From Combat to Conservation: Luminox’s New Pacific Diver Has a Higher Purpose

When a Special Operations combat diver leaves the service, some of the most specialized training on the planet usually retires right along with them. And that’s exactly where FORCE BLUE comes into play. The nonprofit recruits former elite military divers and redeploys them on marine conservation missions, swapping combat operations for coral restoration.

It’s a cause Luminox knows well. The Swiss watchmaker has been the watch of choice for the U.S. Navy SEALs since 1992, and it’s been in the water alongside FORCE BLUE since 2022. Now, the two have made the partnership official, complete with a purpose-built timepiece to match. Below, we’ll break down who FORCE BLUE is, what the partnership has already accomplished, and the new Pacific Diver that commemorates it. Let’s dive in.

Founded in 2016, FORCE BLUE was built to tackle two seemingly unrelated problems at once: the rapid decline of our marine resources, and the difficult transition many service members face when returning to civilian life. Its answer was to recruit former Special Operations veterans and military-trained combat divers, then deploy them alongside scientists and conservation professionals on missions to restore and protect marine ecosystems.

To this day, it remains the only nonprofit in the world doing so. And the program actually makes a lot sense.These are divers trained to operate in the most punishing underwater conditions imaginable, and conservation work demands exactly that caliber of skill. For the veterans themselves, the missions provide something just as valuable: purpose, camaraderie, and a new way to serve.

Luminox has had a front-row seat since 2022, when it joined FORCE BLUE for a day of diving, science, and coral planting in Key Biscayne. Two years later, the brand was back in the water for FORCE BLUE’s Tour of Duty Key West mission, a five-day deployment conducted in collaboration with NOAA that surveyed sea turtle populations inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

The team captured, measured, and tagged 35 turtles in total, 22 loggerheads and 13 greens, returning healthy animals to the sea and transporting sick ones to a local animal hospital for treatment.

The partnership extends beyond the dive boat, too. Luminox also takes part in FORCE BLUE’s annual Ocean Conservation School, a week of diving and continued service built around military families and the next generation of ocean stewards.

Luminox has been backing FORCE BLUE’s missions with ad hoc donations since 2022, but it wasn’t until 2025 that the two made the partnership official, anchored by an annual donation commitment to support the organization’s work protecting marine ecosystems. And now, in 2026, they’ve solidified that union with a watch. It’s an alliance that makes perfect sense on paper. The three pillars of Luminox’s identity, military, diving, and sustainability, are the exact same values that drive FORCE BLUE forward.

“Our brands are built from the same DNA,” says FORCE BLUE founder Jim Ritterhoff. “Performance means nothing if you don’t perform. Our mission is to get veterans together to go out and perform marine conservation and help the planet.”

And all of this brings us to the watch itself. Say hello to the new FORCE BLUE Pacific Diver (XS.3125.FB), which is now the official watch of the organization. Engineered with direct input from FORCE BLUE’s retired Navy SEALs and Special Operations divers, every detail answers a field-tested requirement.

The 44mm 316L stainless steel case brings superior corrosion resistance, joined by a screw-down protected crown, a screw-in caseback engraved with the FORCE BLUE emblem, and a lightweight CARBONOX™ unidirectional bezel. An AR-coated sapphire crystal keeps things legible, while the expandable rubber strap and included extender fit easily over a wetsuit.

The dial is where the collaboration shines brightest, and we mean that literally. Blue and yellow Luminox Light Technology tubes are color-mapped to ensure instant readability in no-light environments. There’s yellow marking the 12 o’clock position and both the hour and minute hands, while ice blue handles the remaining markers and second hand. Encircling it all is FORCE BLUE’s signature rope motif, rendered in Super-LumiNova® with gold accents drawn from the organization’s emblem.

Priced at $795, the FORCE BLUE Pacific Diver is available now from Luminox’s website.