Rolex Second Rate Luminescence

[214270Explorer]

How did we all ever get along without lume in the first place ???

[Brew]

I think the lume on my Rolex watches is fine. There are many times when I'm out and I'd like to discretely check the time. I don't want my watch to light up a dimmed movie theater or a romantically lighted restaurant like I've been hiding a torch up my sleeve.

[gunhose]

My DSb and my 20yo PP 5066 are fine to read after 8 hours of darkness. The key the room must be pitch black to get the contrast out. Poke your head under the blanket and it will glow a lot brighter. Sounds stupid but works !

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Jason71

Tritium tubes are not as visually appealing as the conventional luminova. Since many Rolex owners don’t even set the time on their watch, being able to read the correct time at 04:00 is of little consequence.

Have to agree Jason Luminover is made by Nemoto a Japanese luminous paint maker they moved a part of its factory from Japan to Switzerland in 1998 in Joint-ventured with RC-Tritec AG.This was to establish Luminova AG Switzerland for supplying Luminova to all the Swiss watch industry including Rolex and most all of the other major brands.And for glow its the total lume surface area that would seem to make the glow seem brighter, now on Rolex watches the lume area is quiet small on plots and hands and glow would still depend on the persons eyes and how dark the room.The new more on the blue spectrum Chromolight is a Rolex trademark made up name, but again this could be a special colour blend of luminous paint by Nemoto for Rolex, I would doubt if Rolex themselves would make the lume paint.Afraid lume glow would be far down the list in priorities on any watch, even if they did use Tritium tubes which I hope will never happen..

[HogwldFLTR]

Originally Posted by 214270Explorer

How did we all ever get along without lume in the first place ???

Right, after the sun went down there was little use for sundials.

Originally Posted by padi56

Have to agree Jason Luminover is made by Nemoto a Japanese luminous paint maker they moved a part of its factory from Japan to Switzerland in 1998 in Joint-ventured with RC-Tritec AG.This was to establish Luminova AG Switzerland for supplying Luminova to all the Swiss watch industry including Rolex and most all of the other major brands.And for glow its the total lume surface area that would seem to make the glow seem brighter, now on Rolex watches the lume area is quiet small on plots and hands and glow would still depend on the persons eyes and how dark the room.The new more on the blue spectrum Chromolight is a Rolex trademark made up name, but again this could be a special colour blend of luminous paint by Nemoto for Rolex, I would doubt if Rolex themselves would make the lume paint.Afraid lume glow would be far down the list in priorities on any watch, even if they did use Tritium tubes which I hope will never happen..

Tritium tubes are from my understanding simple glass tubes filled with tritium and luminescent paint. I would think that the shape is only restricted by creativity and scientific effort. The shape could be made in what ever shape is desired. It's not rocket science so to speak, or maybe it is. Surely Rolex with its resources could do better than little line shaped tubes. Now what was the purpose of the date and gmt hand on the Explorer IIs?

[Crazy Lugs]

I think overly bright lume on a current iteration Rolex would be tacky. It just doesn’t fit with their current position as refined luxury timepieces.

Both my 14060 and Tudor GMT have Super Luminova and blow away my 114060 in terms of lume sensitivity and brightness. Still, I wouldn’t want it on my 114060, because it doesn’t seem to fit the character of the piece anymore...

[jimcameron]

The lume on my 16800 pooped out 25 years ago. I haven't been impressed by Rolex ever since.

[1SG MTB]

Originally Posted by RobsterCraw

I agree. I was surprised how short the glow lasted. I thought something was actually wrong until my research on the forum. I also agree that other watches glow so brightly it's distracting in the bedroom at night, in a good way. Im speaking of Luminox beater watch to be exact.

I wore a Luminox for many years in the army, it was always incredible how it would light up the inside of my sleeping bag!

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by padi56

Have to agree Jason Luminover is made by Nemoto a Japanese luminous paint maker they moved a part of its factory from Japan to Switzerland in 1998 in Joint-ventured with RC-Tritec AG.This was to establish Luminova AG Switzerland for supplying Luminova to all the Swiss watch industry including Rolex and most all of the other major brands.And for glow its the total lume surface area that would seem to make the glow seem brighter, now on Rolex watches the lume area is quiet small on plots and hands and glow would still depend on the persons eyes and how dark the room.The new more on the blue spectrum Chromolight is a Rolex trademark made up name, but again this could be a special colour blend of luminous paint by Nemoto for Rolex, I would doubt if Rolex themselves would make the lume paint.Afraid lume glow would be far down the list in priorities on any watch, even if they did use Tritium tubes which I hope will never happen..

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[In-Cog-Neeto]

Originally Posted by Galaga167

All these claims that their Rolex lume lasts throughout the night is utter . I have one and it would be lucky to last 2 hours. Even my Seiko Marinemaster which is up there with the best in the industry doesn’t last all night.

Keep it real guys.

You is a funny guy

Make sure you are in a dark room and you will see it glow throughout the night - not as bright as if it had just been freshly charged but I found it surprising how bright it was come say 5am as they do tend to fade from their brightest pretty quickly after being charged - but all my watches fade quickly in a similar way - seiko/Tudor/IWC/Rolex

[Syed117]

It's not great.

All my Seikos have better lume than my Rolex.

Doesn't bother me too much, but better lume would be a nice touch. As well as AR coating under the crystal, but that is another topic.

[Ian Macdermott]

Originally Posted by Jason71

Tritium tubes are not as visually appealing as the conventional luminova. Since many Rolex owners don’t even set the time on their watch, being able to read the correct time at 04:00 is of little consequence.

[Dennisoul]

My 16570 Exp2 has the worst lume in the world. It lasts 3/4 mins at best from a full sunlight charge. It’s the lume that came after the Tritium models whatever kind of lume that is. This Seiko Spb079 has the best I’ve ever seen and does last through the night...much better than any of the Rolex references I have, old and new. It does have exceedingly large areas of luminous paint.

[copernic83]

I will have to disagree too ! Indeed the lume is not strong enough to be seen in low light environments at night (like bars, clubs, etc), but when I wake up at 6 in the morning after an 8 hour sleep, it's still perfectly legible in full darkness.

[jvb.nc]

i will say that as bright as my omega (SMPO 2500) and panerai (PAM779) are, they definitely don’t last as long as the chromalite in my rolexes. bright as day, but only for a little while.

from what i understand, seiko lume is unassailable.

[Harry-57]

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

Rolex really has second rate luminescence on their watches. Sure they can be made to glow brightly for a bit but try reading one in the early morning before the rooster crows and your results will be blackness, nothing, nada.

This is not the case with my 42mm Polar. It's presently the only Rolex I travel with and as such, I usually wear it 24/7. I have no trouble reading the time off the lumes in darkness in the early morning, or later in the morning in a dark room.

Other watches may well have better lumes that glow brighter for longer. I'm not disputing that at all. But the statement I quoted above is incorrect in my experience.

[RJK]

My DSSD and SD43 both last well throughout the night. I wear my watch when I sleep because I’d rather look at a watch vs. cell phone/electronic device, and my Rolex(s) have all be legible in the morning.

I would not prefer to have tritium tubes. They dim and die within 10-13yrs. Sure they can be replaced during a service, but I bet that would automatically mean they replace your entire dial. Many prefer to keep their watches as original as possible.
I have luminova (not super luminova) watches of the same age that still glow after 20+yrs.

I do agree that Rolex lume is not as good as some other brands, but it’s far from useless/terrible IME. Obviously YMMV.

[Catatafish]

Either we're all under a different sun, or there's just a huge variance in the application of the lume. My brand new ExpII will have a usefully visible lume for about 2 hours after bright sunlight. Maybe some of you are falling asleep under a sunlamp at 3 a.m. and waking up at 5? Maybe it's the type of lightbulbs in our houses? But I wake up at 5 and there is absolutely zero lume. I look at it as a novelty, or something useful for diving?

[mohillips]

I don't need to tell the time whilst I'm asleep

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[ian.thomas]

My 2005 16610 lume does not make it though the night. I wish it would, but I don't ever remember it being long lasting, even when new.

[Amochosto]

Originally Posted by Galaga167

All these claims that their Rolex lume lasts throughout the night is utter . I have one and it would be lucky to last 2 hours. Even my Seiko Marinemaster which is up there with the best in the industry doesn’t last all night.

Keep it real guys.

I can see my lume first thing in the morning it’s not bs just because I have a different experience than you.

[HogwldFLTR]

An interesting article.

http://www.ablogtowatch.com/how-glow...e-mb-microtec/

[Seibei]

I have a cheap beater with tritium tubes if that is my inclination. I think they would be out of place on a Rolex. The lume on my Submariner is great.

[Galaga167]

Originally Posted by Amochosto

I can see my lume first thing in the morning it’s not bs just because I have a different experience than you.

What you are seeing is the morning day light reigniting the lume. Doesn’t mean the initial charge is lasting all night.

[samsmart]

These pics were taken last night within an hour of each other. First one is after charging my DSSD with my headlights, then about 40 minutes later after my jog.

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[JP(Canada)]

I don't disagree about 5 digit Rolex, but for 6 digit models, it's really all a matter of how much lume is used.

A DJ is weak, compared to an Explorer. The Explorer looks weak compared to a Sub.

However, if you make a blanket statement to say the lume is second rate on all Rolex, then you've never worn a modern orange hand Explorer II at night. If you can't make that dial and those hands out in the dark, it's not your watch that's the problem, but rather your eyes.

[LuminousMaximus]

Did Someone say LUME...!!



My lume lasts thru the night, but in order to see it in the morningI have to pull the covers over and be in complete darkness... That's on my SD4k, and 116618, and 116655

On the 116505 PM Daytona however, It is slightly more difficult to see; but really it's only a 12 hour clock, and no date, hard to read...
,
I don't really try and tell time with that one, It is for pleasing me visually...

[Driftwood]

At the risk of disbelief... I can accurately report my SubC lume lasts the entire night and can be read I will share mine is exposed to a lot of sunlight..

[sinkholeninja]

Good article on Chromalight:

https://www.keepthetime.com/blog/rolex-chromalight/

"If Rolex really didn’t reinvent the wheel and create their own luminous compound for watch lume, then they’re almost certainly using Swiss made Super-LumiNova with a color somewhere between C9 and C7. If this is true, then they can get away with marketing Chromalight as staying brighter longer because according to an official LumiNova chart, compared to green lume, C9 yields up to 5% more relative brightness 30 minutes after being charged."

[Mac-427]

I have a new Sub and am impressed with how well it reads in the dark in comparison to the others I've had. It really has the best luminescence of any Rolex I've owned.