The lume is gone, the paint under the lume is gone. It just seems that something should be done. Or maybe not. I want to put this on my 2998-62 because at least it's original. But is just too ugly to leave as it is? I need guidance. is relume it's only savior? I am just wondering what you would do in this perplexing predicament. I am not selling it (yet) if that makes a difference. I know the pros and cons have been discussed at length here but for some reason I am stuck in the middle of the 2 on this dial.
Given the overall condition, I would leave it as is. IMO, would look much worse, not better, if relumed.
If a high-quality re-lume were accomplished, I think the aesthetics would improve. The rest of the dial aspects are not as glaringly deficient as the missing luminous.
I think you're going to get both sides on this one. You have the authentic at any cost crew and the relume and refinish crew. It all depends on what you want to do. If you're going to sell the watch then don't touch anything. If you're going to keep it then do whatever makes you happy.
Would it be possible to get pics of the watch....if the case has some dings , faded bezel, some scratches on crystal the dial may go for worn/weathered look If the rest of the watch is NOS then I think this dial may look out of place Even if relumed perfectly the dial is going to look weathered as the paint is off many of the minute tracks...spotted etc...
If it's the original dial, I would leave it exactly the way it is! That dial represents everything the watch has experienced, a life story if you will.
How are the 60 and 120 on the tach shifted right in that pic? If one is shifted right the other has to be shifted left. That bezel though. Amazing.
Over to you on this one but I think the dial in its current condition matches the bezel pretty nicely. Either way, you have a 2998 with an original dial, you're good.
you got me thinking about the 120 not lining up. So I looked at a bunch of random speedmaster pictures and noticed that it's pretty common for the 120 to be off to the right of the number six. I never noticed that. Here is one out of a bunch that I saw.
The missing paint plots could be re-done and a vintage mixture of lume applies that would be sympathetic with the age and overall condition of the dial. Both arguments are valid, funny though if this was a vintage car needing restoration, no one would hesitate to cut out the rust and fix it up with a new paint job, but not so for watches...
I'm usually against relumes, but this dial looks very tired in its current state. Not just the missing lume, but missing paint from the hour markers, minute markers and parts of the text. In this case I'd opt for a sympathetic relume, with a dark yellow colour, perhaps with some darker areas thrown in to match the overall degradation. Given the state of the dial, it shouldn't end up with significantly more damage if you then decide it's not for you and get the new compound removed. You don't have this luxury with a dial that has lost its lume but is otherwise in good condition. I wouldn't touch up the minute markers or text though.
Given what the rest of the watch looks like, which I see now, if you are going to leave everything as is with the rest of it, you should probably leave the dial alone too. However, if you choose to spiff the whole watch up a bit (which I actually think is not a crime), then a sympathetic lume job could be a nice addition. Remember: there is no glory in preserving the fact that someone else, who thought the watch was simply a tool, beat the pants off it in day to day life. As was accurately pointed out, very collectible and expensive cars are restored all the time, when they need it due to poor aesthetics. Clean it without guilt, and make some new stories...your own. However, in today's collecting environment, you do run the risk of devaluing the watch should you care to re-sell it.
The lume of your dial is in very bad condition so I would relume it. This watch for example is more desirable after the relume.
I say relume (with non-luminous paint, matching the hands), but document the process from start to finish so that it can be explained.
These relume issues are very very tough. More so for lume plots than hands. The rest of your watch does work with dial as is, BUT I agree with others that a rustic re-lume would improve the aesthetics.
You could always try it on the watch as is for a while and see if you like it. If not, then get it touched up. Expensive dial though, given the state. As others have noted, it's not just the lume plots but also some paint.
I have a dial on a 68 speedy transitional were some one tried to touch up the paint ..not good....now it is going to jack at iww for couple months ...hope fully he can work some magic