It’s not every day that a company wants to give back to a community as niche as ours and we want to support these opportunities whenever we can! What a great way to see them in action AND support our community. When Trevor Farrow, head of marketing for Lume Cube, reached out to ask if we would like to review the Lume Cube on the blog and help them with their upcoming Lighting Contest – the answer was a swift and enthusiastic: Yes! I know I’m not the only one who has been intrigued by these cute little lights. I knew that one light would work ok, but two to three lights would be better. But honestly I couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger on the light. So when Lume Cube first became available at my local camera store I was intrigued. It wasn’t very elegant, but it got the job done. I paired this up with a bounce card to maximize my portable lighting set-up. I had been searching for the holy grail of toy photography lighting and was once again thwarted. I’ve looked at and dismissed several other macro lighting options over the years: ring lights (the lighting tends to be too even), regular studio lights (too big), LED video panels (expensive and need additional filters) and other experimental lighting options via KickStarter (expensive and untested). I eventually settled on a small (cheap) LED adjustable video panel that I added a diffuser and filter to. I was disappointed I wasn’t able to get in on the ground floor. ![]() The Lume Cube first appeared on my radar, soon after their successful KickStarter closed. So we’re here to review the Lume Cube – a review with the toy photographer in mind. ![]() The only downside is that they are hard to find – at least the Android versions with skeleton dials, but that is the one you want! The example in this watch review was sold almost instantly upon being listed in the watch shop.If you’re a close observer of the toy photography community you’ve probably seen an increase in toy photographs tagged with #lumecube and wondered what all the fuss is about. If unique is your thing, this is your watch. Overall it is a fun timepiece that will be unlike anything else in your watchbox, and unlike anything else you’re bound to see out in the world. Minimal branding is located on the tiny sliver of dial that exists around the skeletonized view inside. The TY2809 is hand-windable and has hacking seconds. It is a true no date with one crown position for time-setting. Caliber Corner has all of the deets on this engine here, but the TL:DR is that the TY2809 (aka ST1601K3) has 21 jewels, beating at 21,600vph, with a power reserve of 36 hours (somewhat low by today’s standards). Powering the Bioluminescence is a made in China Seagull caliber TY2809 skeleton dial. This glowing backdrop is another feature that does not appear to be included in the design of the newer Aragon version. How did they do that?! It has a lumed sticker-like object on the inside of the caseback. You may have noticed that there is lume glowing through the skeleton dial from the inside. It’s a screw-down crown, assisting in the watch’s 200m/660ft water resistance rating. Lume, lume, lume, even the crown is lumed. If nobody else thinks it’s as cool as you do, at least your friends can find you in a crowd – just wave your wrist in the air like you just don’t care. To take full advantage of the glowiness, be sure to charge your Bioluminescence before heading out to a concert or party. ![]() Although, some might think it’s a bit cheesy to have an email address on the caseback… but how many other watch companies are confident enough to put a point of contact directly on their watches? Android is good about being informative on the back, without being overly cluttered. The caseback is simple with the reference number AD660 in the center. Get it on and off your wrist via the same sturdy locking double-push button clasp found on many Android/Aragon pieces. Luckily, the bracelet has a decent built quality with satin outer links and polished center links with 4 lume rectangle accents per link. The integrated bracelet means you won’t be swapping straps on this one. It’s a big and heavy piece, that’s for sure, but it’s an Android after all! The 316L stainless steel case is a large 50mm diameter with a thickness of 15.5mm. From the inside out, there is lume material applied in a way that makes for a cool look with the lights on or off. The star of the show here is lume, so let’s start there! The Android Bioluminescence is lumed in places a watch didn’t know it could be lumed. This classic piece was created before the name changed from Android to Aragon and features minimal branding. Sure, you can get a plain Jane Bioluminescence from the current Aragon catalog, but good luck finding the rare skeletonized version seen here.
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