Credits: Article and images by Ashton Tracy @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/01/27/dial-restoration-aesthetics-or-functionality-how-to-decide-reprise/
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Dial restorations: not created equal, neither are re-lumes
How is a watch dial re-lumed?
If one wants to make a dial or hands appear new, a Super-LumiNova compound is used, which is the current industry standard. Various methods need to be employed to make a watch dial look aged as applying straight Super-LumiNova will make it look new.
The type of dial that is usually “aged” is one that would have initially used tritium-based luminous compound or, if older, as in the case of the Rolex Pink Stelline, radium-based paint.
Radium is a controlled substance, and very few people have the authorization to work with it today. I can almost guarantee none of those people are watchmakers.
Tritium is very difficult to find, but there are people around that have stocks of it and use it today.
Old tritium stock is manipulated to make the dial or handset appear aged, or period correct, and is done so by a handful of people around the world. People who are very good at what they do.
The dials and hands in question appear so correct that they only glow when exposed to UV light and, in some cases, are indistinguishable from an untouched vintage example.
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/12/rolex-oyster-lincoln-before-resto.jpg)
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/12/rolex-oyster-lincoln-before-resto.jpg)
A Rolex Oyster dial before restoration (photo Ashton Tracy)
Another method of aging involves Super-LumiNova that is colored and textured to appear old. It can either still glow or not at all.
If the decision is to have the dial or hands emit light, the lume will glow after being exposed to natural light, not just UV light.
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/12/rolex-oyster-lincoln-after-resto.jpg)
![](https://wristnews.com/storage/2022/12/rolex-oyster-lincoln-after-resto.jpg)
The Rolex Oyster dial after restoration (photo Ashton Tracy)
Or in the case of no luminosity, it won’t glow under UV light at all. The dial and/or hands appear old from a visual standpoint, but the authenticity can be easily verified.
In the case of the Rolex Pink Stelline, documentation proves that the watch is not an original untouched example, and it will never sell claiming that it is.
The owner wanted his watch to look and be period correct, which I’m sure everyone can understand when spending that kind of money. But he was never trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.
General thoughts on original form
The current astronomically high prices on the vintage market is fueling the trickery and deception we see so common among vintage watches today.
And dials and hands aren’t the only area suffering: we see cases that have been refinished throughout their life laser welded, re-lapped, and then faux aged to be sold on as an “original.”
Sadly, when such large sums of money are involved, this is now part and parcel of vintage watch collecting and something that everyone needs to be aware of.
One must ask the question: is it really possible that there are so many untouched examples of these vintage pieces floating around the world today?
Watches sent to service centers for repair have their cases refinished, parts updated, and damaged dials swapped out. When watches go in for warranty repairs, they are often given a touch-up polish as a courtesy to the customer, a fact that most aren’t aware of.
The answer to my above-posed question is a clear no.
But back to the original question: is the re-luming of dials a dishonest practice creating a minefield for unsuspecting buyers of vintage watches?
If the watch has been re-lumed using an aged Super-LumiNova, then I vote no as the authenticity and originality can be easily verified.
But if tritium is the choice, then definitely.
* This article was first published on November 14, 2019 at Dial Restoration: Aesthetics Or Functionality? And How To Decide.
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The Superficial Value In Refinishing/Refurbishing Rolexes: A Watchmaker’s Rant
The Number Of Jewels In A Watch Movement Indicates Value, Doesn’t It? A Myth Debunked
Fauxtina: A Faux Vintage Faux Pas
Credits: Article and images by Ashton Tracy @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/01/27/dial-restoration-aesthetics-or-functionality-how-to-decide-reprise/