# Nocturnal Naviforce or Lessons in Lume



## Lancman (Jul 1, 2016)

I have to confess to having a bit of a soft spot for Naviforce watches. I have a few of them and they are great value beaters with reliable Seiko or Miyota movements inside for little more than the cost of the movement alone.

This particular one I bought for a reason; to experiment with a bit of ultra-cheap DIY luming.

As it comes it certainly wouldn't win any beauty contests (it's a 'homage' to the Lumonox Navy Seal Blackout) and the lume on the dial is pathetic.










I used some cheap eBay Luninous powder mixed with clear water-based varnish and went to work. I didn't bother with the hands because they were reasonably OK (and I was chicken).

The results? Hmmmm...well it still won't win any contests, that's for sure. Rough and ready I would say.....










It doesn't look quite as bad at normal viewing distances...and things surprisingly improved a bit after dark:










It still leaves much to be desired, but at least its a great improvement on the original. Lasts all night as well.

Lessons learned? It's not as easy as it looks and cheap powder (with quite large particle size) gives a rough finish, but it works. There are probably better mediums than B&Q quick dry varnish as well!

At the end of the day it was a lot of fun to do and I'm enjoying the result. Win win. :thumbsup:


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## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

I too have been looking at Naviforce watches online, and there is one particular model I really like. It is this one:








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The watch has both day and date functions and it apparently comes with a genuine leather strap. Also, there are slightly different colourways, with red or yellow highlights instead of orange, and the strap comes in black, dark brown or orange brown. I have seen this watch priced as low as about £12, with £15 being the average discounted price. It is also available for more like £25.

Don't all rush at once because I am going to order one right now. :laugh:


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## Lancman (Jul 1, 2016)

Wow, not seen that one before, it's certainly different. I wonder what happened to Sunday?


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## Lancman (Jul 1, 2016)

As I said, it does look a bit better at normal viewing distance.


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## Pip (Jul 19, 2016)

That looks OK to me on my phone? Maybe easier to spot roughness you're talking about on a bigger screen. I've been thinking about relume but not had the minerals to try yet!

Sent from my brain using evolution and electricity.


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## Lancman (Jul 1, 2016)

Pip said:


> That looks OK to me on my phone? Maybe easier to spot roughness you're talking about on a bigger screen. I've been thinking about relume but not had the minerals to try yet!


 That's what I love about these £5 watches; you can muck about with them without worrying about it. I have found that my cheap n' cheerful concoction works fine for simple round blobs on the dial, and I have 'improved' several cheapies with it in the past (see pic below). This was my first attempt at something a bit more adventurous and, although reasonably successful, has proved the limitations of the DIY approach. Yes, I could go out and buy a 'proper' reluming kit but I prefer the challenge of experimentation (and I'm a cheapskate).


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## Lancman (Jul 1, 2016)

Nocturnal Naviforce Mk II.



















My new favourite after-eight watch. Doubles up as a handy bedside light when fully charged.


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## Tazmo61 (Oct 3, 2016)

That lume looks fairly impressive , especially in the dark , well done Lancman .BTW I had never heard of the Naviforce brand , they look good for the money . :thumbsup:


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