Err Buddies...recently in the previous posting...
Orchi asked whether Panerai had indeed got the Patent for their Luminor watches...
using Tritium luminous paint on the Luminor Dial...in 1951...?
As Orchi does not own any vintage Panerai watches...
n with zero clues whatsoever about the Vintage Panerai watches...
there seems to be no answer found yet...
until Orchi stumbled upon this article published in Panerai.com website...
regarding the timeline of Panerai history...
http://www.panerai.com/s_storia.xpd?mode=r...em=53&anno=1860
1949:
The patent is granted for Luminor, the luminous substance based on tritium,
which replaced the previous Radiomir mix developed between 1910 and 1915.
The Radiomir and Luminor watches take their names from these two luminous substances.
Now after having read the above article published in Panerai.com...
Orchi is deeply puzzled...
n dying to know from where...
or how Panerai could have obtained...
the Tritium luminous paint...since as early as the year 1949...
for the Patented Panerai Luminor watches...?
Subsequently...Orchi reads from...err...the Internet...
that although the discovery of Tritium or 3H was credited to Lord Rutherford...
n his team of renown scientists...back in early 1930s...
the discovery of Tritium 3H was accomplished in the research laboratories...
at the UK Cambridge Laboratory as well as University of California...Berkeley USA.
It was only around in the Middle of 1950s...
that the Tritium 3H was obtained in substantial quantities...
from nuclear reactors of the USA...
or its subsequent disarmament of Hydrogen-Bombs...
or from US Nuclear warheads program...
In June 30 1960...
The US Atomic Energy Commission or AEC was reported to have approved...
Tritium be used for commercial usage making luminous paint for watch industry...
New York Times - Jul 1, 1960
WASHINGTON, June '30 (UPI)-The Atomic Energy Commission said today it planned to permit the use of radio-active tritium in luminous watches and clocks.