While exclusive models and special editions are fun to collect, a vast majority of watch fans are drawn to the hobby for other reasons, let alone have the time or money to be completionists. Most of us pick and choose watches we want based on aesthetics, unique features or utility, wrist presence, and/or complications. Needless to say, a limited-edition run of a cool timepiece might not be worth all the trouble, per se. 

A couple of weeks ago, Zodiac debuted a collaboration with watch blog RedBar, and it was quite remarkable. Featuring a fully-lumed dial, the Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver variant was limited to just 200 pieces and sold out pretty quickly. Inspired by Zodiac’s Point Series from the ‘90s, these timepieces sported a red dot between the 4 and 5 markers, as well as one on the caseback. Along with a stainless steel bracelet, it also came with a black and red PET Velcro strap. Now, Zodiac has made a non-limited production version of the fully-lumed Pro-Diver, sans red dot.

What’s the Benefit of a Fully Lumed Dial?

Fully-lumed wristwatches might look really striking on the wrist but there are some utilitarian purposes for this design choice as well. Namely, diving at nighttime. Underwater, the glow of your watch’s face, contrasted with the silhouettes cast by the hands and indices, can help you see. This can apply to other activities as well, such as driving or hiking. I have an old car and the dashboard clock is no longer backlit so I have to rely on my lumed (not fully-lumed) wristwatch to give me the time.

While it’s difficult to track when fully-lumed dials first popped up in horology, it was the ‘80s that we can look to as a definitive point of increase in terms of popularity. TAG Heuer was one of the most prominent proponents with its own Night Diver, which was even featured on the wrist of Timothy Dalton’s James Bond in 1987’s The Living Daylights. In recent vintage, we’ve seen a preponderance in fully-lumed watches, likely due to a reignited nostalgia for retro watches. We’ve seen a fully-glowing case from Bell & Ross and we even talked yesterday about IWC’s new Ceralume prototype, which features the first-ever ceramic case with a full lume. 

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver Full Lume Basics

Part of the Sea Wolf lineage, which began with the first purpose-built diver commercially available back in 1953 and evolved into the Super Sea Wolf 200m, the Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver is capable of going 300m underwater and to do so increases the case diameter from 40mm (41mm with the ceramic case versions) to 42mm. Housed in stainless steel, the Pro-Diver is ISO 6425 certified and powered by the COSC-certified STP 1-21 chronometer movement which was recently put into the other recent Super Sea Wolf models.

Looks-wise, this timepiece features the same pistachio-green dial as the RedBar edition that glows blue at night thanks to Super-LumiNova, surrounded by green glowing hour markers. The dial is encircled by the black rotating 60-minute bezel with green lumed minute markers. While there’s no Velcro strap this time around, there’s still a stylish steel seven-link bracelet.

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

Currently, the fully-lumed RedBar edition of the Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver is sold out but the non-limited Pro-Diver is expected to arrive June 17, priced at $2,295 from Zodiac’s website.

Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver Full Lume

Weeks after Zodiac sold out of its limited-edition Super Sea Wolf Pro-Diver collaboration with RedBar, featuring a fully-lumed dial, it’s coming out with a non-limited variant of the fully-lumed dive watch.