My Submariner Face cannot glow anymore HOw?

[watchmadness]

Hi all i have a submariner which i have about 7 yrs now. But the face portion no long illume. Only the dot on the bezel still works.

What can i do to rectify that?

Change the face?

[ghostrider]

Depends on how old the Sub is. If it was manufactured before around 2000 and has some lettering like "SWISS T < .25" than that is normal. Your dial has luminance powered by tritium which decays over time. If the dial says SWISS or SWISS MADE than something is not correct. Those dials use a light source to store energy and charge the luminance so they should be working. If you have a tritium dial than Rolex will replace it with the newer one during servicing - however almost everyone on this forum would not recomemend that since it changes the original characteristics of the watch.

[liv2rce]

Does anyone re-lume, or is that not recomended for a tritium dial?

[TheDude]

It can be done but it isn't recommended. The relume isn't going to be uniform in appearance and it hurts authenticity/value.

[TheDude]

If you really want/need a dial that glows, the best idea is to try to get it replaced somewhere where they allow you to keep your original dial.

Rolex Service Center (RSC) will keep the old dial if they install a new luminova dial.

Ideally though, if you could keep the original dial, you could always swap it back in or sell it with the watch for the sake of originality.

[egzbuen]

Originally Posted by TheDude

If you really want/need a dial that glows, the best idea is to try to get it replaced somewhere where they allow you to keep your original dial.

Rolex Service Center (RSC) will keep the old dial if they install a new luminova dial.

Ideally though, if you could keep the original dial, you could always swap it back in or sell it with the watch for the sake of originality.

Agree

[liv2rce]

Thank you, sir!

[mike]

It's the arguement of "orginality" vs. "functionality".

In general re-luming is a bad idea. Depending on the reference, age, rarity, etc...value can be affected by a bit to a lot.

Most collectors feel the pecking order is;

Original--always best for value.
Factory service--if luminosity is a factor in your wearing habits with the understanding of the above comment on valuation

Re-lume--a distant third and something that can greatly affect valuation-especially on an in demand vintage piece.

[TimeToGo]

Try a different face!