Glowing tritium on vintage GMT's?

[donq]

Wasn't there a GMT service dial with luminova that was marked as tritium?

I seem to recall reading about that..

[roh123]

Mid 60’s lume glow. I’d be more worried if it didn’t.

Originally Posted by donq

Wasn't there a GMT service dial with luminova that was marked as tritium?

I seem to recall reading about that..

Marking at 6 oc mostly shows the standard at that time. So yes, some lumi dials can have tritium markings. Same as non-lume dials also could have a tritium marking.

[1675-David]

Got a 5513 from 1967 that still glows a bit, a 1675 from 1971 that is stone dead and a 1680 from the same year that if you wake up in the middle of the night in a pitch black room you can still make out the plots...

[linesiders]

Originally Posted by Throttle

I have the following which i do not believe have been relumed having inspected under loupe very carefully many times.

MF 5513 from 1967 greenish patina
Mk1 1675 from 1967 greenish patina
Mk4 7928 from 1967 pumpkin patina

All 3 glow when charged with a strong source of light.
All 3 also fade very quickly losing most of the glow within a minute or two the most.

So either it’s factory legit or people just simply like to relume Rolex/Tudors particularly from 1967.

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My 61 7928 PCG glows when excited by UV as did my 67 7928 as does my 68 7016, and my 67 Seamaster 300 - they all glow strong and fade to uselessness in under a couple minutes. My 68 Snowflake, faintly increases with UV light but not as much. One buddy's 61 PCG does not glow and another one's will glow.

There are numerous Rolex / Omega / Tudor models that all glow and fade fast - not usable off course.

Seeing how some of these dials age in a similar fashion (the Grunge dials for example) across brands, I suspect they had the same dial manufactures or at least contracted same Lume formulations. None of that was in house then (Rolex did not have a reactor to extract Tritium as a byproduct of a nuclear reaction for example).

So while the Tritium has faded away to < measurable levels in most cases, the compounds they reacted with sometimes STILL react to UV/Sunlight.

Originally Posted by roh123

Mid 60’s lume glow. I’d be more worried if it didn’t.



Marking at 6 oc mostly shows the standard at that time. So yes, some lumi dials can have tritium markings. Same as non-lume dials also could have a tritium marking.

[springer]

Most 1960s don't normally glow as they did when new, some might glow very little or others might glow with a little help.

Below is a 1967 GMT "greenie" as I call them, when the tritium glowed green with a UV or "blue" light.

[roh123]

Originally Posted by springer

Most 1960s don't normally glow as they did when new, some might glow very little or others might glow with a little help.

Below is a 1967 GMT "greenie" as I call them, when the tritium glowed green with a UV or "blue" light.

Basically all gilt dials from 1963 to 1966/67 glow like that. Early matte dials as well as they probably had the same lume compbound as gilts. If they don’t glow in that fashion you should be worried. :)

Dials before 1963 also normally react to UV but depending on type they do not always glow strong. Most react to UV and when radium they don’t need to be charged in order to have a basically constant glow. Much more faint of course but radium kind of never dies if you are in a pitch black room.

[Lonestar19]

Gentlemen, sorry to revive an old thread, thanks for your understanding.
(well, not that old in the end, there was some activity in July, makes me feel better :) )

What are your thoughts about an early 70's (MkII) 1675 that has zero glowing whatsoever under UV light? I mean, not just "not glowing after excitation", but that doesn't show any reaction whatsover WHILE it's being exposed to UV's? Not even the tiniest of "sparklets" as we often see... The seller tells me it's normal for those 70's dials that use post-zync-sulphate compounds, as opposed to the early trit' dials that still often show the sparklets. Not saying it isn't just the case, just trying to learn.

Thank you for bearing with all my questions - as you've probably understood for a few months now, I'm hunting carefully, as it seems to be a anything-but-safe world out there... Your kind guidance is much appreciated.

Best,
Paul

[rolstaff]

No worries. Its the way, it has to be....

[Lonestar19]

thanks... so no sparklets. Man, the information sources on the intrawebz are a tough one to crack, eh...

Thank you!
Paul

[J!m]

Not a GMT but my 1978 9411 still glows VERY faintly in the deep dark. It is barely perceptible but it does.

[swish77]

Originally Posted by Lonestar19

Gentlemen, sorry to revive an old thread, thanks for your understanding.
(well, not that old in the end, there was some activity in July, makes me feel better :) )

What are your thoughts about an early 70's (MkII) 1675 that has zero glowing whatsoever under UV light? I mean, not just "not glowing after excitation", but that doesn't show any reaction whatsover WHILE it's being exposed to UV's? Not even the tiniest of "sparklets" as we often see... The seller tells me it's normal for those 70's dials that use post-zync-sulphate compounds, as opposed to the early trit' dials that still often show the sparklets. Not saying it isn't just the case, just trying to learn.

Thank you for bearing with all my questions - as you've probably understood for a few months now, I'm hunting carefully, as it seems to be a anything-but-safe world out there... Your kind guidance is much appreciated.

Best,
Paul

The word "glow" under UV can mean different things to different people, but here's my 3.7 mil 5512 under UV. I wouldn't say it glows, but the UV causes the tritium to turn quite bright white, and there are no so-called "sparklets." When I turn off the UV, there is zero lingering glow. The tritium is dead. Does your GMT look similar to this?

[schaumburgla]

Originally Posted by greekbum

I have had several 1966 Matte Dialed GMT's in the past that still glowed and the same goes for the submariners of the same batch. They will glow for a long time when charged next to a light. The markers have like a very light lime green tone to them. Many have mistaken this batch as relumed in the past. Here is a Submariner I had a while back that is from this batch.

I own 2 5513's from 60's that still glow when exposed & had a Mk1 1675 yrs ago that reacted the same way to light. I know my watches were never re-lumed & all original.

[Dr.Smellody]

My MMF 5513 from '67 and small arrow matte 1675 from '67 both still glowed faintly. Brightly when excited by a LED flashlight.

[1675-David]

1967 mf 5513

glows brightly for about 30 seconds after being out in the bright sunlight