Lume off means further deterioration on this 60s 5512

[Rolessor82]

Hi,

When original lume starts to fall off, does it mean it will continue to do so? Or could it have stopped?

I don't want to relume, prefer to leave it as it is.

Picture attached.

[Tikandtokalot]

I think I'd be more worried where it went.
Might be time to give it a service.
My tuppence worth.

[Tools]

When it starts to deteriorate on the hands, it will continue to do so.

There is nothing behind the lume to give it support. The missing chunks that you show leave bare edges that will continue to break off, and eventually, they end up in the movement.

Do your self a favor and have the lume stabilized and filled. There is no shame in it, and it will last decades.

You do not really want a "re-lume" as you likely envision it.

Check with a shop like LA Watchworks and see what it entails.

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by Rolessor82

Hi,

When original lume starts to fall off, does it mean it will continue to do so? Or could it have stopped?

I don't want to relume, prefer to leave it as it is.

Picture attached.

Yes the lume will continue to fall off without an intervention. It can be stopped by supporting the tritium on the bottom of the hands. Rolex can fix the breaking lume, it is not visible if an expert is doing the job.

[Rolessor82]

Thanks guys. Only thought the only way out was to relume.

[Tricolore66]

I’d find a correct dial for that model, have the watch serviced and swap dials and keep the original as it is. As a previous post mentioned, that missing lume is probably in the movement and I’d be concerned about that.

[zapokee]

Originally Posted by Tricolore66

I’d find a correct dial for that model

Help us out... What issues do you see with this 5512 dial?

[Kingface66]

Originally Posted by Tricolore66

I’d find a correct dial for that model, have the watch serviced and swap dials and keep the original as it is. As a previous post mentioned, that missing lume is probably in the movement and I’d be concerned about that.

He's talking about the missing on lume on the hands. The dial looks great.

[1watch]

Dial is fine, no need to swap and not sure why that was recommended?

Agree with stabilizing the seconds hand and having minute filled in and stabilized. Good to have movement checked as well to ensure some of the missing tritium didn't end up there to cause later problems.

[zapokee]

Originally Posted by Kingface66

The dial looks great.

It sure does. But the poster recommends finding a "correct dial" and swapping out the current one. Confused by that.

I guess he means swapping it out and stashing the original dial to keep it safe. But that's like the classic analogy of having Houdini's magic wand and swapping out the tips and shaft to keep the originals safe.

[Tricolore66]

I only see the exact thing the OP created the thread for; the lume is falling off!

What I meant was that I would find another dial that I could restore, and replace his original dial and keep that in a safe place for future use if he ever wants to sell the watch. He could wear the watch with a restored dial without having to worry about the lume falling off and damaging the movement.

Originally Posted by zapokee

Help us out... What issues do you see with this 5512 dial?

[Kingface66]

Originally Posted by Tricolore66

I only see the exact thing the OP created the thread for; the lume is falling off!

What I meant was that I would find another dial that I could restore, and replace his original dial and keep that in a safe place for future use if he ever wants to sell the watch. He could wear the watch with a restored dial without having to worry about the lume falling off and damaging the movement.

But, the lume isn’t falling off the dial. At all. It’s the hands that are the issue. Why you would keep that gorgeous dial in a safe makes no sense.

[stmoore]

The gibberish in this thread is strong.
That dial is amazing, no change needed.
The missing chunks of lume aren’t in the movement- you’d see dust on the crystal first.
The hands can be
- sealed - literally with thinned superglue
- be filled and sealed
- relumed

Rolessore82 so you bought this watch from Jacek and you didn’t have a chat about the hands first but instead asked us? What did he say? He’s one of the best out there.

[RolexBrian]

Another option would be to remove and keep the original hands in their current condition. Then, source a period correct set of hands and have them color matched to the lume plots.

[Tricolore66]

The OP doesn't say if he plans to actual wear the watch. It's it's just a safe queen collector piece then I'd just leave it as is. If you were planning on wearing it, those puffy plots look fragile and ultimately I think you'd see one of them fracture like the lume on the hand has, hence my thought to do a dial swap and keep that one original.

One of my personal OCD issues is seeing dials and hands that don't match. I'm not sure why, but it drives me nuts to see a nicely patina'd dial with bright white replacement hands.

[stmoore]

He never replied. I don’t think he bought it.

[Rolessor82]

Hi guys. Sorry for the late reply. I logged in for several times for follow up and found no more activity until now.
No, I haven't bought it. As Tricolore states, if I were to buy it, it would be for keep, not so much of wearing it. More as a collection. But no, I'll keep waiting for one.
Thank you!

[Rolessor82]

Reason I'm a little bit like, scared, is that I once bought a gilt one and stabilized the minute hand, however, some lume came off anyway about a year later. Not the end of the world, but it did happen.

[RolexBrian]

Gilt is not for the "faint of heart"

[Rolessor82]

I love gilt. But damn they are extremely delicate