A personal peeve of mine is wearing a watch that is difficult to read in low light. More often than not, I find myself checking my wrist for the time during the evening, whereas I tend to glance at my phone during the day. As a result, luminosity is arguably my most important consideration in a watch.

I have always been drawn to LUM-TEC because I felt with a name that includes “lume,” they had better deliver in that department. And boy does the Combat B47 MAX LÜM deliver on many levels. It is the brightest lumed watch I’ve seen at any price point. The B47 watch checks all the right boxes for me in terms of style and functionality for a field watch.

Each B47 — a limited and numbered series of only 500 pieces — is proudly assembled by hand in Ohio and features their MDV® MAX LÜM luminous technology on the dial and hands. The large dial features a big date function at 12:00 with a small seconds sub-dial function at 6:00. It has a great symmetry to it with each component very cleanly done, and the numeral markers were legible in any lighting condition that I experienced. I really enjoy how the lumed portions of the dial are raised just a bit, giving it some texture. The dark sword hands provide a nice contrast against the primarily white and green dial, although the hand-painted black coloring on the hands has some visible imperfections around the edges. At the same time, I like the fact that the coloring was done by hand which gives a personal touch to the watch.

The B47 sports an uber-reliable Swiss Ronda 7004.B movement with an anti-shock mounting system. It is protected by a low-domed curved sapphire crystal with military-grade inner AR coating. After wearing this watch for several weeks, I never once had an issue with reflections and glare preventing me from easily being able to tell time.

The 316L Surgical grade Stainless Steel case measures 43mm in diameter with a 22mm lug width and has a 200-meter water resistance rating. The B47’s case has a Titanium Carbide gunmetal PVD hard coating with a threaded crown that utilizes double diamond seals and high-tech Viton® gaskets. The crown is very comfortable to turn, and each position is very easy to detect. The solid caseback is threaded.

Overall, the watch has a simple case design, but in its simplicity, you can tell that they got it just right. There are no imperfections and it wears very well.

LUM-TEC ships two military-style straps with the B47 — one black and one gray — both with gunmetal PVD hardware. They are made of stiffer nylon material, so it may require some breaking in before it is as comfortable as you may like. The B47 also comes with a lifetime free battery replacement, seal cleaning, pressure testing, and a two-year limited warranty.

With a retail price of $495.00, the Combat B47 MAX LÜM is a solid field watch option for anyone who values luminosity in their watches. Whether you’re an active member of the military looking for a durable watch that you can read in any condition, an avid outdoorsman, or just your average Joe, this is a watch worth your consideration.