By Jerome Chng
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is possibly one of the most recognized fighter aircrafts in World War II. Originally designed as a bomber-interceptor, this long-ranged escort fighter was created more by happenstance than by design. Equipped with drop tanks under its wings, it became the only aircraft in production throughout America’s involvement in the war.
Luminox takes inspiration from the aircraft’s instrumental panel and dashboard and has designed a tribute to the legendary plane. Of the 4 watches in the lineup, we will be looking at 2 today – namely the Luminox P-38 Lightning Automatic 9400 Series and the Luminox P-38 Lightning Valjoux Chronograph 9460 Series.
The Case
The Luminox P-38 Lightning Automatic 9400 Series and the Luminox P-38 Lightning Valjoux Chronograph 9460 Series are cased in durable stainless steel and sized at 44mm. While some may find the size of the case to be on the hefty side, we thought that it keeps in line with aviation style watches that tend to require a larger case. This is because aviation watches were originally tool watches worn by pilots which had to be large enough to be highly legible and to fit above their gloves. Case in point, the IWC Big Pilot.
The case shape is another factor we really liked. The rounded square case is reminiscent of vintage military inspired watches; seen also in Panerai’s Luminor and Radiomir cases. The steel case is matte finished, which retains the congruity of its tool watch status and makes potential wear marks and scratches less visible than on a polished case. Other case features include a Tachymeter bezel on the chronograph and a diving minute bezel on the automatic.
The Dial
As a tribute to the P-38 Lightning, the homage models’ dial draw inspiration from the display instrumental panel of the P-38 Cockpit. Notably, the inner ring contains both minute and seconds markers, reminiscent of aviation timing devices. As we had mentioned earlier, aviation watches had the need to be highly legible. That said, while in both watches the arabic numerals and silver hands helped improve reading, some wearers say that both watches had dials that were too decorated. Perhaps more empty space on the dial could improve its legibility.
Although dial legibility remains debatable, when it comes to legibility in the dark, Luminox’s lume is definitely one of the best available today. Luminox’s tritium micro gas tube is unlike other luminous substances used in most watches. Micro gas tubes fit on hands and hour markers houses a radioactive gas Tritium, or H3, which unlike most lume does not require to absorb ambient light but glows spontaneously for approximately as long as 20 years.
The Movement
The P-38 lightning homage models come in both automatic (9401 & 9461) and quartz (9420 & 9440) movements. Featured in this article are the former models. The P-38 Lightning Automatic 9401 uses the SW220-1 special HH movement by Sellita. On the other hand, the P-38 Lightning Valjoux Chronograph 9461 uses the Valjoux 7750 Automatic Chronograph movement. Both movements are workhorses that are very much ‘tested and proven’.
Concluding Thoughts
The P-38 Lightning Series by Luminox is an interesting collection to have, especially for people who are great fans of aviation timepieces. Between the two, our choice piece is the chronograph. We especially enjoy the quality of the case manufacture and the engraved P-38 model on its caseback. Wear-wise, the watch weighs more towards the hefty side, but of course size and heft is a matter of preference. All in all, the P-38 collection has been great fun for us to review and we look forward to more blockbuster collections from Luminox.
NUS Horology Club 