No patina on 50 year old lume??

[Racer X]

Hi folks,

I am currently considering buying a 1016 Explorer and have been looking online to see what's out there and the typical prices. I came across a 1969 1016 with a full set on Chrono24, from which I haven't purchased before. Anyway, the watch looks perfect . . . maybe a little too perfect. For example, the lume on the dial is bright white. I would expect at least some patina on such an old dial.

My question is: What is the conventional wisdom on this? Can the lume on a 50 year old watch not have any patina? Or is it more likely that the dial has been relumed or that the dial is a newer dial not original to the watch. Seller claims the dial is original to the watch and has not been touched. Please let me know your thoughts!

Here is a pic of the watch in question:

[mbc]

Service dial at best. Dial on a the serial number referenced in the sale listing should be mark I, possibly mark II (pretty rare). Here’s a mark I that I just traded away




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[mbc]

I would also question whether the movement is original to the watch (although less certain about that as Rolex grabbed parts in not so orderly of a fashion back then).

I've had two 2.1mm serial 1016s and both had movement serial #s that were 6 digits and pre-dated the serials beginning with "D".

This is a level of detail that most don't care about, much bigger issue for a vintage omega as Omega archives tracks what movement went into what model originally...

[Racer X]

Yes, I'm thinking it could be a service dial as well. Almost looks like luminova with a greenish tint to me.

[roh123]

This dealer has plenty of ”interesting” pieces. You would expect a frog foot dial from -69 imho so no need to give it much extra thought.

[ahantel]

Yup. Service dial: https://explorer1016.com/matte/service-dials/

[Racer X]

Originally Posted by ahantel

Yup. Service dial: https://explorer1016.com/matte/service-dials/

Nice reference. Thanks for posting.