sdc100 wrote:
This is a cheap Chinese-made watch. But the water-resistance is not a reliable indicator of quality. To me, it's more of an indicator of purpose, and no one claims that this is for swimming.

It's Swiss Made....not Chinese. Why you call it a Chinese made??

got the 3 hans version about 3 years ago and it turns out it had been on the shelf a long time. Two tritium are not glowing now. I paid 49.99 and it was a grea5 deal. Just wondering how fresh these are?

jgmcgowan wrote:I bought one of the basic TruGlo watches on woot exactly a year ago on Woot,. The tritium is still perfect, it's been waterproof, and at least 12 mos of battery so far. Great buy. The one I bought was cheaper than these models and with a nylon NATO strap....

I got that same watch, but it got water inside the first time I washed my hands in the sink.

I'm wearing today (purely coincidentally because I rarely wear watches anymore) my:
WATCH, WRIST, GENERAL PURPOSE
MIL-W-463748
HAMILTON
6645-00-952-3757
MAY 1978
which has tritium indicators. Of course at its age it no longer glows and hasn't for a long time.

But, I love it because it's marked "H3" and has the three sided radioactive symbol.

And because it reminds me of the fun I had commanding a field artillery firing battery so long ago.

I bought the 3 hand watch from Amazon for a lot more a couple months ago. I LOVE it! Great look, not too large on my wrist. I have worn it in the shower, swimming in the pool and have had no issues. It does indeed have a screw down crown. However, the last time I bought a watch off woot (I think it was a National Geographic watch) it arrived with a dead battery. When I took it in to get it changed the jeweler brought it out to me opened up - the entire inside was completely corroded. Mind you, this was before I had even worn the watch, so it wasn't my fault. I think some of these super savings watches from woot are ones that have had some exposure or been sitting too long on the shelf. On the other hand, I have had other watches from woot that were excellent and lasted a long time. As always, caveat emptor. I am tempted to go for the chronograph, though, because I love my three hand.

taxwizard wrote:I didn't post to "make friends". I posted to keep a wealth of misinformation from being disseminated on a subject with which I have significant knowledge & factual information. Your point is well taken, however.

Well, let's put it in a way that doesn't potentially stick you with friends you don't want, eh?

Whatever your expertise on the subject might be, you're coming off as an elitist prick. If you want people to take your opinion seriously, you ought to tone that down a little. I doubt you're good enough at whatever you do IRL that you can get away with talking like that at your place of employ.

And bear in mind that you don't come to woot because you want the best of the best of the best. People come here for deals. They just want to know if it works.

Is this one a snap on back? If so, then its water resistance is useless.

I purchased the 3 hand TruGlo Switchback on Woot a while back...

http://www.woot.com/offers/truglo-switchback-watch

It is my everyday watch. I am a full time dad and scouter so it has been through quite a bit and has held up very well and kept excellent time. I purchased a few bands from countycomm.com to change up the look from time to time. Other than that, a rinse off and wipe on the shirt is all that has been done to maintain it. The hands are still plenty bright at night. I have showered, washed, gone swimming, canoeing, etc with no water problems. It has been a good everyday watch. And when the day come that I do break it (and it is when, not if), I would not hesitate to get another.

EDIT: And I just found this for the face designation...

The indication "Swiss made T" means that the watch is Swiss and contains a certain quantity of tritium that emits less than 227 MBq (7,5 mCi).The indication "Swiss T<25" means that the watch is Swiss and contains a certain quantity of tritium that emits less than 925 MBq (25 mCi).

I also purchased the TruGlo Switchback watch from Woot in Nov 2011. The crystal fell out and broke in two...just saying. Like the watch otherwise. Going thru the warranty process right now.

Any idea if the band width is 20mm or 22mm?

As far as the life of the Tritium goes, the half life of Tritium is what 12 years? So in 12 years, it will glow half as bright as it did when new.

I currently have a Deep Blue T25 tritium watch, and if these are similar it glow brightly enough that after the first 12 years it should still glow enough to be useful.

fluidj wrote:It's Swiss Made....not Chinese. Why you call it a Chinese made??

In order to get the "Swiss Made" on the dial, IIRC 50% of the watch value in materials must be Swiss, and assembled in Switzerland. So the case, strap, dial, and pretty much everything but the movement are made in China, and then shipped to Switzerland and thrown together.

I don't think this is a big deal myself, as I'm sure a lot of the bigger watch brands (Tag, Omega, etc.) do the same thing. "Swiss Made" on the dial doesn't carry much weight these days.

got the other TruGlo watch off woot on 11/8/2011 and the battery stopped working not a week ago. i was very surprised that it only that long. :/ i havent checked the back of the watch yet to inquire about a new battery.

from their website...

Limited Warranty and Disclaimer
TRUGLO® Watch Company warrants to the original consumer/purchaser of this product that this product
shall be free from defects in material or workmanship for 24 MONTHS from the date of purchase. Please
keep your original sales receipt and/or the properly endorsed Customer Service Card, which is your proof of
purchase. The Customer Service Card was included in your original packaging. This limited warranty does
not cover the battery, cracked or broken cases/crystals, damage do to misuse, abuse, accidents, improper
maintenance or commercial use. This limited warranty does not cover any damages, losses, costs or
expenses, whether direct, indirect or incidental, consequential, or special, arising out of, or related to the
product. This limited warranty does not affect the consumer’s statutory rights under applicable national or
state laws in force, or the consumer’s rights against the dealer arising from the purchase.
Repair / Service
1. For contact information regarding authorized service centers please visit www.truglowatch.


Notice the warranty is 2 years. why the difference woot!?

ROGETRAY wrote:After speaking with the buyer, we found that the warranty through the manufacturer states
"TRUGLO® Watch Company warrants to the original consumer/purchaser of this product that this product
shall be free from defects in material or workmanship for 12 months from the date of purchase"

The website which posted "2 Year Warranty" is inaccurate/out-dated.

Sincerely,
Woot Staff

Thank you. I hope they update that soon as I got it from here... http://www.truglowatch.com/IW_Products.m4p.pvx?;item?ItemCode=5700-00-0031020?company=TWC then click customer service and then on the Denali link. http://www.truglowatch.com/docs/Denali%20Instruction%20Manual.pdf and I got it today so that is a false statement from them and could be a cause for concern.

So does this have tubes or is this the paint on type of tritium? (yes Hydrogen can form many types of bonds.) I ordered based on the review comments but the suspense is killing me.

And does SportWoot always have such bland write-ups? Where has all the originality gone? Not getting enough pay or just an off day? Afraid of scaring someone with all the radioactive possibilities for stories?

taxwizard wrote:Most "sport-watches", whether designated for swimming or not, are water-resistant rated for a minimum of 100M, a fact that is indisputable, period. And, if I'm going to be "submerged" for any significant period of time, I'll be wearing my Breitling Chrono Avenger M1, not some Russian knockoff....

Someone is taking himself way too seriously.

fluidj wrote:It's Swiss Made....not Chinese. Why you call it a Chinese made??

I based that on this Amazon description, which states: "Origin: China." Admittedly, that can be interpreted in many ways. Perhaps it was assembled in Switzerland with mostly Swiss components, but maintains a warehouse in China where the final product is shipped.

I didn't have the watch when I first wrote that it's Chinese-made. I do have it now, and the back states "Swiss Made." Could Amazon have made a mistake? Is TruGlo playing with semantics? I don't know, but based on the mixed reviews of its water resistance, there seems to be a Quality Control problem. That would suggest that it's Chinese-made.

flatboat17 wrote:So does this have tubes or is this the paint on type of tritium? (yes Hydrogen can form many types of bonds.) I ordered based on the review comments but the suspense is killing me.

And does SportWoot always have such bland write-ups? Where has all the originality gone? Not getting enough pay or just an off day? Afraid of scaring someone with all the radioactive possibilities for stories?

They're little tubes of tritium gas.

lwang wrote:Is this one a snap on back? If so, then its water resistance is useless.

There are 6 small screws spaced evenly around the circumference of the stainless steel back.

taxwizard wrote:I didn't post to "make friends". I posted to keep a wealth of misinformation from being disseminated on a subject with which I have significant knowledge & factual information. Your point is well taken, however.

I would posit that your "wealth" of information is of little value. Your "significant" knowledge and "factual" information appears to be merely the regurgitation of typical web forum sourced watch snobbery from amateur "experts."
I suggest you submerge yourself and your Breitling for a long period of time.

I love tritium watches, but 42mm is a BIG watch. If you've got a smaller-than-usual guy's wrist, choose wisely.

undrpsi wrote:Better deal...

http://www.buy.com/prod/truglo-watch-switchback-3-hand-tritium-watch-black/228613670.html

$54.00 each

I own 2 of these. Come with Nylon band (not leather) and I wear it everyday. Good watch. Very Good price. They are quartz but haven't had any problems. Battery replacement is cheap.

Jay

I bought one (Switchback) on sellout last July. Wore it once swimming_ looked like a bubble level after a half hour in the pool. Sent it back, they replaced it. After that I never immersed it again. Instead I wore my Wenger SA watch. It has given me yeomen service but it doesn't have tritium. ANyway the replacement died in Mid May this year (Less than a year after I bought it.) Tru Glo replaced it again. Likely this one will get past July 17th. But I cannot recommend this watch.

sdc100 wrote:There are 6 small screws spaced evenly around the circumference of the stainless steel back.

just as bad, you see both in 2 dollar watches.

The chronograph is tempting, it's quite an attractive watch. But I already have three Luminox watches. The permanent glow of the tritium is addictive, and even my 12-year-old Navy Seal model still glows fairly bright. I wish someone would make an atomic watch with tritium. My atomic watches rock, but I hate pressing the "light" button.

Ugh, I think I'm gonna pass on this one.

I'm with you, Roost--also love me some atomic/solar watches and rotate between two (a dress citizen and a sport pathfinder), but have long wanted a quirky all-black watch for certain scenarios. The tritium is fun and the look of the 3-hand is super-clean, so I (ugh)

TOOK THE PLUNGE.

woot

Roostalee wrote:The chronograph is tempting, it's quite an attractive watch. But I already have three Luminox watches. The permanent glow of the tritium is addictive, and even my 12-year-old Navy Seal model still glows fairly bright. I wish someone would make an atomic watch with tritium. My atomic watches rock, but I hate pressing the "light" button.

Ugh, I think I'm gonna pass on this one.

Last minute dive for me too..

Just got mine. I like it just fine... only, I did not get a manual. LOL!
Totally not a problem. And yes, I did look under the molded piece.
Looks good. Feels nicely put together... tight fitting... finish... crisp detail.
If it last for a few years and the "glow" holds... I'll be a happy $130 wooter.
Although, I may swap out the band/strap/wrap... maybe something velcro and nylon. The leather one is nice enough, but I think something sportier would be more befitting. Just MHO. :-)
Cheers, all!

sdc100 wrote:There are 6 small screws spaced evenly around the circumference of the stainless steel back.

The switchback might be that way but I just got the 3 hand Denali in the mail and it's a screw on back, 10atm water resistance, and sapphire crystal. I'm not sure about the case finish (plated vs paint) but if it's paint it's pretty tough. I changed out the strap for a Zulu and the pins moving against the lugs made hardly any mark. The tritium is quite bright, exceeding my charged citizen divers lume after 15 minutes or so. Pretty happy with my first woot deal.

Got mine today (3 hand Denali) and the backplate reads Water Resistant 10ATM. So what is it? 5 or 10 ATM? Awesome looking watch and the glow is pretty impressive.

clange50 wrote:I changed out the strap for a Zulu and the pins moving against the lugs made hardly any mark.

Did the lug spacing turn out to be 22mm, or was it 20mm?

(eta) To answer my own question, 22mm between the lugs, straight (non-notched) strap. Strap hardware is painted, but I'm not certain about the case finish itself, which might be PVD. Screw-down crown, screw caseback. Revised markings no longer indicate crystal material, and typo case material as "all stainless seteel".

aaaaaaaaaaaaaack wrote:, and typo case material as "all stainless seteel".

I was also wondering about the typo and if it was on all of them

Received my Chronograph model on Tuesday. Wednesday morning I started the timer. Four hours later the hour counter stopped. Tried the manual reset steps in the instructions, but it is still stuck. Planning to send it in for warranty repair.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaack wrote:Did the lug spacing turn out to be 22mm, or was it 20mm?

(eta) To answer my own question, 22mm between the lugs, straight (non-notched) strap.

Thanks. After getting the watch yesterday I can also verify it's a 22mm spacing. BTW, I had emailed TruGlo the same day I posted my question and still haven't gotten a reply from them. That causes me a little concern. The leather band that comes with it was too thick for my preference so I swapped it with a Zulu two-buckle strap from Maratac. It's now everything I thought it could be.

Well, just got mine today. I am relieved that the back of the watch claims that it's "WISS MADE" out of "STAINLESS SETEEL".

Other than that bit of cheesiness, it looks OK. Screw -down crown, screw on back. Really thick leather band.

did anyone else get a watch with a broken second hand? it fell off the second time i wore it.

dealing with customer service should be fun...