How to tell tritium hands from luminova?

[IBNR]

I'm fairly new here, and I have some questions that I hope aren't too silly:

Is there a sure-fire way to tell if the hands on a vintage Rolex Submariner are tritium or luminova, besides assuming they are original to the watch and going by production date?

Here's the long story of why I ask:

In 2000 I bought myself a nice vintage 16800 Sub from the Estate department of a very reputable jeweler (and Rolex AD) in San Francisco. The watch was all-original, so far as I knew and as I was told by the store's watchmaker. It even came with a correct box set and extra bracelet links. A little research on the serial number tells me it dates from 1982/1983, and it features the period-correct matte dial without the metal rings surrounding the hour markers. Since the dial is marked "SWISS - T<25" I know the watch is supposed to have tritium lume on the dial and hands. At the time of purchase, that lume was in exceptionally fine condition, completely even, very nearly pure white in color, and still *slightly* luminous in the dark. Overall a very good purchase and I've loved the watch ever since.

In 2006 I took it to the Rolex Service Center on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverley Hills for a cleaning and service. As the rep was checking in my watch, he noted that the hour and minute hands - which again I assume were original to the watch and therefore tritium - had a bit of hazing and early signs of corrosion on them, and he asked if I wanted them replaced with "new" hands. Being naive and not understanding at all the importance of all-original parts on vintage Rolex watches, I (stupidly) said "sure". I got the watch back several weeks later, and of course it looked brand-new. The new hands looked great, nice and white matching the still-pristine dial lume perfectly, and I was very happy.

Fast-forward these past 12 years or so, and the tritium lume on the dial (as well as the bezel pip) is aging into an absolutely beautiful ivory-cream color that I really like, even though it long past stopped glowing entirely. The lume on the hands, however, remains noticeably whiter in color, and will still glow a nice green fairly well if "charged" with a bright light and viewed in dim/dark conditions.

Given all this, can I safely assume that the RSC replaced my original tritium hands with then-new luminova versions in 2006? Or is that not a foregone conclusion?

If the replacement hands are in fact luminova, does that damage or destroy whatever collector's value the watch might otherwise have had?

And finally, is it possible to obtain a set of original tritium hands to restore the watch to something closer to original condition, and would that be worth doing?

Thank you!

Mike

[swish77]

Welcome!

Your story is a fairly common one, sadly. And yes, it certainly sounds as if you now have luminova hands on the watch. (Can you post a photo?) It definitely affects value, but it's not the end of the world. Thank goodness they didn't change the dial.

If you want to confirm beyond all doubt, shine a UV/blacklight on the dial/hands. The lumi will light up like a bright torch and glow for a while afterward. The tritium will have a different glow, if any at all, and will quickly die down. Even dead tritum will often have a bright white look to it under a blacklight.

The good news is that you can track down a set of original tritium hands on the secondary market, although it will be hard to match the patina and they can be pricey. Check here and over on VRF. They show up from time to time, or post a WTB. If you go the eBay route, be super careful and know what to look for. Lots of fakes there.

Good luck!

[stevedssd]

Hi if a Rolex Service Centre replaced your watches hands in 2006, it would have been with a Luminova set, as Tritium was only used up until 1997/8 or there abouts.

I appreciate with your posts count you can't post photo's but your description of the dial and insert pip suggest they are Tritium and the hands as described would be luminova. When you get to a high enough post count post some photos.

In terms of value, vintage preference is for originality and an original matte dial 16800 with luminova service hands will be worth less than one with original Tritium ones. How much is variable, as the overall condition of the watch, dial, insert, papers/full set all are factors that affect value.

I'm not sure of the cost of an original tritium hand set,its down to personal choice whether the replacement hands bother you enough to have then replaced with some originals..........I expect others will be able to help where I haven't

[stevedssd]

^ Great advice by Aaron above

[IBNR]

Thanks, guys. That's what I figured, but wanted to confirm. Definitely bothers me, but I haven't decided how much yet. I've seen a few sets of what look like genuine Rolex tritium hands suitable for a 16800, but the prices are astronomical and the patina is way off from my watch. I don't wear mine all that often so it doesn't see a lot of sunlight, and the lume is aging very, very slowly...35+ years on and it's still just a light ivory cream color (the pip is slightly darker for some reason). Most of the hand sets I'm seeing are many shades darker/browner and would look all kinds of wrong on my watch even were I willing to pay the prices asked.

[gt0279a]

You can get someone to relume your hands to match the dial color as well as have them not glow. I believe Jack at IWW or Rik at Timecare can do this.