Original Sub Loom/Indices Color?

[258Pearl]

When I come across an older Submariner, the looms/indices are off white/beige.

My question is....were these looms originally bright white and they turned beige "tropical" over time? or where they originally off white?


Thanks!

[Rufoad]

I believe, over time; sure someone will get you a clear answer.

[258Pearl]

Sorry, it's *LUME, not LOOM

[mijaved]

Yes these were originally white but over time aged well and turned into off white. In some cases this patina increases the value of the watch/
Rolex.

[258Pearl]

I also read that the black dials had a special chemical for UV protection but it caused the opposite, and caused the dials to turn brown.

I believe the "Tropical" look applies to both the darkening of the white lumes as well as the black dials turning brown.

... hence the allure for the collectors.

[romany275]

Perfect example of this posted right now on the vintage side of the forum - check it out.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by 258Pearl

When I come across an older Submariner, the looms/indices are off white/beige.

My question is....were these looms originally bright white and they turned beige "tropical" over time? or where they originally off white?


Thanks!

Up till 1960 Rolex used the word SWISS then dials were Radioactive Radium now these dials were more of a cream white when new with various shades of patination over the years of age. From around early 1960 on Rolex used T.Swiss.T less than 277 MBq (7.5mCi) and Swiss <T25 less than 925 MBq (25mCi)on there dials depending on how much Tritium radioactivity they had, again various shades of patination. Now some of these Tritium types of dial show more patination then others, and many are artificially aged to increase the value. From 1998 Swiss only dials were then used with Luminova from 1998 to 2000, then after 2000 back to Swiss Made with Superluminovra or a few years later the new blue Chromalight its very very doubtful if any of the modern day lume will show any patination over the years

[Dirt]

Hard to say as we are now totally reliant on our best recollections from back in the day if you are referring to Tritium lume.

All I can say is my best recollections are it was White for all intents and purposes. Over time the Tritium aged to turn slightly off white(almost cream) ranging through to a coffee colour depending on the type of life it had.
I still have a spare Tritium dial and hand set around here somewhere that had turned a very light cream colour within a few short years from new.
The luminova derivatives which followed Tritium lume are rather stark white in comparison and don't seem to change with age.

Another factor is the composition.
The Luminova types have a sort of three dimensional crystalline appearance that resembles a field of snow when viewed with some magnification. I think this also contributes to their stark white look, where as Tritium was more like a typical paint appearance and a little flat in comparison there not so stark. Paint will yellow with the passage of time, even ceiling paint that's not necessarily exposed to direct sunlight
It's easier to see when both lumes are side by side for comparison.

Hope this helps

[WalterW]

Avoid vintage Rolex at all costs. It’s a dark deep rabbit hole that will pull you in and you’ll never be able to escape. That being said vintage sports Rolex is my first love and the darker the lume the better for many vintage collectors. Some people love a good pumpkin lume. For me it’s a bit overkill

[258Pearl]

@Dirt Wow! Thank you for the detailed reply. Very helpful.

Maybe we'll never know since we don't have Marty McFly's time machine to take us back to 1955.

As @Padi56 said, since 1998, the lumes are bright white and stay bright white through the years.

As for 1953 to 1997, we can only speculate if the lumes were originally bright white or slightly off white. But I think we can all agree, they turn darker in time.

Thank you all so much. What a great community!