Has anyone had a chance to test their pre-1960 Radium-dialed watch for gamma?

I have a beautiful 1953 gold-capped Seamaster about to reach my doorstep, and one of the fascinations I had for the watch before I decided to buy it, was the 'Radium-burn' you can see on the dial from where the hour hand must have sat for an extended period. I'm not concerned about health issues. I know it's inhalation and ingestion of radium wherein lies potential danger in these small amounts, so for me, it's just curiousity.

So, maybe a chance to buy another 'gadget' ...

Anyone gone for a Geiger counter?

 

remember - merken

 

Are you talking pubic wigs or chili peppers?

Some of the collector crowd goes nuts over geiger counters. You should read the threads over on VRF sometime.

Personally, I'm not going anywhere near a watch that requires a geiger counter before or after purchase. And not because of the radiation.

 

I sold the only watch I had with radium. I probably get enough exposure working on these watches that I don't need to be wearing one also. I am certainly very cautious when I see stuff like this come across my bench:



Although it looks like the dial was burnt, it was actually the crystal:



Tritium I have no issues wearing...radium I am just not going to any longer. There are differing opinions on the exposure risk when wearing one, but another watchmaker/clockmaker I know is a former nuclear engineer, and based on his comments I am just not wearing them anymore.

Cheers, Al

 

That is some impressive "burn"!

 

@woodwkr2 had a great post with a link to some watch related effects

http://omegaforums.net/threads/radi...lear-regulatory-commission.15191/#post-168652

 

Thanks, Standy, interesting and entertaining.

I'm wondering which counter @woodwkr2 ended up with? Al, did you get one, too?

 

Never heard back on that thread, so I have never bought one...maybe Byron can let us know how the one he bought turned out.

 

I put mine to good use...
http://omegaforums.net/threads/dete...s-the-elusive-all-original.15421/#post-170632

 

Wow...scary!!!

 

Yes . . .



. . . but the movement restoration hasn't gone well so far. My watchmaker returned it in a state I didn't consider acceptable, so it's back on his bench. Amplitude topped out at 200º, and beat error was 6.3 milliseconds after service. Not .63 . . . 6.3. Worn pivots, most likely.

Thanks for posting the question - it's reminded me to check on the 2179's progress.

Cordially,

Art

 

Worn pivots don't really account for a beat error like that. Where worn balance pivots will show up is say if you have a well adjusted watch otherwise, and it has one beat error in a horizontal position, and you see a very different beat error when you switch to a vertical position. There is always some side shake on these pivots or they would not function, but excessive side shake changes the centerline of the balance with respect to the balance cock or bridge, and this effectively changes the centering of the balance spring, and it shows up as beat error change.

By change I mean a beat error that changes say 0.5 ms. You really should not see much more change than that or the staff is likely very worn, or there are other issues with the watch. No way worn pivots alone would cause that much beat error, in particular in a horizontal position. I think it was likely never adjusted - on watches with no adjustable stud holder, you have to turn the collet, and getting it right on can be time consuming. Omega usually requires the beat error to be 0.8 ms max. on most calibers.

Cheers, Al

 

Many thanks for the clarification, Al - most helpful. I'll talk to my watchmaker tomorrow to see what he's come up with so far.

Best,

Art

 

Cool.

Looks like alot of area with radium on that dial considering those big, lumed indices...

....220 CPM and 167 CPM... How do those values compare to other watches in your collection? or, asked another way, did the watch go directly into your lead-lined vault afterwards?

 

My latest 'radium' dial watch (the beauty that she is) just came to my doorstep about an hour ago.

I'll post a pic once my phone battery gets a recharge (maybe it was the gamma rays that shut my phone down as I took the pic !)

Just kiddin'

 

OH, neat, just noticed, I just went nuclear, too....over a thousand likes

Thanks, everybody!

 

Do you see much of a correlation between luminous material and the readings you're getting? None of my older ones 'appear' to have much lume area...these two just arrived to me, and on the Seamaster's, you can even see some radium burn where a hand sat for an extended period... Thanks, again, Chris, they're quite nuclear!