# Traser H3 P6500: My impressions



## coredump00 (Mar 21, 2008)

I thought I'd give a little bit back to the community after beeing a lurker for some time. So here goes my hands-on report of my shiny new Traser P6500. Comments, suggestions and critics welcome.
*
The Motivation:

*I was getting sick of having to remove my trusty Casio PRW-1300T before taking a shower or doing anything that might scratch the titanium bracelet.

I even had to buy a cheap $10 watch for work since the Casio scratches way to easily for my liking (I do EE maintenance work btw)

So one day I decided that I needed a daily beater which is replaceable due to its relatively low price but robust enough to ward off continued abuse from bumping into machinery, coolant fluid, oil and all the other stuff you find when working in the metal industry.

*Background*:

After reading up on the latest Casio news at watchuseek, I somehow managed to stumble over the (to my eyes) very interesting looking "Stocker & Yale Sandy P650". The high-prised Tritium (aka H3) illumination caught my interest, as well as the military spec to which the watch adhered. Unfortunately the watch is a rather rare collectors-item these days. A little bit of digging , however, revealed at least two exact clones of the mil-spec P650 which are still produced and sold today:


The Traser H3 P6500
And the Luminox 3001 "Navy SEAL"
After much reading here and elsewhere, I decided to go with the Traser for the following reasons:


Only the Traser offers the authentic "sterile" dial from the original S & Y P650.
A few users on this forum mentioned QC and/or QA problems with the cheaper Luminox watches.

*First Impressions:*

The P6500 ships in a very nice black box with "MIL-W-46374F" and MILITARY WATCH written all over it. The box is definitely a keeper.

My watch came with a Nato strap but is also available with rubber and diver straps.

*The Nato Strap:

*The Nato strap leaves a *lot* to be desired. It is made from some sort of cheap-feeling plastic and is very thin. Interestingly enough it is quite comfortable to wear once you get over its appearances.

Fortunately I knew about the less-than-stellar strap beforehand (thanks to you guys!) and ordered a couple Maratac Nato and Zulu straps even before I got the watch.

*The Watch:

*Well, saying that the watch "looks cheap" *really* quite doesn't fit the bill. It easily passes as a $20 children's toy from the way the plastic case looks and feels. I'm absolutely serious here. Only the solid unidirectional bezel movement betrays the actual quality of the inner workings. As you may recall, this watch adheres to a military spec which requires it to be - beside other things - anti-magnetic so the plastic-only design wasn't really a suprise.

Well, the good thing about plastic is that it keep the weight of the watch down. The P6500 in combination with the Nato strap is so light, you barely register that the watch is there!

*The Illumination:
*
Now here came a big disappointment. By reading all the comments here about the H3 technology, I really expected it to be pretty bright.

Well, it isn't.

*Far* from it actually. The glow on the minute and hour hand is bright enough but the 13 other tiny tritium vials are rather dim. I'd estimate the hands to be at least 5 or 6 times as bright as the 13 other vials.

The watch can indeed be read in total darkness but claiming you could "illuminate a radio dial" via H3 is really a loooong stretch.

*My Opinion:*

Pros:


Inexpensive
Second timezone (or a 20-minute timer) via bezel
Acceptable illumination without the need to recharge in light
Scratch-resistant mineral glass
Very light casing (you don't feel *any* weight on your wrist!)
The crown is well protected
Cons:


Very cheap looking casing
Very cheap Nato strap
*Conclusion:*

If you are into military-style watches and need a new daily beater, this clock is a good (but not perfect) choice. It is cheap enough that you won't shed any tears if you scratch or even break it. Just be sure to replace that Nato strap as soon as you can. The Maratac straps appear to be quite good and are cheap to replace if you ruin one. Not having to use any tools to replace the Nato strap is IMO a big plus over the rubber and diver bands, keep that in mind when ordering your watch.


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## TimeOnTarget (Feb 11, 2006)

I seem to remember some criticism regarding the strength of the Traser vials in the past. You also have to keep in mind that if you buy an older NOS watch from say 10 years ago, that the trit gas will be degraded to a degree. I know this because I have an older Navy Seal and a new navigator type that I swapped seconds hands with as the new watch second hand did not have a trit vial. You can clearly see a difference.

Trit gas vials do not glow as brightly as Super Luminova intially, but as you eyes adjust you should be able to clearly read trit gas time all night long. Luminova fades with time and the best I have ever seen is only good for about 7 hours or so.

I have to say that my Seiko Spring Drive 600m and Kinetic Flightmaster had the best non-trit lume of any watches I have ever seen.

My Wiegand Italian diver glows all night also.


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## ecalzo (Oct 18, 2006)

TimeOnTarget said:


> I seem to remember some criticism regarding the strength of the Traser vials in the past. You also have to keep in mind that if you buy an older NOS watch from say 10 years ago, that the trit gas will be degraded to a degree. I know this because I have an older Navy Seal and a new navigator type that I swapped seconds hands with as the new watch second hand did not have a trit vial. You can clearly see a difference.
> 
> Trit gas vials do not glow as brightly as Super Luminova intially, but as you eyes adjust you should be able to clearly read trit gas time all night long. Luminova fades with time and the best I have ever seen is only good for about 7 hours or so.
> 
> ...


i have to agree for that thoughts..


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## coredump00 (Mar 21, 2008)

TimeOnTarget said:


> I seem to remember some criticism regarding the strength of the Traser vials in the past. You also have to keep in mind that if you buy an older NOS watch from say 10 years ago, that the trit gas will be degraded to a degree. I know this because I have an older Navy Seal and a new navigator type that I swapped seconds hands with as the new watch second hand did not have a trit vial. You can clearly see a difference.


The watch was factory new from a local dealer. Sadly the P6500 no longer sports its production date on the back so the exact build-time is unknown.


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## Crusader (Apr 30, 2005)

One of my 6500s had a marked difference in intensity between the dial vials (built into the case) and the hands & bezel vials. As the battery is dead now, it's Frankenfodder for another one of these: https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=152848

Case material (steel or titanium) will be decided once I have done a little bit more research into magnetism in aircraft. ;-)


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## mattchrono (Mar 13, 2008)

hi

I've wandered over here from the G Shock forum as I have just received my p6500 type 6. I'm impressed, just need to get used to the light weight. The stock nato is a bit flimsy but I have a zulu two ring which is much better.

I initially thought the lume was dull but its perfect for night use. I think the long exposure shots make it look much brighter than it really is.

The second hand does not quite match the markers which I hear is common with these models.

It feels like it will take a beating and I'll be wearing it as a beater.

Regards

Matt


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## stockae92 (Feb 10, 2006)

I have a Traser P6506 with the Titanium case and SS screwdown caseback. I am a huge fan of the styling of the watch. I have the sterile dial too and I think its has a more "authentic" mil style.

i have mine on titanium bracelet, which is also very comfortable and looks great

To me, I think the weak point of the tritium tube, besides the 1/2 life of tritium, is the transition from bright to dim room, when its just dark enough not to be able to see the dial clearly, but not dark enough for the tritium to kick in.


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## str8flexed (Mar 25, 2008)

I have a used P6500...the lume is surprisingly bright, compared to my Marathon TSAR/GSAR. About on par I would say. Also, the thing I love is that the second hand matches up EXACTLY with the ticks, especially since hte markers are elevated up to the level of the second hand. I also love it's stealthy black look, and rather like the plastic because it's so light. I only wish it had a sapphire crystal instead of mineral, but will get that replaced whenever there are some more scratches on there. I agree that the stock Nato is terrible, not to mention too short, but I put it on a 2-ring Maratac Zulu and the two are a match made in heaven. I got it for a decent price $100 (used) and at this price it's a ridiculously good beater that looks great imo.


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## igneous (Nov 22, 2008)

stockae92 said:


> I have a Traser P6506 with the Titanium case and SS screwdown caseback. I am a huge fan of the styling of the watch. I have the sterile dial too and I think its has a more "authentic" mil style.
> 
> i have mine on titanium bracelet, which is also very comfortable and looks great
> 
> To me, I think the weak point of the tritium tube, besides the 1/2 life of tritium, is the transition from bright to dim room, when its just dark enough not to be able to see the dial clearly, but not dark enough for the tritium to kick in.


I have to agree 100%. My P6506 came in yesterday, and I must say that I love the watch already. It looks great, feels great, and the movement is off by only 15 seconds in 24 hours (not sure if that's good or bad). The only downside is the relatively low brightness of those tritium tubes. While clearly visible in complete absence of light, it's nearly impossible to see anything in _dark_ conditions with a bit of light.

I have to admit that I've never used watches with analogue dials before, and I'm rather impressed with how everything is laid out on that Traser's dial. If the watch holds up against the rigors that I usually put my watches through, I'll stick with Traser for the time being.


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## Crusader (Apr 30, 2005)

15 seconds in 24 hours is way out of bounds ... the going rate is +/- 15 seconds PER MONTH.


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## stockae92 (Feb 10, 2006)

Crusader said:


> 15 seconds in 24 hours is way out of bounds ... the going rate is +/- 15 seconds PER MONTH.


ditto

15 sec / day is very high for a quartz

you should do the timing over a couple day and see if the timing is consistant


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## coredump00 (Mar 21, 2008)

igneous said:


> I have to agree 100%. My P6506 came in yesterday, and I must say that I love the watch already. It looks great, feels great, and the movement is off by only 15 seconds in 24 hours (not sure if that's good or bad).


My P6500 is off by about 0.5s after 4 days (synced against an atomic digital watch).


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## coredump00 (Mar 21, 2008)

mattchrono said:


> hi
> 
> I've wandered over here from the G Shock forum as I have just received my p6500 type 6. I'm impressed, just need to get used to the light weight.


The weight is indeed impressive. I dont "feel" the watch at all. :-!



> The stock nato is a bit flimsy but I have a zulu two ring which is much better.


I've odered a nato G10 and 2+4-ring Zulus to decide which suits me best. They should arrive this week b-)



> I initially thought the lume was dull but its perfect for night use. I think the long exposure shots make it look much brighter than it really is.
> 
> The second hand does not quite match the markers which I hear is common with these models.
> 
> It feels like it will take a beating and I'll be wearing it as a beater.


Ditto on all points.


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## Deigs (Dec 21, 2008)

I bought the Traser P6500 and have been living with it for about 4-5 months now. The tritium vials were the selling point for me, and the NATO watch bands are good for fire contact drills (apparently) so the watch can still be attached to your wrist if one of the watch pin goes. It was the cheapest Traser model available and I bought it new on eBay for a very good price. I'm joining the Army in Feb 09', so I thought I needed a watch that I could read a 4am in the bush, and would survive the beating, mud, water, pain, and obstacle courses that we'll be put through for the next 6 years. 

It comes in a neat little box, which I have kept. The NATO watch band that came supplied wasn't what I was expecting, it seemed flimsy and thin and the size of my wrist just didn't seem to match the holes in the strap. I bought a 4 ring Rhino NATO strap from the UK (http://www.timefactors.com/rhino.htm) as a replacement and now it sits in the middle of the wrist instead of too high and off to the side. The only problem is that it takes ages to get the watch off as the longer Rhino nylon strap is quite thick and considerably chunkier then the Traser NATO strap. 

The watch itself does look cheap. The plastic case and bezel doesn't really suggest how hardcore and durable this watch is meant to be. The seconds hand doesn't match the markings on the watch face and it really should have a tritium vial on it as well. But it keeps excellent time, and is only about 3-4 secs out over a month. So it's quite accurate.

I was initially annoyed at the brightness levels of the tritium vials. It didn't compare to any picture on the internet and I thought I might have had an older 'duller' version as the vials might have aged, but I couldn't tell because the date serial numbers on the back of my watch wasn't there. After reading around, my Traser is from a new batch/edition that now doesn't include the month and year that it was made. 

But after 4-5 months of living with my Traser P6500 Navigator I have to say that I absolutely love it. It might not be as bright as I thought but I can still read it hours after any light source is gone. And I suppose I don't want it to be too bright if I am in a night-time 'tactical' situation (not that I'm likely to be as an Australian Army Avionics Technician), just bright enough to read. It's incredibly light but the new Rhino strap has added to the weight a little. The seconds hand might not match up exactly, but it still keeps excellent time. 

I'm thinking of taking it to a watchsmith to see if he can fix the slightly off second hand for me. 

Good review coredump00.


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## Crusader (Apr 30, 2005)

THank you very much for the review, Deigs, and welcome to the forum! :-!


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## ecalzo (Oct 18, 2006)

Crusader said:


> THank you very much for the review, Deigs, and welcome to the forum! :-!


Thanks from me too..
the situation that you described it's the real situation of what the P6500 it is made for...
If you want a better watch you will have to go for a P6502 at least...
but as a beater the P6500 it's wonderful...
in my opinion..;-);-);-)


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## JML (Dec 21, 2006)

I had the Luminox version, with the plastic case, for 12 years, and now I have the Traser P6506 Ti version.

The misalignment of second hands with the second markings is endemic to many, many watches, and a quartz watch, because of the stepping action of the motor, means the misalignment is almost always visible and annoying (a mechanical's second hand moves in smaller increments, seemingly smooth, so the misalignment is masked and more easily adjusted by setting the watch and taking up backlash with the crown). If you have a second hand on a quartz watch that matches all the way around, you're incredibly lucky. 

You can always ask a kind and understanding dealer to pick the best, but it's still likely that you won't get close-to-perfect alignment of the hand and markings on all points of the dial, because of off-center registration when the maker printed the dial and/or an off-center location of the center hole. It drives me nuts. 

There's always some slop in the movement, too, and so you'll often see the amount of misalignment vary as the hand rotates along the dial (gravity also contributes to this, so sometimes you can use the orientation of the watch when you set it to compensate for some of the problem).

The plastic case has one major weakness if you're into swapping straps: the holes for the spring bars will become enlarged and weaker over time, with every change of the spring bars. If you let the spring bars "spring" back into place when mounting a strap, you'll also contribute to the wearing away of the edges of the holes. 

The Ti case is pretty nice and very light (far, far lighter than the stainless steel case models); it also comes with a sapphire crystal (anti-reflective on the inside only), a carbon-fiber reinforced bezel, a screw-down crown, and a screw-in back. My personal opinion is that the nicest strap for the Ti case is the Italian rubber version that was offered by Luminox for a while, and apparently made by Benetto Cinturini (a Florida retailer that carries Traser and Luminox has a website showing the same strap, which Luminox no longer offers, as their own - it is identical to the Luminox version). The Traser version of the rubber strap is stiffer (not as flexible) and not as soft (and it doesn't smell like vanilla). I have used a bead-blasted single-fold deployant on mine, which matched the case perfectly and fits the rubber strap as if made for it -- you can get them from a German watch strap site. The RHD deployant will also fit, and you can get it bead-blasted by IWW. Or you can get a 22mm bead-blasted buckle from a German strap website; that's how I wear it now. If you want a NATO with bead-blasted stainless fittings, they're available from a website located in England. 

The half-life of the Tritium in the gas tubes is 10 years. You will notice a drop-off of light in that time, if you compare it to a brand-new watch. And although the initial glow of Tritium vials is less than freshly-charged Luminova, the tubes' glow is constant, unlike the glow of Luminova. In real darkness, it's reliable and easily seen. Luminova also deteriorates over the years, of course!


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## tribe125 (Mar 7, 2006)

I've had the basic version for about a week, and found it to have more of a quality feel than I was expecting. It may be light but it's certainly not a lightweight in any other sense.

I considered getting a metal-cased version, but 'basic' seems appropriate for the watch. It's a Land Rover rather than a Range Rover. If it broke (which I don't expect it to) I'd just get another. Like G-Shocks, they are cheap enough to be regarded as semi-disposable, albeit over a decade or two.

The second-hand on mine hits the markers better than any I have ever seen, but I did get the supplier (Neil at Chronomaster) to select the best from those he had in stock.


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## Deigs (Dec 21, 2008)

Just a slight follow up. Been measuring/comparing with an accurate telephone time keeping service here in Oz. Over the last 3 months it's only 2 secs fast. That's not bad for a cheap Traser daily beater from eBay. 

The more I wear this thing, the more I love it. Totally recommended.


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## Jim3 (Jun 24, 2008)

No pics?


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## ecalzo (Oct 18, 2006)

Jim3 said:


> No pics?


great review......
we need pics mate..........
:-!:-!


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## Deigs (Dec 21, 2008)

This is my Traser P6500 with a James Bond Nato strap that is much more comfortable for me then the stock one that comes with it (not that there is anything wrong with it, I just have an odd sized wrist) and later Rhino band (too thick).

I don't have a small distance lens. But that's it.



With an Aussie Kavler helmet. And box.


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## ecalzo (Oct 18, 2006)

well done.......:-!


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## Deigs (Dec 21, 2008)

I think this Macro's setting might be better.



My attempt at a lume shot at 11am


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## Deigs (Dec 21, 2008)

Sorry to necro an old post, but I gotta say this watch rocks. Had it for 3 yrs as a daily beater, gone diving, gone bush, and bashed the crap out of it and it hasn't missed a beat. It has stayed about 4+ seconds a month for the last 3 years. I just had the battery changed and while I was there my Watch Doctor lined up the second hand so it hacks perfectly with the markers. 

My watch box has G-Shocks, some seiko's, some Nixon's, a citizen eco-drive but all I really wear is this little beauty. I lost it for a week a few months back and was so annoyed with myself but found it once again. Happy Days.


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## Mooseman (Jan 27, 2012)

I have always liked these except for the 30m Water Resistance. The old 200m P6506 with 12/24 hour markings was the watch to have but they are not available anymore. I was tempted by the P6600 but I am not sure what to think of it although I saw one on a colleagues wrist a few weeks ago and it looked better in the flesh than in the factory images


Jim3 said:


> No pics?


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## MikoDel (Dec 10, 2010)

igneous said:


> The only downside is the relatively low brightness of those tritium tubes. While clearly visible in complete absence of light, it's nearly impossible to see anything in _dark_ conditions with a bit of light.


The comments on this thread have me stumped, I have to say. I was so impressed by the STRONG green illumination of my Traser P6506 (purchased new from GEMS4ME/ on Amazon) that after gifting it to my dad, I recently purchased a GSAR because it has the same "natural" green H3 tubes and I missed the strong glow. And lo and behold, the GSAR in green is BRITE like the Traser, EASILY seen in any dim light condition. No WAY does it have to be completely dark for this to shine. In any dim light the green tubes glow and are easily read. Not so with the blue trit on my Tawatec auto. The blue trit tubes have a noticeably fainter glow, and the Taw requires real darkness to be regarded as "brite", while the green H3 of the Traser and the GSAR look brite as soon as the conditions get dim. I'm sorry you are not having the same experience. I was looking at high-end (well, for me) Ball watches costing 2-4 thousand, but many of them have blue illumination and if I am ever going to go for that kind of cash I certainly want most of the tubes to be green. *Green H3 tubes glow brightest.* I have other trit watches with blue, orange and yellow tubes. I am certain of this.


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## spydie fanatic (Dec 24, 2009)

I bought 2 trasers (both P6500) from an authorized dealer, which exhibited bright minute/hour hands and dim hour markers.

The minute and hour hands were wayyy brighter than the markers around the hours; I was able to warranty them. All of my other trasers I owned were not like this, so it was a QA issue. The p6504 and p6508 both had tritium tubes which were all the same brightness. My TSARs, navigators, general purpose watches have all had the same brightness on all tubes. 

The QA could have been the florescent paint used on the tubes or traser could have pushed out old tubes...its hard to say. All I know is I got different ones and I was happy.


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## jiminyvr (Feb 16, 2012)

Hey all..a question please...

I recently purchased a mil-w-46374f P6500 flavour i believe watch

I want to know....is the crown supposed to be a screw down style or not? when i push the crown all the way in after adusting date/time....the crown just spins when I turn it. The crown does not "screw down".

Is this normal? The watch is not stainless steel. It's a polymer version.

thank you


Ref. Model P6500.405.33.01*
P6500.400.33.01
Model name Navigator
Movement Ronda Quartz
Waterresistance 30 m / 99 ft
Case Polyester/ 30% glass fiber
Bezel Polyamide
Size 45 mm
Case back Screw on
Crystal Mineral
Crown Stainless steel 
with double O-ring
Indicators 3-hands (h/m/s)
StrapNato
* without date
[/FONT]




traser® more light watches | Archive


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## Crusader (Apr 30, 2005)

The crown is push-in, not screw-down.


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## jiminyvr (Feb 16, 2012)

Crusader said:


> The crown is push-in, not screw-down.


thank you, it's my first experience with one.


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