Is There an Easy Way to Tell??

[Jason71]

If your watch has Luminova or Tritium hands? I have a 3.3m 5513 ( 1971-72 ) that has hands that seem "VERY clean" for this era watch. At first, I thought that they were probably SL hands because they didn't seem to match the patina of the dial. I still think that they are replacement hands, but now I am wondering if possibly they were replaced in the 80s to 90s....... Is there an easy way to tell? Both the dial and the hands glow a little when exposed to light........with the hands DEFINITELY a bit brighter than the dial.......However, the hands don't seem nearly as bright as any of my modern sub or SeaDweller hands......

Any easy way to tell??

[Clay]

No......I would think if they glow brightly and have a green tint, then they would be Lumi hands.....?????
Do you have an easier question????

[renfield33]

i have similar concerns with my gmt II - even though it isn't really vintage "S" serial

[Jason71]

Originally Posted by Clay

No......I would think if they glow brightly and have a green tint, then they would be Lumi hands.....?????
Do you have an easier question????

Yes, are you ready to part with that beautiful 1665 yet??

[Clay]

Originally Posted by Jason71

Yes, are you ready to part with that beautiful 1665 yet??

You will be the first to know.....

[denzo]

Anything with T in such as Swiss - T< 25, T Swiss Made T etc ... has Tritium in .... Swiss Made etc... is Luminova

These two previous examples are tritiated dials

[Jason71]

Originally Posted by denzo

Anything with T in such as Swiss - T< 25, T Swiss Made T etc ... has Tritium in .... Swiss Made etc... is Luminova

These two previous examples are tritiated dials

Yes, I understand completely regarding the branding of the dial either being "swiss", "swiss made" or anything with "T < 25". However, sometimes it is difficult to tell if the dial is original and the hands are service replacement hands. IMHO, there are 5 different scenarios:

Dial/hands original
Dial/hands service replacement both tritium
Dial/hands service replacement both SL
Dial original, Hands service replacement SL
Dial original, Hands service replacement Tritium

I doubt that the hands would be original with a service replacement dial. I guess ultimately I still believe that the hands are SL service replacement and the dial is original.

If this is the case, I am trying to decide what to do.......any input would be appreciated.

Should I:

--Leave the watch "as is"
--Send it to Kent Parks for a Relume so that the hands/dial match (I realize this will lower value)
--Watch ebay and try to pick up a matching set of hands/dial, or try to find a supplier here in USA
--Send it to someone for replacement of hands/dial/bezel insert with modern service replacement Luminova


I just don't know what I should do. Ultimately, I really like the watch, and it keeps fantastic time. It just had a service from a Rolex certified watchmaker. Honestly, it keeps ~ +1sec/day.

For some reason I feel unsettled

Please someone give me some input??

[lhanddds]

I can tell you, I have a newer 1680 (78-79) and have absolutely no glow whatsoever. I would try to find original dial and hands from a reputable supplier. Changing to luminova or reluming, IMHO, seriously devalues the watch.

[Paracentesis]

Originally Posted by Jason71

If your watch has Luminova or Tritium hands? I have a 3.3m 5513 ( 1971-72 ) that has hands that seem "VERY clean" for this era watch. At first, I thought that they were probably SL hands because they didn't seem to match the patina of the dial. I still think that they are replacement hands, but now I am wondering if possibly they were replaced in the 80s to 90s....... Is there an easy way to tell? Both the dial and the hands glow a little when exposed to light.

I am not an expert, but my understanding is that Tritium from that long ago will have absolutely no glow at all by now. So I think you can say for certain that they are not Tritium. So they must be Luminova.

[denzo]

I have a Submariner from 1989-90 with Swiss - T<25 and I have no glow at all from dial or hands ... I had to get the bezel insert changed at recent service and it has a new pearl - the pearl glows slightly ... wish that RSC wold have kept original pearl

[GTS Dean]

I won't have a watch that I can't read the hands of at night. The hour markers on the dial? I'm a little bit more ambivalent about that. If you do a dial, I question the logic of not swapping hands to match.

I broke the crystal on my Daytona about 4 years ago, and one of the shards got between the hour hand and the dial and scratched it. RSC asked if I wanted new hands and dial - I said clock hands only - no subdial hands, and leave the dial alone. You can only see the blemish with a loupe. The hands glow nicely, but the tritium dial is almost gone. My 19018 has fresh hands and a totally dead dial.

I had my 17013 OQ serviced about a year after the Daytona. The hands were looking ratty, and the lume was practically non-existent. I wanted a blue dial instead of champagne, so I had the RSC swap everything out for new. That dude glows like crazy now.

My new Speedy rivals my II-C for lume, and has a larger dial to boot.

____________________________
TT OysterQuartz
SS/Black "U" Daytona
TT GMT II-C
DD OysterQuartz
Brietling Aero
Omega Speedmaster Pro

[Saxon007]

You could post a WTB here: http://www.network54.com/Forum/207673/

You should probably post a photo of your watch with a description of the lume on your dial to see if someone has a set that will be a close match.

If the hands barely glow they are probably old tritium service hands. They are very clean and its a great looking watch, I think I would probably just leave it that way.

[Clay]

Jason,

Please do not relume the dial.......

If it bothers you, then keep a look out for a nice set of matching tritium hands....