How long can you "charge" superluminova

[tommyz24]

Silly question........When I come out of the sunlight my dial is a torch but it fades fairly quickly. I was just wondering how long you can "charge" the dial for maximum brightness.

[Dan Pierce]

Rolex is not known for long lasting luminescence. Any strong light source will charge.
dP

[Explorador]

Hi tommy,

from what I read in another thread, after around 30 seconds superluminova is fully charged and the "countdown to darkness" begins.

Pls other wis correct me if I"m wrong.

marcelo.

[joe100]

I remember piloting my first night flight. I asked the instructor why we had a flashlight and he said "so you can see your watch!"

[77T]

If Rolex offered gas tubes you'd not have to worry with charging.

[Finewatch]

For the length of time it lasts it's hardly a selling feature as far as I know

[yld2rob]

The lume on my seamaster PO last longer than my subs. Neither last that long. As 77T mentioned above, get a watch like a Ball watch. It's lume can't be beat.

[BOA]

Once your eyes are used to the dark, you can read the time quite easily many hours after light last charged the luminova. Middle of the night dial check will prove that.

[ROLEXELOR]

I always sleep with the watch, I charge the DSSD before go to bed (23:00), and I can still see the time in the dark at 6 o 7 in the morning. I charge the watch with my lamp, between 10-20 seconds.

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by 77T

If Rolex offered gas tubes you'd not have to worry with charging.

I suppose it's a trade-off though. If Rolex went to tritium tubes then all night lume would not be an issue, but tritium decays and eventually (20 years or so) is significantly less effective. I believe the half life is about 12 years. I know some report longer life but I have a W serial Sub (circa 1994) and the tritium lume is useless now.

If I needed all night readability for whatever reason I think I'd go with a less expensive tritium watch or a G-shock with back light. For me though, as long as I can read my Rolex in the time I'm in a dark movie theater, that pretty much takes care of my needs. I never need my watch to tell me the time in the middle of the night. From what I understand (correct me if wrong) Luminova doesn't decay. So for my needs I'd rather have SL lume on a $10K Rolex that I know in 20-30 years will still be effective (given it's limitations for all night effectiveness). And I have a tiny key chain flashlight so I can always charge the lume when in the dark for longer than a couple of hours.

[77T]

The tubes will last about 20-25 yrs. then it's just a dial replacement. Not a big deal in the scheme of owning a Rolex. Heck, by the time the lume could dim, you'd have already spent over $2K on service alone.

Agree that a less expensive Ball is a great alternative, too.

[Slinkey]

Originally Posted by Finewatch

For the length of time it lasts it's hardly a selling feature as far as I know

X2

This is one of my two major complaints about Rolex; that, and not having anti-reflective coating on their crystals.

[Slinkey]

Originally Posted by BOA

Once your eyes are used to the dark, you can read the time quite easily many hours after light last charged the luminova. Middle of the night dial check will prove that.

Not with my 16610 cir. 2008.

[Slinkey]

[QUOTE=T. For me though, as long as I can read my Rolex in the time I'm in a dark movie theater, that pretty much takes care of my needs.[/QUOTE]

I may sound like a Negative Nancy but readability of my Sub in a darkened theater is effectively zero after about 20-30 min. Just sayin'.

[Tools]

I've never had an issue finding a suitable light-source when I need to see the time at night..

[ChuckFinlay]

My wife's YM luminova is better than on my watch, so I just nudge her during the night and ask her the time

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Tools

I've never had an issue finding a suitable light-source when I need to see the time at night..

Exactly afraid lume is way down my list of importance when buying any watch,and even if used underwater at night diver would carry a torch to check his watch or computer.

[DJJon]

FYI I have found the newer format CFL bulbs charge my lume much brighter than the old style incandescent bulbs.

[Rolexwatch]

Originally Posted by tommyz24

Silly question........

Yeap, it is.
How long? Until you get tired of holding your watch...

[scott k]

I charged my explorer with the new LEDs seems to make a difference

[wisguy]

Owned many brands, so far the best I've seen is Panerai.

[Scott in Arizona]

Best Super Luminova watch I have had so far was a Ulysse Nardin. I have a $300 Luminox Navy SEALs which doubles as my beater watch and my night stand watch. Always readable, tough as nails, and minimal investment.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

[Grey.Coupe]

In the dark, where lume is supposed to be useful, mine legibly lasts 8 hours or so...plenty long.

If my eyes are unaccustomed to the dark, pupils are constricted to the point I can barely see anything at all, but once adjusted, lume on my subs and Expll/42 are clearly visible.

[amexx83]

What u can do is to use those UV torches. The kind that is used to check on banknotes...

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by 77T

The tubes will last about 20-25 yrs. then it's just a dial replacement. Not a big deal in the scheme of owning a Rolex. Heck, by the time the lume could dim, you'd have already spent over $2K on service alone.

Agree that a less expensive Ball is a great alternative, too.

I agree that the problem with decayed tritium can always be resolved with a dial replacement. That would be pretty costly for something that is elective surgery. At least for me it's elective since I don't have to have the lume. This is the case with my Sub. The lume is long gone but I'm not inclined to replace the dial just for the lume. I'm not that bummed out about it but it would be nice if it did still work. But I suppose one can look at it like the paint on your car. No matter how expensive the car was, the paint will go eventually. We just don't normally keep cars long enough for it to be an issue.

[77T]

Originally Posted by T. Ferguson

I agree that the problem with decayed tritium can always be resolved with a dial replacement. That would be pretty costly for something that is elective surgery. At least for me it's elective since I don't have to have the lume. This is the case with my Sub. The lume is long gone but I'm not inclined to replace the dial just for the lume. I'm not that bummed out about it but it would be nice if it did still work. But I suppose one can look at it like the paint on your car. No matter how expensive the car was, the paint will go eventually. We just don't normally keep cars long enough for it to be an issue.

Agree with you - I have an Expl.II and GMT with dead tritium. Keeping them original as they are vintage.

On the Ball Watches I have, the permanent lume is why I chose them.

[InitialAndPitch]

The lume longevity on my GMT is really variable. Sometimes a matter of 20 mins and I’ve had it last 5 or 6 hours. Weird.

[RJRJRJ]

It should charge fully with one second of sunlight. After that IMO it should at least last half the night if not the entire night. Of course, your eyes have to be adjusted to the dark in order to see it.

[mgsooner]

The darkness of the room you’re in matters. I had my Explorer in the sun for maybe 30 minutes about 9-10 hours ago today and it has been indoors since. I can still easily read the time in a completely dark room.

In rooms with dim lighting the lume effect fades rapidly. In near total darkness it lasts quite a long time.