, minute, and hour (up to 12 hours).The small dial by the 3 o'clock position is the second hand for the general time.The large second hand is for use in chronograph mode.

When starting the chrono, the large second hand and 1/10th hand jumps to life. The 1/10th hand spins one revolution every second.After 30 seconds the 1/10th hand stops moving but is counting internally. When you stop the chronograph, the 1/10th second hand jumps to the correct position. (Very cool). The Chronograph has "Accumulative timing" and "Intermediate or interval timing"
All of the hands and markers in small and large dial, line up perfectly.
Very high quality feature.

The date is displayed at the 6'oclock position using a large split digit window.This is exclusive to only the Chronograph.

The only labeling on the dial is the Luminox crest at the top and "PROFESSIONAL DIVER" between the 3 and 4 o'clock.

The chronographs size makes it easy to read and the crisp dial it first rate.

The entire watch oozes quality and rock solid build construction. 54 month battery life with End Of battery Life feature.It's easy to read the dial In any light condition, it is easy to see the time at any angle of the watch face. Tritium markers glow brilliantly in green with the 12 o'clock in yellow. The bezel 12 o'clock glows in green. The watch is idiot proof to read in low or no light situations.
Accuracy has been stellar so far at 0 + or - seconds!!In my experience, typical of the new EVO series.

The style of the watch is upscale enough to be used for any occasion. It has great wrist presence. It feels like a tank on the wrist and should be a excellent choice for serious diver, hunters, climbers/explorers. The Luminox"professional" series are just that,... "The Ultimate Seal"

I called Luminox and Amazon.com IS a authorized dealer.

NOT ALL STORES THAT SELL LUMINOX ON AMAZON.COM ARE AUTHORIZED DEALERS so check first.
AMAZON.COM (IS) A LUMINOX AUTHORIZED DEALER. These watches will be backed by the Luminox factory 2yr warranty.

A NEW Luminox Ultimate Seal will come with a protective clear plastic sticker over the face, and case back. It will be wrapped around a pillow in the Luminox square presentation box. The bracelet will be wrapped in clear plastic tape to avoid scratches. I also bought the rubber strap that is found on the 8351.The quality is excellent and will lighten up the watch for other activities.
Note to owners. The hands can be easily calibrated. It uses a Ronda 5050.B movement. Pull crown to the 3rd spot, then hold both top and lower buttons in for 2 seconds. At this point, the lower button pics the dial to be calibrated and the top button advances the hand 1 click at a time. When you have corrected the positions of the hands, push the crown in and you are ready to go. Most Chronographs need to be corrected because of battery change. Luminox SHOULD have this in their operating instructions but they dont.

Tips and Tricks for adjusting the "Dog bone" bracelet:

The only thing I do not like about this bracelet is the way the links are removed for adjustment.The bracelet uses a "friction pin" set up. The back of the bracelet has arrows on each link that can be removed. The arrows point the direction the pins are to be pushed out.
Some are in very snug and some are not as snug as they should be.
I have a 15 year old Tag Heuer that uses this design and I found a sure fire trick to making the pins so they wont ever fall out accidentally.For all links that have removable pins, I use clear coat touch-up paint that is used for cars. I push all the pins out half way, brush a little clear coat paint on them and push them back. I then wipe the excess paint off the end of the links.
This acts like a thread locker and the pins wont ever vibrate out. They still can be removed for later adjustment if need be, just re apply clear coat paint when finished.Clear nail polish also works but is not a temperature stable as clear coat touch up paint that you can get at any automotive store. Duplicolor is what I used.

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Product Description:
This Luminox Men's EVO Ultimate SEAL Chronograph Watch features a unique illumination system that glows 100 times brighter than other luminous watches, making it the perfect choice for low-light or non-light situations. This versatile timepiece is constructed with a stainless-steel, 44.4-millimeter case. The durable stainless-steel band is accompanied by a fold-over clasp with safety mechanism. Stand-out Arabic numerals adorn the dramatic black dial face. For further time-keeping practicality a handy date calendar rests at the six o'clock position, and three sub-dials embellish the face. Powered by analog-quartz movement and water resistant up to a depth of 660 feet, this watch is preferred by US Navy SEALs and US Air Force Pilots.

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