Bear Grylls Reminds us of the Rule of Three with a New Luminox Made from Recycled Plastic

Look, I don’t have a particular interest in the finer points of outdoor survival. I’d just as soon not find myself in a situation where I need to live off twigs and berries and figure out a way to make a shelter out of a deer carcass, or whatever. I do, however, enjoy Bear Grylls, the British adventurer and television personality best known for getting himself into extremely hairy situations in the wilderness, and coming out of them in creative ways, all on camera. With a name like Bear Grylls, would you expect anything else? Maybe a watch sponsorship? Grylls has hitched his name to Luminox as of late, and the hearty tool watches would appear to be a solid match for Grylls and his persona. 

The new limited edition watch, the Survival Ro3 (Rule of Three), jumps on a trend that we’re happy to see more brands taking part in: the use of recycled plastics in the watch case itself. For the Survival Ro3, Luminox has partnered with Tide Ocean SA, a Swiss firm in the business of recycling ocean plastics, which are one of the most omnipresent of pollutants. According to Luminox, the plastic material used here happens to provide a great deal of durability, robustness, and water resistance, which makes sense for an all out adventure watch with the Grylls name attached to it. 

The Rule of Three, incidentally, was coined by Grylls and has been emblazoned on the watch’s bright orange strap. It’s a reminder to survivalists of how to prioritize in a dangerous situation: 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. As someone who felt massively inconvenienced when he lost power in a recent snowstorm for a grand total of two hours, these rules are something of an anxiety trigger. 

If you can get past the fear of being alone in the woods for multiple weeks without the convenience of DoorDash, you’re left with a watch that has quite a bit of personality and will likely serve people quite well even if they don’t intend to put themselves into a Grylls-like situation. The oversized “3” on the dial is a tribute to Grylls’s rules, and you’ll spot his “Never Give Up” logo at the 9:00 position. The watch has plenty of color, with orange and blue accents throughout. 

As with all Luminox watches, this one features Luminox Light Technology, which provides a constant glow to the dial that is expected to last for 25 years. A 60 minute dive bezel will help you time events, death-defying or mundane, and the watch runs on a Ronda 515 quartz movement made in Switzerland. It’s 45mm in diameter (have you seen Bear Grylls?) and carries a retail price of $495. Luminox