Advice on relume and hand color for old Movado

[tmw57]

Hi Folks,

I found this old feller tucked away in the back of the junk watch drawer. I really love the dial, nice 35mm size and the overall vibe I get from this old watch. So I'm gonna do a bit of a restoration. First thing is to change the lume which I think is a major detractor.

So I'm going to relume it, have my watchmaker service the movement. And possible re-chrome the midcase if I can get it done cheaply.

Advice needed: I'm a pretty decent relumer and am able to mix and match pigments to create almost any color. I'd like relume color suggestions from the audience. Pale/dark yellow, old radium brown, tan, an attempt to match the pale red on the dial? Speckled brown to match the numerals? I know the pale red is a bit nutty....but I have no need to do a sympathetic restoration. Just want to make a fun watch to wear.

Anyone got an idea?

 

[MRC]

Using the red comes out quite nicely IMO

 

[140dave]

Maybe even a touch more on the red side 👍 more like the outer track to make the hands pop a bit more. But I like the mock-up better than the original so if originality does not matter as you clearly state, then I think you are on the right track.

 

[YYTIN]

Hi there,

Nice watch indeed and it deserved to be worn and get rid of this green lume indeed.

Found 2 pictures that I find inspiring for that purpose (even though the dials are not as salmon/pink as yours) :

And it basically goes in the same direction that @MRC advise.

Please share the result 😀

 

[tmw57]

Thanks so much! Yeah, I think I'm gonna figure out a nice red to match the minute track..

Will keep you posted.

 

[tmw57]

I'm having a tough time matching the red. Fooled around with some pale pink luminova and Testor's red and black enamel. Got the color correct but not consistency. Will retry in a few days.

After I put the hands in acetone to wash off the failed re-lume I lost a lot of the black paint on the hands. So now taking hands down to the brass as they sit in an acetone bath. It would be easier to keep the hands brass when I attempt my next re-lume. Just don't know if it's gonna look as good as when they were black.

Don't relish the thought of trying to paint these black....

Opinions on brass vs. black hands? I'll get the relume where I want it to be. Just not sure about painting the hands....

And if I keep the brass hands maybe I'll use a different lume color? Maybe a very deep tan or mustard?

 

[YYTIN]

Thanks for sharing !
I am completely ignorant of how to do that properly but, from a purely esthetic point of view, I would try to paint them back to black.
And I would try to keep the lume in a creamy way that would look like my first pic above (Could it be considered as having some reddish accent to it ?).
It is really a nice dial that you have here.
Good luck with the on going work.

 

[Vitezi]

I too think hands should be black, and a lume color as close as you can get to the numeral lume

 

[tmw57]

Thanks, and I'm in agreement with keeping the hands black. Part of the beauty of this dial will be the contrasting lume against a black hand.
I'm going to be diluting flat black paint and applying it with a watch oiler

 

[tmw57]

Vitezi

I too think hands should be black, and a lume color as close as you can get to the numeral lume

Matching lume to the numerals will be relatively simple compared to the minute track. And I also agree that the hands will look better black,

 

[Pvt-Public]

How do you keep the paint from bubbling? I’ve tried to paint and re-lume hands but the paint keeps bubbling on me.

 

[tmw57]

I use a watch oiler or toothpick to apply the paint after it’s been thinned into a watery texture. Problem with these hands may be the open area for the lume. But not sure. Will tell you when I try. Also need to wear a good loupe for such delicate work.

 

[tmw57]

OK, so I'm having a bit of early success using some acrylic paint. I figured I'd give it a shot as thinning it with water is so easy..

So I thinned it out pretty well to a very minimal viscosity. At first it was too thin and I could not even get a drop to form at the tip of a watch oiler.
So I gradually mixed in tiny bits of paint and was then able to get a bit onto the hands. I spread the paint with an oiler. Just thin enough to cover and to avoid the lume channels.

It will need a few more coats, but think I'm on the right track here. Notice that I thickened up the mixture a tiny bit for the minute hand after getting only fair coverage on the hour hand.

Edited: Sep 30, 2022

 

[YYTIN]

Right on track 😀

 

[tmw57]

Mods: maybe this can be moved to the "Let's see your current projects" thread?

 

[tmw57]

Hands looking a bit better after a few very thin applications of watery black acrylic.

But still patchy and will probably require a few more coats. This has been tricky. To avoid a thick mixture that would cover the hands easily, but have a tendency to fill in the tiny gaps for the lume. Versus these very thin, watery coats that don't cover too well but keep the contours of these skinny little hands intact.

But...it's fun!

 

[janice&fred]

You might try removing that thick paint and do a spray job with a decent rattle-can of matte black. I've had incredible results that way and it looks factory smooth and even when done. Just gotta go light and easy with maybe a single or two coat approach. I usually practice on a piece of cardboard to see the characteristics of the spray can then go for it.

 

[tmw57]

The paint appears thick in these pics, actually looks a bit better under high mag. loupe
I've tried spraying in the past and have never been that happy with the results. Often a bit too grainy and or lumpy. I have a feeling that in this case, spray would fill the lumen cavities..

So for now, I'm going to stick with the current method and see what happens. As you say, I can always remove and spray.
Although removing acrylic may prove tough. Not sure, though, as this is first time using.