Re-Lumed?? New Photos

[Keeperoftime]

I posted pictures of this piece before in regards to it being re-lumed. Does this look legit. The seller claims it is one owner NEVER opened!

[Beelzy]

Re-Lume.

The plots are out of round at 5 and 7 o'clock and are larger than the ones at the top of
the dial.

Plus, for a guy selling a watch, he sure doesn't give you much detail, like this shot:

[Beef]

Looks like a relume to me. As stated, the rounded plots and irregular edges are a give away. Don't be fooled by the patina. Jack Alexyon of Industrial Watch Works can relume with an age appropriate patina upon request. I had him do it on a couple of Tudors, looked really good. The litmus test is expose it to bright light, then see if it glows in the dark. If so, there's your answer. To my knowledge, which is limited, no one has relumed with tritium in probably 10 plus years. So if it doesn't glow with or without light exposure, it's a 25 year old relume. 25 years being the half life of tritium. Also, you don't need to "mound" tritium, just paint it on flat. The duration and brightness of the glow is dependent upon the thickness of the Luminova. And although the relume market did exist 25 years ago, it was limited and done by a few independent watchmakers and fewer dial refinishing companies.

[lupus]

mmm, could well be ok, puffy markers mid sixties and some refraction by the plexi.

[Orchi]

Err Buddies...until the Mid 60s or so...
most lume plots on vintage sport Rolex models...
are seen to be puffy...
some a bit more...or some to lesser extent...
n these lume plots can be a bit sloppy...originally.

Most of the times also...
the lume plots could still be luminous...
Some still glowing strongly...
whilst others could be faintly...

In some cases...when the lume plots do not glow visually...
even after exposing them to bright light...
it doesn't mean the luminous compound are dead...(so to speak)

These would likely glow under the strong UV light source...

In this case...by observing the available pictures at the distant...
Orchi would say the lume plots are fine...

[Beef]

I certainly defer to Buddy Orchi on this. He is the master! The old tritium and even earlier radium can glow breifly when exposed to bright UV light. Some radium even glows without light exposure. However, if they glow green, they are Luminova. The only vintage piece that I have that predates the mid-60's is a 5508. The plots are slightly puffy.

[Beelzy]

I don't know, looking at that dial it just doesn't look right.

Most of the M/F 5513's I have seen with "original" puffy plots were white in color and still
glowed faintly under a bright light source. Even then, some critics claimed those dials could
have been re-lumed.

Also, what is with the minute hand?? It doesn't look to match the others??

Here's a pic of a 67 M/F with puffy white plots:

[jedly1]

it looks fine and what you would expect to see around a 1.7 million serial meters first dial..and you would expect it to still glow after light exposure.

exactly like this...my old ad's watch from new...ALL the ones of this style i've seen have been on or very near 1.7, ive owned about 5 of them (and one 5512 same) ...i love them the lume has a the character of the earlier gilt dials....and like the gilt dials when you get up for a wee in the night you can see what time it is :)

[dysondiver]

id expect round lume , maybe i expect too much though.

[Jagatai]

I have a meters first matte dialed 5512 from IV 67 that still glows after exposure ESP to fluorescent light source. Even the pearl glows. Bob Ridley said it was untouched for 44 years.