![]() ![]() Even Panerai’s timepiece for the Italian Navy, the Radiomir, was radium-lumed. The chemist Marie Curie discovered radium at the turn of the 19th century, and by the 1910s, it was used to add glow to watch dials. So why are we talking about them here?ĭespite the fact that radium isn’t used in watch production today, many vintage watches may have been outfitted with potentially hazardous radium dials. In large part due to the Radium Girls tragedy in the 1920s, watch companies gradually decreased their use of radium dials. Radium and Promethium Dials: Important Info for Vintage Watch Collectors Rolex’s Chromalight has a signature blue sheen and lasts up to eight hours, while Seiko’s LumiBrite is basically a Japanese Super-Luminova. Some brands use proprietary photoluminescent formulas. They’re long-lasting and won’t usually discolor or fade over time as tritium gas does. Photoluminescent dials can glow for at least half an hour, and up to seven hours, before needing to be recharged (depending on how many layers of paint are used). This Super-LumiNova is still the industry’s most commonly used luminescence. This very same base formula was brought into common practice by Swiss brand LumiNova AG. Kenzo Nemoto, a Japanese entrepreneur, developed a stable and non-toxic phosphorescent paint using a compound called strontium aluminate in the ‘90s. Meanwhile, fluorescence doesn’t linger after being “turned off,” which is why it’s often used for indoor lighting and neon signs. In plain English, the difference between the two is that phosphorescence is long-lived and continues on even after it’s been activated - making it perfect for watch dials! Source: Flickr / Eric Kilby There are two types of photoluminescence, fluorescence, and phosphorescence. Even dangerous lumes aren’t used anymore, knowing about them is relevant to watch collectors even today. It’s a non-toxic and non-radioactive solution to older, more dangerous lume technology, which we’ll also cover in a moment. Photoluminescent paint absorbs light and then uses it to create a glow on watch dials. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. The most commonly used watch lume today is called photoluminescence, though tritium and electroluminescent dials are also used to a lesser extent. This is compared to incandescence, which often uses sources like fire. Luminescence is light created from a non-heated source. Here’s the first of many quick and easy science lessons. Radium and Promethium Dials: Important Info for Vintage Watch Collectors. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |