How Very Weird ...

[Alex Stylianou]

I shined a light on my vintage rolex with bad lume , but when I took the light away the lume was very bright . I tried this on my other watches and the same happened. I shon a bedside table light because I could not see the time.

[Welshwatchman]

Originally Posted by adstylianou

I shined a light on my vintage rolex with bad lume , but when I took the light away the lume was very bright . I tried this on my other watches and the same happened. I shon a bedside table light because I could not see the time.

That's what the lume is designed to do. Absorb light when it's available to 'luminate' the dial and hands in the dark.

[nko51]

You have a lot of shinning going on there!

.......................--::**::--..Rolex Forever..--::**::--.........................
................I KNEEL IN THE LONG SHADOW OF IT'S GREATNESS.............

I assume these have tritium markers since they are vintage? If so, I think the point you are making is that with tritium everyone talks about the 1/2-life and the lume fading over the years, which is true. However, my understanding is that the tritium is actually not what provides the glow, but only the energy to make the lume material that is there glow. So the lume material itself is still there, and can be "charged" using a bright light just like Luminova can.

The glow is probably not as bright as it was originally or as bright as a new Luminova or Super Luminova dial would be, but it's still there.

[tonelar]

Originally Posted by Avalon

I assume these have tritium markers since they are vintage? If so, I think the point you are making is that with tritium everyone talks about the 1/2-life and the lume fading over the years, which is true. However, my understanding is that the tritium is actually not what provides the glow, but only the energy to make the lume material that is there glow. So the lume material itself is still there, and can be "charged" using a bright light just like Luminova can.

The glow is probably not as bright as it was originally or as bright as a new Luminova or Super Luminova dial would be, but it's still there.

Nor do they glow for as long... my T<25 watches all have a varying degree of residual glow when going from a bright area to a darkened one, strangely, one of the older watches (based on serial number) actually retains it's glow longer and brighter. Maybe evidence that the faces on the others might have sat and waited for assembly longer... or that the case serial numbers truly denote when the cases were made, and not when the watches were actually completed.

[mike]

Originally Posted by Avalon

I assume these have tritium markers since they are vintage? If so, I think the point you are making is that with tritium everyone talks about the 1/2-life and the lume fading over the years, which is true. However, my understanding is that the tritium is actually not what provides the glow, but only the energy to make the lume material that is there glow. So the lume material itself is still there, and can be "charged" using a bright light just like Luminova can.

The glow is probably not as bright as it was originally or as bright as a new Luminova or Super Luminova dial would be, but it's still there.

Well put Al! I believe what we have is the phophors contained in the matrix getting a "charge".