14060 E Serial Tritium vs 14060m K Serial

[tunadubby]

Hello Wise Rolex Experts,

I need some advice on choosing between the two options. Both have been recently serviced/polished, and demand the same price.

Initially, I thought it would be a no-brainer to get the 14060m, because of the modified movement and the lume. However, now that I'm researching more and more, I'm starting to be drawn to the tritium cream dial.

Looking at the prices of 5513's, the earlier models clearly sell for more now, given the same condition. Would it be the case for 14060's as well?

Of these two models, which do you think will be more treasured by the vintage community down the road?

Many thanks!

[withthesword]

speaking from experience, nothing looks quite as sharp as a nice evenly creamy patina'd dial and handset. on the flipside, a modern diver with reliable water resistance is also a huge bonus.

if you've found yourself a reliably water resistant modern diver with a vintage look, don't wait, get it.

i recently flipped a vintage because i was constantly stressed about having it as a daily wearer, constantly worrying about splashing it or scratching the plexi.

don't worry about value. all subs are gonna fetch you all kinds of money. just worry about whether you'll enjoy it on your wrist.

[tunadubby]

Thanks Matte. Sorry for the following very newb question, but is it a fact that the Luminova dials won't patina over time?

Also, once tha patina process starts for the tritium dial, will it get darker and darker until it becomes brown? Or will some dials stay at orange and not patina further?

Will some tritium dials never patina?

Thanks!

[HogwldFLTR]

Seems tritium dials do darken and more so when kept out of the light (from what I've heard). For me the real queston is how much do you value the ability to see the dial at night. I've not heard much about Luminova dial patinaing however I do have one that has somewhat.

Below is a picture of my 14060 and SMP Bond. The Bond is definitely Luminova but shows some color change. The 14060 is definitely Tritium and looks very fresh from a color perspective.

[tunadubby]

Thanks Lee,

That's super interesting how the SMP bond dial patinas, and the 14060 still looks snow white.

I don't value the ability to see at night at all. So for me, probably tritium is the way to go, as long as it is guaranteed to patina.

My only worry is that the 14060 that I am considering ends up NOT patina-ing. In that case, I would prefer the 14060m, as it is 10 years newer and has a modified movement.