1680 - No Patina

[OliverD]

Hi

When looking for 1680's I noticed a lot of old watches with bright white lume plots and no patina (that didn't appear to be service dials).

The watch below for example looks like an original mark I dial to me, but it shows almost no patina that I can see.

Does anyone have an explanation for this? This watch is almost 40 years old now and the dial and hands look new. Is this a possibility? Is this actually a service dial? Or is something else going on?

Thanks

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/rolex/sub...-id7340195.htm

[schoolboy]

This is interesting.

I'll be checking back to see what the experts have to say about this.

Good question.

[OliverD]

Sorry, just realised this may be in the wrong forum. I meant to post it over on the vintage side.

[schoolboy]

Maybe it has to do with what the watch has been exposed to over the years?

A ton of sunlight vs not so much?

Idk

[Speed]

Service dial, photoshop / light room adjustments on black/white levels /contrast etc.

Could be a number of things. I presume you don’t know the seller? If not, it makes buying vintage online a scary proposition.

[Paulie 50]

To me it's a mark1 dial.

[coelacanthus]

My 1675 is from 1977/1978, and has similarly light colored lumes. They have warmer tone and no degradation, but nowhere close to those pumpkin colored lumes you see out there. The watch is essentially an one-owner piece and he used a LOT. From the track record, I'm fairly certain the dial and the hands are original to the watch (MK4 dial I think). Maybe being out there, used in daylight a lot has something to do with it? Could be lume material used around that era?

[swish77]

In addition to the issues of accurately portraying colors in photographs online, there are plenty of vintage Rolexes that don't have much patina on the tritium. Depends on how often the watch was worn, amount of sun, the batch of tritium that was used at the time, and even where the watch was worn. (Some theories say more humid climates can affect patina.)

For example, in some light, my 5512 (3.7 mil.) has only a hint of cream patina and looks almost white, although in other lighting conditions it looks slightly lemon. (These photos were taken several years apart, with different inserts.) I've seen other 5512s close to mine in serial number that are heavily patina'd. almost bright yellow. Go figure.

[coelacanthus]

Here is another example of light colored lume. 5.4 mil serial so close to the 1680 OP is looking at. Used a lot and lived in dry Canada for the most of its life (now in also dry NorCal).

[gt0279a]

Most likely the lighting in the case of the OPs link. Although I have seen several vintage 5513s and 1680s with 'washed' lume (flaked tritium is removed to expose white paint underneath for a cleaner looking dial, albeit no patina)

[OliverD]

Thanks all. Some very interesting responses.

Having seen the difference lighting can make from those two photos and the harsh white background of the watch in the advert I'm inclined to agree it could be down to the studio lighting setup they seem to have used.

[rootbeer7]

If well used in sunlight, patina is unlikely to be more than slightly cream. In this instance bezel should also have fade if original. I find yellow patina and faded bezels a mystery!!

[adam78]

On the chrono24 watch in question appears to have a paint chip under "T<25", not that this answers your question...

[springer]

Not every vintage watch will have or develop patina. Additionally, watches with patina can become white after years of use - I've had a couple GMT 16750s do just that.

[7Kenhinho]

Well, I could be wrong, but if it's bleached from being constantly in the sun, wouldn't that fade the bezel in turn?

Also, isn't it at all possible to have a service dial before they trotted out the luminova? But then it would still patina given how many years it's been.

[Grahamcombat]

I have a one owner ‘68 1675 that is white, yet is also a MK1 long E. No yellowing at all, just white. And lume is nonexistent.


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[swish77]

Originally Posted by rootbeer7

If well used in sunlight, patina is unlikely to be more than slightly cream. In this instance bezel should also have fade if original. I find yellow patina and faded bezels a mystery!!

Well, it can happen. How about a watch that was once well worn and exposed to years of harsh sunlight, fading the bezel insert and keeping the tritium white. Then that same watch is later stored in the back of a drawer for a decade. Voila, the watch comes out with a still-faded bezel insert, but the tritium has now developed patina from years of being kept in the dark.

[springer]

Originally Posted by rootbeer7

If well used in sunlight, patina is unlikely to be more than slightly cream. In this instance bezel should also have fade if original. I find yellow patina and faded bezels a mystery!!

I would not agree that bezels will automatically fade if worn for years outside in sunlight.

That is not paint on bezel inserts.

Many of the faded inserts you see now are artificially faded.

[springer]

Originally Posted by swish77

Well, it can happen. How about a watch that was once well worn and exposed to years of harsh sunlight, fading the bezel insert and keeping the tritium white. Then that same watch is later stored in the back of a drawer for a decade. Voila, the watch comes out with a still-faded bezel insert, but the tritium has now developed patina from years of being kept in the dark.

X2.

[twnturbo]

what about fuchsias they amaze me ,you see some where the blue fades & some where the blue is still dark blue ,what caused some bezels to turn fuchsia ?

[Jetkopite]

My GMT 16750 when I bought it many years ago was in a safe for years and had heavy lemon patina but I’ve worn it on pretty much every flight I do in the last 6 years with the bringht sunlight at 37000 feet it’s lightened up to very very light cream colour.
Some of these patina pieces you see around on social media I wonder how genuine they are, pretty sure many have been touched up to look patinated...

[James444]

Some patina r baked from oven, u can check it on omega forum

[OliverD]

Thanks for the replies all. That 5512 is lovely by the way

[Chronokid]

I own one of those 1680 dials that has almost no patina on the plots and they are fairly white, while the hands are several shades darker tan patina. I suspect that someone (probably during a service) "washed" the dial because the lume was likely coming off anyway. I've been contemplating putting on hands that closer match the plots.

[photoguy]

FWIW, my 30 year old 168000 markers are as white as the day I got the watch and it has been out in the world since the day I purchased it in 1987 (and my insert is still a very rich black).

I tend to agree, as stated above that while close, 'photography' has a lot of variables affecting faithful color reproduction.

[soxfan39]

I've often heard the theory that watches that have been left in safes or drawers without a lot of wrist time and out of sunlight are the ones that turn the darker pumpkin. I don't know but that makes sense to me as it seems logical that sunlight would keep the lume plots white when exposed everyday. I'd hate to think most of those were somehow faked by watch docs.

[Kooteepee]

Interrestin thread