Tritium lume peeling off?

[sennheiserz]

Hi all,

I am heavily in the market for a great 1680 white at the moment, and I came across the model pictured below. I love the color of the bezel and the dial and hands look to match and have a nice creamy patina.

However on closer inspection is seems like the lume has fallen off some of the hour markers, leaving a visible part of a white circle underneath.

5 o'clock and 1 o'clock are the worst offenders, the corner of the 6 as well. I haven't seen this particular aging symptom, anyone know anything about it? Is this to be avoided? Thanks!

[Clay]

Well…It does happen…It's just age…

If it were me, I would pass on this particular one as there are plenty of nicer examples out there...

[Jason71]

Pretty common actually. If it gets bad, watchmakers have been known to strip off the rest of the hour-marker tritium. Of course this absolutely negates the ability to develop the creamy patina on the hour markers. Personally, I wouldn't avoid it if you are able to acquire the watch at a price reflective of the condition of the watch

[springer]

Originally Posted by Jason71

Pretty common actually. If it gets bad, watchmakers have been known to strip off the rest of the hour-marker tritium. Of course this absolutely negates the ability to develop the creamy patina on the hour markers. Personally, I wouldn't avoid it if you are able to acquire the watch at a price reflective of the condition of the watch

X2. The other option, if the price is within reason , is to purchase a 1680 Mark I dial on the secondary market and replace the flaking one currently on the watch. (Mark I dial prices run the gamut based on condition - from $500 to $900.)