The GWS pro diver from England is my personal favorite.

200m, sapphire, screw down everything (including lugs) for $300.

It's a private label model from MB microtec which makes all H3 tubes and luminox / traser stuff.

I also have had a tsar since 2007 and prefer the GWS.

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They have a website but it's faster to buy through their eBay store. Just search GWS pro diver. They have the normal and PVD model available

TSAR all the way then.

Built like tanks.

Swiss Rhonda quartz

Marathon GSAR can be had in automatic. (Something to think about since I live about 20 min from Kim Jong's EMP.)  

Traser Code Green is a good low end H3 watch, if you simply must have tritium in it.  https://www.longislandwatch.com/Traser_106105_Code_Green_p/106105.htm

Seiko lume is pretty good though. You can see it when the lights first go out when it's the brightest, and then well into the night. Tritium (unless you get the bigger vials) takes several seconds to see if you are plummeted from bright light into darkness until your eyes adjust.

I really like my Marathon GSAR.      As others have said, it is built like a tank.

I'm not a watch guy, I own only own one and I wear it daily.

No watch can compare to the brightness of a Ball watch (aside from momentary brightness like an Apple Watch).  You may get he same luminosity on a spec sheet, but in real life handling it will not be the same.  I've 3/4 assed looked without success, and I've asked around a lot.  Same result.  If that's important to you.  

Edit.  I did read you don't have the cash laying around for a Ball.  Just wanted to add my 1 cent.  

Almost all Ball watches are based off an ETA movement.  Look it up, but in short ETA movements are solid work movements for a lot of manufacturers.  A lot of those Ball ETA movements are COSC certified (not all).

I have a Ball Engineer II that I have had for 10 years.  At the last rebuild it has been loosing time.  I'll probably send it back or I may not.  

My previous watch was a Fireman that kept getting zapped by magnetic field, that I may or may not have known about.  

Ball replaced the Fireman with an Engineer, and I paid the difference.   That's customer service.   If your wife really has sent it back 3 times without resolution, ask for another watch.  

Now recently Ball has done shady stuff to me.  At the last rebuild I asked them what exactly was done to my watch.  Exactly what part failed and what parts were replaced.  They wouldn't tell me.  In fact they said they weren't going to tell me because I may post that information online.   That's not right.  They almost lost me as a customer at that point, but I have to remember they took care of me 10 years prior.

I've had the Marathon GSAR and liked it well enough. The only minor quibble I had was the dial is a bit busy. Too much stuff crammed n there.

I picked up an LL Bean tritium field watch for $80 a couple months back that I like a lot.  Screw down crown and case back.  I also picked up a kinda dim swiss army co. watch from the 90's at $8 that I also like, but it's small (34mm'ish).

I have a Marathon TSAR and TSAR (Medium) on the way to try out. I'll let ya know.

They are still on the way. I just posted that an hour ago.  

TSAR! Just do it. Got the TSAR 41mm and the TSAR (Medium) 36mm in today.  I have a 6.5" wrist.  The TSAR wins all the points.  The Medium is just way too small, and it's going back.  I've also been wearing a Seiko Turtle for a month, so my perception is probably a bit skewed.  This thing's a keeper!

Have a black/PVD GWS Pro Diver enroute from England.

why not get another Luminox? You liked them before. I just wore out the strap on a 3050 blackout (at least I think that's the name) and it's getting older but still glows like a champ. I wish I could make the bezel a little tougher to turn since it bumps easy now, but it has been hit by a 45ACP ricochet so I guess I can't ask much more than that.

I had a Luminox for about 15 yrs...loved it and sent it back a few times for rebuilds.  Finally, it needed too much work and the tritium lamps were starting to dim.
Saltzman's Watches in RI gave me a nice discount on a new one.  I went with a Luminox 3150 - it was like wearing an old pair of jeans.

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Keep an eye on Deep Blue watches.  They release small batches of tritium watches and often have sales.  They're dive watches and probably built as well or better than Marathon watches.  Also, they're usually all automatics, no quartz.  I picked mine up for less than the lowest end (quartz) Marathon.  They also use brighter tritium vials than Marathon (T100 vs T25).   It uses a Miyota automatic movement made by Citizen.  

I have a tracer P6600 auto and I love it. I have a luminox and I hit a wall and some of the lume markers came off the face. I work for the railroad ( it was a hard hit.). I bought this watch after to replace the luminox and I have not taken it off.  I really liked the auto marathons but couldn't find a deal so I picked up one of these. Keeps time, very bright, and looks good with a nato strap. I bought this watch and a Garmin tactx bravo at the same time. I sold the Garmin before even seeing it after getting this one 1st. My next watch will be a Citizen Satellite wave like this

Have had a Traser for the last 10 years. Will get another.