The Rolex Forums   The Rolex Watch

ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX


Go Back   Rolex Forums - Rolex Watch Forum > Rolex & Tudor Watch Topics > Rolex Reference Library

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 2 February 2008, 08:13 AM   #1
Tools
TRF Moderator & 2024 Patron
 
Tools's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Real Name: Larry
Location: Mojave Desert
Watch: GMT's
Posts: 42,990
Rolex Watch Lume Overview (Radium/Tritium/Luminova)

The modern Rolex watch has a luminous dial and works like this:

14405564632_cc079307c6_c.jpg

Energy, of course, follows a basic principle... It cannot be destroyed, and can only be transformed, so this leads us to the idea behind the luminescent watch dial; converting known energy into a bit of light.

Luminescent material by itself does not glow, it needs an energy source. That energy can either be radioactivity for our Tritium excited, or radioluminescent watch dials, or a light source for our photoluminescent dials.

Now that we have decided on these two different types of energy sources, we need some luminous materials.. Either flourescent material or phosphorescent material, with the former being short term and the latter being more suitable for a longer term; the logical choice is phosphorescent material. This phosphorescent material is mixed into a paint matrix and is ready for our purpose, applying to the watch dial and hands.

Our energy source excites the electrons within the paint matrix, the excited electrons generate heat, but also generate photons given off as visible light.

When the phosphorescent paint matrix includes Tritium, it is always excited and therefore always gives off visible light until the radioactive life of the tritium source is depleted, therefore, radioluminescent material is "always on".

Our non-radioactive dials use an invention, Luminova or Super Luminova, that is excitable by light itself, the electrons are excited, and the result is once again visible light. The downside of a light excited paint matrix is that once the light is removed, the residual excitement of the phosphorescence gradually lessens and returns to a non-excited state, requiring constant re-charging.



Here is a brief overview of the various Luminous Materials.

Radium:

Up until about 1960, Rolex used the radio-active material Radium to coat hands and indices of their dials. The Radium markers were extremely efficient where bright luminosity is concerned, but also much more radio-active than the successor, Tritium.
Workers at the Rolex manufactory and other watch and clock shops, applied the Radium by hand; or rather by using a fine painting brush. To apply the Radium exactly to the places where it was supposed to be, workers would tend to lick the tip of the painting brush to get a sharper point, thus being better able to apply more accurately the Radium. This habit of licking the painting brush resulted in numerous cases of workers getting cancer, especially mouth cancer. But as stated, Radium was used up until 1960, where popular use finally ceased due to serious health risks.

The dials having Radium as luminous markers would read "SWISS" at six o' clock.

Tritium:

Tritium was used from 1960 to 1998. Also being radio-active, but more mildly so (beta waves). The half-life is approx. 12.3 years. After that, Tritium (in most cases) will not glow anymore.
There were two degrees of Tritium dials:

a) the dials emitting radio-activity of less than 25 mC. Dials are marked "SWISS T < 25"

b) the dial emitting radio-activity of less than 7,5 mC. Dials are marked "T SWISS T".

To describe the intensity of the radio-activity of the Tritium markers, a thin sheet of Aluminium is able to block Tritium beta waves. Thus, the Oyster case and crystal were said to be sufficient guard to prevent any harmful radiation to the wearer of the watch. The radiation a person gets from the normal background radiation found in nature exceeds the radiation emitted from a "T < 25" dial.

As a side note: Besides the "half-life degression" of the Tritium, hands and indices applied with Tritium have often been known to discolour to a more brownish tone by age. Some say that factors like UV rays and humidity play a role. Therefore, not ALL Tritium dials discolour. It depends on what environment the dial / watch was kept in.

(Super)Luminova:

A Japanese invention from the company Nemoto, the non radio-active substance, Luminova, was introduced in 1998 when Tritium was (at least widely) banned. Time spans for the use of Luminoa is:

a) 1998 - 2000: Dials (again) marked "SWISS" at 6 o' clock

b) 2000 - : Dials marked "SWISS MADE" at 6 o' clock.

The terms "SuperLuminova" and "Luminova" describe the same paint compound. Technically, there is no difference between the two, but "SuperLuminova" is a term reserved by Nemoto's European partner, Tritec.

SuperLuminova is not (yet!) known to discolour by age. But SuperLuminova is quite fragile and does not like humidity which can make it crumble. Some companies solve this issue by applying a thin coat of clear lacquer to the markers of the dial.

Luminova and SuperLuminova are the same patent and come in a number of different colors.

Here is a chart with relative brightness. New Chromalight is light blue.
Note it is ISO standardized with a ~30 second excitation time.
luminova.jpg

(sources: Luminous markers and this article.)


__________________
__________________
(Chill ... It's just a watch Forum.....)
NAWCC Member

Last edited by Tools; 29 October 2019 at 08:28 AM..
Tools is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29 April 2008, 08:41 AM   #2
Scarface
"TRF" Member
 
Scarface's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Real Name: Minas
Location: London UK
Watch: Rolex , Omega
Posts: 1,370
Awesome info
__________________
Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master ll
Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Datejust
Omega Seamaster Professional Chronograph
Scarface is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29 April 2008, 08:56 AM   #3
GMTJOHNNY
"TRF" Member
 
GMTJOHNNY's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Real Name: John
Location: LONG ISLAND, NY
Watch: 2007 DAY DATE 18KT
Posts: 1,378
Being a chemist, I love the chemistry.
Great explanation!
Long live Tritium!
__________________
ROLEX DAY DATE 118238 (2007)
ROLEX DAY DATE 18238 (1997)
ROLEX GMT 16750 PEPSI (1987)
ROLEX AIR KING 14000 (1991)
ROLEX GMTIIC TT 116713LN (2008)
GMTJOHNNY is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30 April 2008, 02:46 PM   #4
Mr. Clean
"TRF" Member
 
Mr. Clean's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Real Name: Elmer
Location: Philippines
Watch: 116523,16622,PM111
Posts: 119
Thanks, very informative!
Mr. Clean is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 May 2008, 08:23 PM   #5
mgpdragon64
"TRF" Member
 
mgpdragon64's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Sugar City, Phil
Watch: Hulk!
Posts: 141
Wow! very informative! Thats why a Rolex is still the best watch! thanks
mgpdragon64 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5 May 2008, 02:58 PM   #6
topcat30093
"TRF" Member
 
topcat30093's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Real Name: Tony
Location: England
Posts: 5,425
Thanks Larry
For this very useful information.
__________________
topcat30093 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5 May 2008, 07:54 PM   #7
marke
Banned
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Real Name: Mark
Location: UK Nationwide...
Watch: Daytona
Posts: 1,842
as long as nine glows in the dark, my watch i mean i can still be a rolex jedi warrior.....

" the rolex is with me"

mark
marke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5 May 2008, 07:55 PM   #8
marke
Banned
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Real Name: Mark
Location: UK Nationwide...
Watch: Daytona
Posts: 1,842
or " may your rolex be with you"

hahahah for rolex jedi masters....
marke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5 May 2008, 08:57 PM   #9
Watchonisto
Banned
 
Join Date: May 2008
Real Name: Alex
Location: European Union
Watch: AP, ROLEX, PP, PAM
Posts: 4,344
Good to know
Watchonisto is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 7 May 2008, 10:07 PM   #10
sheldonsmith
2024 Pledge Member
 
sheldonsmith's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Member 202♛
Posts: 1,810
Some Examples



Here is an example pict that has been floating around the watch boards these last few years. Author unknown...

-Sheldon
__________________
sheldonsmith is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8 May 2008, 01:20 AM   #11
DSJ
"TRF" Member
 
DSJ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Real Name: David
Location: USA
Watch: your step!
Posts: 7,882
Wouldn't the Tritium material still be half as bright after 12.3 years? My 1993 and 1997 Tritium sights on my old police guns are still quite good.
__________________
Rolex. The Rolex of watches.
16570 Expy2 Noir, 116710 GMT Master II,
2552.80 SMP
DSJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8 May 2008, 04:13 PM   #12
entropydave
"TRF" Member
 
entropydave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Real Name: Dave
Location: Huntington, IN
Posts: 680
Quote:
Originally Posted by DSJ View Post
Wouldn't the Tritium material still be half as bright after 12.3 years? My 1993 and 1997 Tritium sights on my old police guns are still quite good.
Yep - it's down to the half life... bring back radium salts I say and have them bright for thousands of years!!
entropydave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8 May 2008, 07:12 PM   #13
Cujucuyo
"TRF" Member
 
Cujucuyo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: El Salvador
Posts: 35
My Omega Speedy has T-Swiss Made-T and you have to be in a VERY, VERY dark place to even see the tiny markers glow. As for Radium, it has a sad story to it:

http://www.runet.edu/~wkovarik/envhist/radium.html

And it involves watches, go figure.
Cujucuyo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10 May 2008, 06:36 AM   #14
marke
Banned
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Real Name: Mark
Location: UK Nationwide...
Watch: Daytona
Posts: 1,842
Wait until you see the LUME on the new deep sea, I tried it on yesterday and the LUme is stunning/stonking.....
marke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10 May 2008, 11:33 AM   #15
topcat30093
"TRF" Member
 
topcat30093's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Real Name: Tony
Location: England
Posts: 5,425
Quote:
Originally Posted by marke View Post
Wait until you see the LUME on the new deep sea, I tried it on yesterday and the LUme is stunning/stonking.....
Heh Marke
You couldn't resist could you
__________________
topcat30093 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10 May 2008, 06:23 PM   #16
entropydave
"TRF" Member
 
entropydave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Real Name: Dave
Location: Huntington, IN
Posts: 680
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cujucuyo View Post
My Omega Speedy has T-Swiss Made-T and you have to be in a VERY, VERY dark place to even see the tiny markers glow. As for Radium, it has a sad story to it:

http://www.runet.edu/~wkovarik/envhist/radium.html

And it involves watches, go figure.
I can't imagine what it must have been like using Ra as a lume....horrific cancers and so on - plus the fact that if you restore old watches you are exposed to fine dust that you do NOT want to inhale!
entropydave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11 May 2008, 11:23 PM   #17
mwillems
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Oakville, Canada
Posts: 32
Nothing wrong with Ra is you handle it carefully - the problem is not in the watch users, the problem is in the making. Read up on the "Radium Girls" (Google the term) - that was bad.

But today I think we could do it with little danger to user or maker. Only the political climate is against it.
mwillems is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 18 August 2008, 04:33 PM   #18
videobob
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: DFW Texas
Watch: 16613
Posts: 38
I've got a "S" model Sub, (1993) SWISS-T<25 and its dark as midnight, no glow at all!!!
videobob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1 September 2008, 12:26 PM   #19
harlansmart
"TRF" Member
 
harlansmart's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Real Name: Harlan
Location: Auckland, NZL
Watch: Seiko
Posts: 117
Wow - so the lume on Rolex dials is a Japanese idea - great info...very informative!
harlansmart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1 September 2008, 04:59 PM   #20
entropydave
"TRF" Member
 
entropydave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Real Name: Dave
Location: Huntington, IN
Posts: 680
Well, I had a bad night's sleep last night and I can tell you I was pretty impressed with my lume! It was certainly still easily readable some 5 or 6 hours after being exposed to ordinary domestic lighting (ie no blasting with my UV torch!)
Also I noticed that when I break out the telescope and I am fully dark-adjusted, again, I can read the time easily for as many hours I am out observing.
So, wearas I would much prefer the original Radium lume ((in preference to tritium), this is pretty much good enough. Never really paid attention to the lume until last night!
entropydave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1 September 2008, 11:14 PM   #21
Trurolexer
Banned
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: USA
Watch: 5513MaxiI+PreComex
Posts: 18,421
Very nice review!!!
Trurolexer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28 November 2008, 09:36 AM   #22
Ike
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 68
One thing I find a bit odd is that my dad's DJ that he bought new in the 70's still glows in dark rooms and glows bright for several seconds when charged with a flashlight. It is marked T swiss T.

My DJ that I bought pre-owned is from the late 80's to early 90's from what I can tell. It is also marked T swiss T. It will not glow at all, even when it is left with a light source for several minutes.
Ike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5 December 2008, 09:51 AM   #23
jtvision
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Vancouver
Watch: Seiko to Rolex
Posts: 225
My DJ which was produced in the third quarter of 1985 is no longer glowing.
My new DJ from 2005 is spectacular.
jtvision is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24 February 2009, 12:19 AM   #24
Nods
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Real Name: Lionel Wylie
Location: Australia
Watch: Rolex GMT SS
Posts: 277
Very informative, I am off to research Radium Girls sounds like a sad and interesting story.
Nods is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1 March 2009, 07:30 PM   #25
tomee
"TRF" Member
 
tomee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 446
Quote:
Originally Posted by xjeeunitx View Post
What about the dials that says "T SWISS MADE T"
tritium
tomee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 March 2009, 05:26 AM   #26
bballchamp
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Cape Canaveral
Posts: 59
Thanks for the great info!
bballchamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 March 2009, 06:35 AM   #27
aelvin
"TRF" Member
 
aelvin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Real Name: Aelvin
Location: Princeton, NJ
Posts: 330
ah... i learned something today!!!
aelvin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 March 2009, 06:44 AM   #28
Alcan
2024 Pledge Member
 
Alcan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Real Name: Al
Location: Way Up North
Watch: your P's & Q's
Posts: 10,473
I think maybe its time to have the Tritum lume on my N serial Sub hands and dial redone.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg No Lume.jpg (10.4 KB, 5399 views)
__________________
Member #1,315

I don't want to get technical, but according to chemistry alcohol IS a solution!
Alcan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4 March 2009, 12:14 PM   #29
pablofields
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: SF East Bay
Posts: 584
Icon5 follow up question

Question in light (pardon the pun) of this part of Tool's thread starter:

"(Super)Luminova:

A Japanese invention from the company Nemoto, the non radio-active substance, Luminova, was introduced in 1998 when Tritium was (at least widely) banned. Time spans for the use of Luminoa is:

a) 1998 - 2000: Dials (again) marked "SWISS" at 6 o' clock

b) 2000 - : Dials marked "SWISS MADE" at 6 o' clock."


All of the replacement Lume dials I have seen on 1655 Orange Hands are marked "Swiss" rather than "Swiss Made". Does this mean the 'modern' 1655 replacement dials were all made between 1998-2000? And if so does that suggest Rolex might not continue producing replacements if and when this supply runs out?
pablofields is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 7 March 2009, 02:19 AM   #30
Tools
TRF Moderator & 2024 Patron
 
Tools's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Real Name: Larry
Location: Mojave Desert
Watch: GMT's
Posts: 42,990
During the transition years 1998-2000, Dials were marked "Swiss" until Rolex finally settled on "Swiss Made" for Luminova dials.

Very early Radium dials were also marked "Swiss" until radium was outlawed in ~1960.

Rolex also continued using "Swiss" dials for several years as Service Replacements after 2000..

So, looking at a serial number that should be 1996, but we find it with a "Swiss" dial; would indicate a service replacement and not a "transitional"; likewise, models with "Swiss" dials that have serial numbers later than 2001 would very likely have had a service dial replacement at some point until that stock of dials was depleted..

Service Dials have been seen with some differences from original equipment dials, so I don't think that there is any evidence that a particular dial would stop being produced completely just because the stock of those with "Swiss" on them ran out.... However, at some point they would, indeed, no longer produce a particular replacement dial.
__________________
(Chill ... It's just a watch Forum.....)
NAWCC Member
Tools is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Takuya Watches

Bobs Watches

Asset Appeal

My Watch LLC

OCWatches

DavidSW Watches

Coronet


*Banners Of The Month*
This space is provided to horological resources.





Copyright ©2004-2024, The Rolex Forums. All Rights Reserved.

ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX

Rolex is a registered trademark of ROLEX USA. The Rolex Forums is not affiliated with ROLEX USA in any way.