Reply With QuoteDepends.
tritium fades but the plots will eventually get a lovely patina, but no glow. (T on the dial)
Luminova / superluminova should keep going but won't fade like trit does.
May I ask at what age does a Rolex a Submariner start to lose its Lume ?
I have recently acquired one from 1991 and it doesn't have any left. it doesn't effect my enjoyment of my new purchase but just raised a question.
Or does it depend on the version, ie will more modern versions last a longer number of years
Cheers
Michael
Depends.
tritium fades but the plots will eventually get a lovely patina, but no glow. (T on the dial)
Luminova / superluminova should keep going but won't fade like trit does.
Tritium has a 12.3 years half life.Originally Posted by Michael3009
That means that what is left is a quarter of what it was when new. My 97 still shows a reasonably visible pip on the bezel, but my eyes need to be well adjusted to darkness to spot the remnants of luminosity on the hands (hour and minutes only) and the indexes.
Don't Rolex renew/replace all luminous elements (hands, dial etc) if required at service time?
Usually yes, for newer versions with Luminova, unless you specify not to exchange. Also for even older vintage pieces like 1680 get a new matte dial+hands+bezel, but still with Luminova.
Exactly the same experience with my 97 Explorer II.
It also depends on other factors such as how the paste (mixture) was placed in its place, I had a few black bays 4 to count precisely and one of them had the lumi on hour hand little bit faded it really was microsized detail so I took it to watchmaker and he said it might during the time fade more and more. I do not know how Rolex in their years back did apply luminescent material, anybody knows how they do it ?
All I know is that my Rolex 60's watches are more active than the ones from the 70's, I assume there was more applied on the earlier ones before they realised there was a danger of customers growing an extra head.
Exactly. The quantity of Tritium applied determines the brightness. Also on my watches from the 60s uv or bright light have a brief effect, suggesting the mix may have had some phosphor as well.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
You cannot actually SEE Tritium glow, the Tritium activates a phosphorous material that is mixed with Tritium. The phosphorous material also reacts (briefly) with (sun)light but won't hold a charge though.
Halftime of Tritium is around 10Y, it's safe to assume that after 40Y the glow is next to nothing, no matter how many was applied.
I was always taught 'never assume', both my 48 year old watches glow quite strongly but the effect lasts a minute at most whereas my 36 year old one doesnt glow at all and is virtually inactive which leads me to believe that more tritium was applied or a stronger source was used for the earlier models.
Last edited by bobdog; 2nd September 2014 at 20:26.
Like and old film star the lume on my Rolex just faded away. So slowly in fact that I didn't even miss it until one evening I noticed my new diver shining like a torch.
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