Luminox Navy SEAL "Never Forget" Limited Edition
The Luminox “Never Forget” Limited Edition Thoughtfully Pays Tribute To 9/11 And It’s For Charity
A portion of the proceeds will help the Tunnel to Towers Foundation provide mortgage-free homes to the surviving families of first responders who died in the line of duty.
By Victoria Gomelsky
Contributor
This month, the world will mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11. And as this somber day approaches, we here at Watchonista can’t help but think of what former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in 2006 on the fifth anniversary of the attacks:
“[We’ve] come back to remember the valor of those we lost – those who innocently went to work that day and the brave souls who went in after them. We have also come to be ever mindful of the courage of those who grieve for them and the light that still lives in their hearts.”
Among the nearly 3,000 people who died in the September 11th, 2001, attacks – at the World Trade Center in New York, in the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and in the crash of Flight 93 outside of Shanksville, Pa. – 403 were police officers, firefighters, and paramedics.
Today, the Swiss-made watch brand Luminox releases a limited edition watch to pay tribute to the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice that day and to all the military and first responders who risk their lives to protect and serve their communities on a daily basis.
A Tribute to First Responders
The Luminox 3500 “Never Forget” Limited Edition watch is an entirely blacked-out 45mm timepiece made of black Carbonox, a carbon compound that is lightweight, durable, and antimagnetic. In low light conditions, however, the 9 and 11 markers and indices are illuminated with Super-LumiNova and blue tritium tubes, respectively.
Available in a limited edition of 911 numbered pieces, the wristwatch retails for $495. A portion of proceeds will go to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, founded in the wake of 9/11 to honor the memory of firefighter Stephen Gerard Siller. According to the foundation’s website:
“On September 11, 2001, Stephen, who was assigned to Brooklyn’s Squad 1, had just finished his shift and was on his way to play golf with his brothers when he got word over his scanner of a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Upon hearing the news, Stephen called his wife Sally and asked her to tell his brothers he would catch up with them later. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear.
“Stephen drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security purposes. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back, and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life while saving others.”
The Collaboration
When Luminox first approached the foundation with the idea of creating a watch to memorialize first responders, the partnership seemed like a natural fit to Frank Siller, CEO of Tunnel to Towers and Stephen’s older brother.
“Luminox is a well-established brand with a long history of supporting service members and first responders,” said Siller. “Their amazing support will bring us even closer to our goal of providing 450 mortgage-free homes to the families of Fallen First Responders and Gold Star families by the end of 2021 as well as continuing to build smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans.”
The quartz-powered watch belongs to Luminox’s 3500 range of water-resistant wristwatches, commonly worn by police and firefighters, who appreciate their robust and resilient construction.
The color palette of the “Never Forget” watch is black “because it has to be black,” said Lluis Sole, CEO at Lumondi, Inc., the New York-based importer and distributor of Luminox. “The 9 and 11 are in different colors, so we focus attention on that date, and we never forget where we were.”
The caseback features an engraving of the Towers along with the words “Never Forget.”
“I wish we never had to have a watch like this,” Sole said. “But it is our responsibility to remember.”
For more information, visit the Luminox website.
(Photography by Chris Coe)
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