First, the tritium-luminous hands will not crack and chip. This fault was a characteristic of radium dials, which was a much more toxic (if inhaled or ingested) and energetic gamma/alpha isotope than the soft beta emission of tritium. Tritium which is absorbed into the phoshporus at less than 25 micro Curies is not dangerous to handle at all, and this is especially true after 15 years when it has decayed to less than half its original radioactivity. My tritium Submariner is 1996 vintage and I am the first owner. Even when new, and I was much younger, my eyes had to be in the dark for at least five minutes to clearly see the time, the emission was that soft. Now, much older eyes and nearly two half-lives later, the hands are impossible to clearly tell the time in the dark without nearly ten minutes in complete darkness and magnifying eye glasses. If I ever wanted or needed the face to be luminous, I'll change everything out with the newest Luminova. But that will never happen, as I have other Luminova automatics and a very functional solar-charged digital for nighttime use. The watch would lose value by changing the original face, and the bezel dot is just now beginning to patina a bit, but the hands and face are not. I would like Rolex to go back to tritium, but to enclose it in glass vials like other watch companies do. This way they could greatly increase the tritium concentration because it is safely sealed, and the lume would be very visible for decades. Of course the vials would have to be flattened instead of cylindrical to match the aesthetics of the Submariner.
Idk, I'm kinda cool with the gloss-protection method. I mean, what's a better alternative? Let the stuff crumble into dust? Now, I think I'd avoid BUYING tritium in the first place. But if already owned a 1675 for example? Idk, I think I'd be ok with the gloss.
RSC does such a nice job. Got my 2007 Sea Dweller back and it’s perfection. You’ll love it. Also liked “it’s like a living thing because it DIES”. LOL. Ironic. Seemed funny.
Love the tritium . Only toxic if you eat it right? :) So I have a blue 2 tone sub with "Swiss - T < 25" on the dial. It has a wonderful egg shell patina on the markers that matches the patina on the date wheel.
My gut feeling is that patina seems to be more appreciated and fetched at a higher premium in Japan (e.g. shops in Nakano advertises the patina), than say the rest of the world where "vintage Rolex" seems sufficient.
It's good to hear your thoughts on these different dials etc. I have a swiss only Polar dial Explorer, so, I'm interested to hear what you have to say about it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Austin. Cheers 🇬🇧
What’s the best way to stop tritium hands from the skeletonise? I like the patina that forms but I don’t like how some tritium hands just completely hollow out and disintegrate.
I've heard that there's a clear film that can be applied to the tritium to keep it intact. But you'd need a third party to do it. I'm not a fan of 3rd party work if I can help it, but it could be worth researching.
I think they apply a thin clear glue to the backside of the hands to stabilize the tritium, so it wouldn't effect the appearance at all, i have a crack in my second hand lollipop tritium, i may get it stabilized, nice work picking up the fat 4 bezel for your sub too ;)
@watchsymposium I also have a service bezel on my date sub "u" serial , its a luminova pip and a sharp 4, it drove me insane lol I finally found a tritium pip fat 4 bezel one and payed as much for it as you would another lesser watch, but I feel so good inside knowing I have that lil original bezel tucked in the box.....this hobby is so weird 😆
The issue is the 1675 I want is only going to have tritium in an original dial. I like the tritium, but finding a period authentic piece in good condition without hands, dial, or even both replaced by RSC is very difficult. I found a great Root beer, with beautiful golden patina dial... and stark white hands. I've thought about purchasing it anyway and looking for different hands.
Hi Austin! About two years ago I owned a black dialed Explorer II (A serial) with a Tritium dial. The only thing is that after a few months, I noticed the dial (and maybe the hands) glowed in the dark only after being exposed to light. For sure they were Luminova. But the dial definitely read: Swiss - T < 25 I read on some forums about other A serials being produced this way to use up the stock of tritium dials. Have you ever heard of an Explorer II like this? BTW, I ended up selling it, so I don’t have it anymore.
If you're buying a Luminova or Super-Luminova watch, just because you don't want to have skeletonized hands in 60 years time, you're missing out on the Tritium experience. You can always have the tritium dial and hands replaced with Super-Luminova service parts down the road, and you'll have the same watch you would have had, had you bought the Super-Luminova watch in the first place.
Think of a tritium dial like the face of a person. Everyone ages but in different ways depending on age, diet, exposure to the elements, sun, stress etc. No two faces will be exactly the same. Some people will choose to have plastic surgery or wear make up to maintain their looks. Others will age gracefully without any intervention and let nature take its course. As a watch collector you can choose the natural aging of tritium, or gloss it over with make up or completely change the dial by going full surgery. Everyone is unique and it depends whether you enjoy your face naturally aged or artificially enhanced. If I was acquiring a tritium dial I'd prefer not to mess with it for the sake of the integrity of the watch. Once a beautiful woman gets a boob job, she can't go back to be normal again. There will always be scars and tissue damage.
I have a vintage Tudor Date-Day from the mid-70s. Some of the tritium markers near the indices have indeed flaked away into oblivion. The tritium on the hands has long since disappeared. I’ll never have them replaced, as I like to keep it original, but to me the skeleton hands let the watch down a bit.
I think the tritium tends to crack whenever a watch is serviced. It's extremely brittle and the hands are delicate, so when the hands are removed (and re-installed), some flexxing of the hand(s) may occur. On other hand, the dial is a much more stable surface.
I love the analogy with the oil painting. That’s sold me on the value of the tritium dials.
First, the tritium-luminous hands will not crack and chip. This fault was a characteristic of radium dials, which was a much more toxic (if inhaled or ingested) and energetic gamma/alpha isotope than the soft beta emission of tritium. Tritium which is absorbed into the phoshporus at less than 25 micro Curies is not dangerous to handle at all, and this is especially true after 15 years when it has decayed to less than half its original radioactivity.
My tritium Submariner is 1996 vintage and I am the first owner. Even when new, and I was much younger, my eyes had to be in the dark for at least five minutes to clearly see the time, the emission was that soft. Now, much older eyes and nearly two half-lives later, the hands are impossible to clearly tell the time in the dark without nearly ten minutes in complete darkness and magnifying eye glasses.
If I ever wanted or needed the face to be luminous, I'll change everything out with the newest Luminova. But that will never happen, as I have other Luminova automatics and a very functional solar-charged digital for nighttime use.
The watch would lose value by changing the original face, and the bezel dot is just now beginning to patina a bit, but the hands and face are not.
I would like Rolex to go back to tritium, but to enclose it in glass vials like other watch companies do. This way they could greatly increase the tritium concentration because it is safely sealed, and the lume would be very visible for decades. Of course the vials would have to be flattened instead of cylindrical to match the aesthetics of the Submariner.
Idk, I'm kinda cool with the gloss-protection method. I mean, what's a better alternative? Let the stuff crumble into dust?
Now, I think I'd avoid BUYING tritium in the first place. But if already owned a 1675 for example? Idk, I think I'd be ok with the gloss.
Cool video! I love tritium!
Thanks Irix!
RSC does such a nice job. Got my 2007 Sea Dweller back and it’s perfection. You’ll love it. Also liked “it’s like a living thing because it DIES”. LOL. Ironic. Seemed funny.
Love the tritium . Only toxic if you eat it right? :)
So I have a blue 2 tone sub with "Swiss - T < 25" on the dial. It has a wonderful egg shell patina on the markers that matches the patina on the date wheel.
happy haircut AD . be safe . ~ JDS/CT
My gut feeling is that patina seems to be more appreciated and fetched at a higher premium in Japan (e.g. shops in Nakano advertises the patina), than say the rest of the world where "vintage Rolex" seems sufficient.
It's good to hear your thoughts on these different dials etc. I have a swiss only Polar dial Explorer, so, I'm interested to hear what you have to say about it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Austin. Cheers 🇬🇧
What’s the best way to stop tritium hands from the skeletonise? I like the patina that forms but I don’t like how some tritium hands just completely hollow out and disintegrate.
I've heard that there's a clear film that can be applied to the tritium to keep it intact. But you'd need a third party to do it. I'm not a fan of 3rd party work if I can help it, but it could be worth researching.
I think they apply a thin clear glue to the backside of the hands to stabilize the tritium, so it wouldn't effect the appearance at all, i have a crack in my second hand lollipop tritium, i may get it stabilized, nice work picking up the fat 4 bezel for your sub too ;)
Thank you!
@watchsymposium I also have a service bezel on my date sub "u" serial , its a luminova pip and a sharp 4, it drove me insane lol I finally found a tritium pip fat 4 bezel one and payed as much for it as you would another lesser watch, but I feel so good inside knowing I have that lil original bezel tucked in the box.....this hobby is so weird 😆
The issue is the 1675 I want is only going to have tritium in an original dial. I like the tritium, but finding a period authentic piece in good condition without hands, dial, or even both replaced by RSC is very difficult. I found a great Root beer, with beautiful golden patina dial... and stark white hands. I've thought about purchasing it anyway and looking for different hands.
Hi Austin! About two years ago I owned a black dialed Explorer II (A serial) with a Tritium dial. The only thing is that after a few months, I noticed the dial (and maybe the hands) glowed in the dark only after being exposed to light. For sure they were Luminova. But the dial definitely read: Swiss - T < 25
I read on some forums about other A serials being produced this way to use up the stock of tritium dials. Have you ever heard of an Explorer II like this? BTW, I ended up selling it, so I don’t have it anymore.
Hey Jose - yes, I've heard of those dials marked as tritium, but with Luminova instead. Very niche pieces, but pretty cool!
Sent in a 16710 for service. Has tritium dial and hands. You can opt to not have the dial and/or hands replaced
If you're buying a Luminova or Super-Luminova watch, just because you don't want to have skeletonized hands in 60 years time, you're missing out on the Tritium experience. You can always have the tritium dial and hands replaced with Super-Luminova service parts down the road, and you'll have the same watch you would have had, had you bought the Super-Luminova watch in the first place.
I wear my watches and I’m afraid a tritium dialed Rolex would end up being a safe queen. If I had massive funds I’d own some 😎.
OMG Austin has had a haircut!!
Think of a tritium dial like the face of a person. Everyone ages but in different ways depending on age, diet, exposure to the elements, sun, stress etc. No two faces will be exactly the same. Some people will choose to have plastic surgery or wear make up to maintain their looks. Others will age gracefully without any intervention and let nature take its course. As a watch collector you can choose the natural aging of tritium, or gloss it over with make up or completely change the dial by going full surgery. Everyone is unique and it depends whether you enjoy your face naturally aged or artificially enhanced. If I was acquiring a tritium dial I'd prefer not to mess with it for the sake of the integrity of the watch. Once a beautiful woman gets a boob job, she can't go back to be normal again. There will always be scars and tissue damage.
Great analogy!
"patina'ing it" lol
Great program wish you could visit Dubai, Rolex Dealers and the local watch club. I think you couldn't make some fine contact's.
Why do the tritium hands crack and crumble, but the dial doesn’t?
I have a vintage Tudor Date-Day from the mid-70s. Some of the tritium markers near the indices have indeed flaked away into oblivion. The tritium on the hands has long since disappeared. I’ll never have them replaced, as I like to keep it original, but to me the skeleton hands let the watch down a bit.
I think the tritium tends to crack whenever a watch is serviced. It's extremely brittle and the hands are delicate, so when the hands are removed (and re-installed), some flexxing of the hand(s) may occur. On other hand, the dial is a much more stable surface.
I wouldn’t touch it . I liken it to painting a lovely oak door with gloss paint Seems wrong to me . Keep the soul leave well alone ..
Lume paint on your Sub looks stable. It might not crack in your lifetime.
🔥🔥
Please again more vids on tritium plz
Its funny how you are just standing there and talking. 😅Japanese are known to be very mindful about talking loudly in public spaces, arent they?