Rolex Luminova lume - does it glow through the night?

[twr7cx]

I have a few vintage Rolex and Tutor models that either don't have lume or the radioactive material has long stopped glowing. I'm currently eyeing off a Rolex 16570 Explorer II U Serial - it's one of the transition models where it has the Tritium dial with the Luminova lume applied. I have no experience with Rolex lume and coming from Omega Seamaster ownership am used to bright long lasting lume. Therefore my question is, would this 16570 lume actually be usable as a tool watch - i.e should it last the night and be bright enough to be readable?

[rgwarden]

It should. But it doesn’t. Rolex and lume is kind of a contradiction in terms.


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[Rolex.c6]

Can never read the time on my SD4K if I wake up during the night. Doesn't last long enough. Doesn't really bother me but think Rolex could do better.

[Jason71]

In my experience, Rolex Chromalight will glow through the night well enough to read the time at 03:00. The older luminova models that you are referring to......just do not glow quite bright enough.

[SLS]

It depends how good your eyes are. I was up at 5:00 this am in the pitch black and could faintly make out the glow of my hands and dial.

[Jason71]

Originally Posted by SLS

It depends how good your eyes are. I was up at 5:00 this am in the pitch black and could faintly make out the glow of my hands and dial.

Good point.......I could read my luminova Rolex dials all through the night.......about 7 or 8 years ago when my eyes were better

[Quailhunter]

My 2 year old GMT II lume lasts maybe 5 hours. If you need let no lasting lume, buy a Ball or Luminox. About 10 year half life. Does not require “charging”. My Luminox is about 15 years old and is still very bright at night. I wear my Rolex during the day.

[cab56]

I can draw on three data points: a modern (2016) Explorer I with strong, long-lasting lume which I can read easily at 5 AM; an older (1995) Submariner with weak, long-lasting lume which I can barely read at 5 AM; an older (1991) Submariner with a new (2016) service dial and hands which I can read at 5 AM.

I will put a service dial and hands on the other Submariner when the lume eventually dies (20 years is about the maximum).

I don't remember the exact cost of the replacement dial and hands, but I think it was about $1000 extra for the 1991 Submariner.

(no flames please about keeping a 1990s watch in original condition ... it's a watch ... not a museum piece ... )

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by cab56

I can draw on three data points: a modern (2016) Explorer I with strong, long-lasting lume which I can read easily at 5 AM; an older (1995) Submariner with weak, long-lasting lume which I can barely read at 5 AM; an older (1991) Submariner with a new (2016) service dial and hands which I can read at 5 AM.

I will put a service dial and hands on the other Submariner when the lume eventually dies (20 years is about the maximum).

I don't remember the exact cost of the replacement dial and hands, but I think it was about $1000 extra for the 1991 Submariner.

(no flames please about keeping a 1990s watch in original condition ... it's a watch ... not a museum piece ... )

The quality of the lume on that Sub will last indefinitely.
It has Superluminova and as yet there has not been an incidence reported of a finite life time of the lume.
There is no guarantee that Rolex will replace the Superluminova with anything else going forward on service dials.

[meganfox17]

[superdog]

My BLNR tells me the time at 3:00 when making my way to the little boys room.

My DJ41’s. Not so much. Basically useless.

[WJGESQ]

Omega is light years ahead.

[meganfox17]

Originally Posted by WJGESQ

Omega is light years ahead.

Right 0n Bro!
That's the lume of a PO MC after 4 hrs using UV flashlight to charge the lume for 20 seconds

[Mystro]

I tested my Hulk several days over vacation and I could read the time every morning at 5am after charging the lume with a quick blast of light at 9:30pm the night before. Rolex is far from the longest lasting lume but it last long enough for over night.

Lume was great for theater and rides.

[siempreko]

It is not annoyingly bright... or overly bright, but it is visible through the night.


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[Dirt]

I had the exact same dial and hands combination fitted to a "T" serial watch which replaced a dead Tritium set up.
I found it to be relatively adequate all things considered for the entire time I had the watch with no diminished performance.

Being a fan of good lume performance it was disappointing compared to other watch brands but I loved the watch and do miss it occasionally.

In 2011 I bought a DSSD and haven't looked back as the lume is just fine
That's one of the main reasons why all the other older model Rolex watches are gone now.

[RolexEDC]

My subC glows still slightly at 5am when I wake up, I wear my watch day and night.

[Onikage]

Nothing overly super about Superluminova. I've yet to find a believable answer as to why Rolex lume is so ..well crappy. A sub 100 dollar Seiko SKX has mighty lume comparable to Omega.

[meganfox17]

Originally Posted by Onikage

A sub 100 dollar Seiko SKX has mighty lume comparable to Omega.

Keep an eye on Seiko SLA019 J1 LE/1968 Baselworld 2018 release dubbed the Green Marine. I was told this watch with the green ceramic bezel and green dial has the latest, the most powerful, longer lasting Lumibrite to date. How much ? Only €3200...

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by Onikage

Nothing overly super about Superluminova. I've yet to find a believable answer as to why Rolex lume is so ..well crappy. A sub 100 dollar Seiko SKX has mighty lume comparable to Omega.

I could easily argue a different point of view.

I will say this.
Simply the volume of lume determines the brightness in general along with the compound.
The compound largely determines the longevity throughout the night all things being equal.

[Onikage]

Originally Posted by Dirt

I could easily argue a different point of view.

I will say this.
Simply the volume of lume determines the brightness in general along with the compound.
The compound largely determines the longevity throughout the night all things being equal.

Comparitive lume performance is something I've spent an unhealthy amount of time looking into. Compared to an Omega or Seiko diver Rolex lume plots and hands are large enough so it seems they just don't use as strong a compound. Why?
The answer I've arrived at is that Rolex wants their lume plots a certain white colour, not the creamy greenish colour you get with stronger lume compounds. I may be wrong but aesthetics is all I can think of. Their lume is definitely not great for it though. I wear a Timex Expedition (Indiglo) for bed.

[Verdi]

Rolex is not as good as Omega or Panerai when it comes to this.

[Maximus84]

I have a Z serial (Superluminova) 16570 and it glows well enough to read the time in a pitch dark room after a few hours, as long as it's been charged sufficiently before hand. The hands are pretty weak though - there isn't a lot of compound on there.

The lume on my Speedy Pro is much better, and, as other have said, my Seiko SKX is like a beacon!

[Maiden]

My modern subs are fine for overnight.

[Tarnsman]

My 2018 GMT with Chromalight starts bright blue with a charge and very quickly dims. However, it is still readable with dark adjusted (read sleepy) eyes 9 hours later


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[abozz]

In my case I sleep with my Sub 116610LN on, because I need to check the hour all night, and the chromalight last 8hrs, without problem just like Seiko MM300.

[Loevhagen]

It does.

People not seeing it should probably eat more cod lever oil to get vitamin A, blueberry, etc. Or stop smoking.

[Mystro]

The amount of lume on the design of the hands and marker makes a big difference. Sport models with big hands make a difference with lume longevity. I use to be obsessed with lume owning everything from Ball to Omega. I have found my Panerai with sausage dial is the best over all lume in brightness and longevity. Omega PO is very good as well. Bell & Ross has a similar dial to my Panerai and it is excellent. Breitling has a surprisingly good lume with small markers. My DJ2 has great marker lume but average hand lume because of the amount of lume that can fit on them. Tritium tubes lack that initial impact of lume but glow medium brightness all the time. They look good in photos but lack the torch on fire look like super luminova. Green lume tends to look brighter than other colors like blue.





B&R BR03-92 military Ceramic.

[GMT Aviator]

My Exp 2 42mm glows like a torch all night long if given a 10s charge with the night lamp before lights out. It is by far the best lume on any Rolex bar none. The super maxi dial and hands obviously play a part in that.

[AEC]

I'm very pleased with the Chromalight hands and markers on my Submariner (recent production, purchased in February 2018). I don't really need to read the time in the wee hours of the morning, but around 5:00 AM when I walk by the place it rests overnight I can see that it's glowing brightly enough to be read if I really needed to.