Bad lume on speedmaster

jimmyboi · Nov 8, 2015

Hi all,

New to this forum. I have my dads old speedmaster proffesional bought new in 1990. The watch runs fine but the lume is very weak/doesn't last long. Is this normal for a watch of this age?

I have 'charged' it up (left in direct sunlight for a few hours) and the lume is bright initially but doesn't last very long. I know some dive watches have ridiculous lumes that can light up a room and i'm not after that but being able to see the time when waking up in the middle of the night would be nice.

Do all speedmasters have weak lumes or just get degraded over time?

italy1861 · Nov 8, 2015

Your Speedmaster has tritium lume and it degrades over time. I have a mid sixties Omega that still glows but, it fades quickly. Speedmasters made after 2000 came with superluminova. My 2001 Speedy still glows like new.

hoppes-no9 · Nov 8, 2015

Heck, my speedie was made in 2015 and the lume is awful. I'd be happy if a 1990 tritium watch glowed at all.

vinn2 · Nov 8, 2015

welcome to the forum

jimmyboi · Nov 8, 2015

Is there anyway to refresh the lume? In a service maybe or is this just not possible. Dissapointing to hear even the new watches have weak lume. I would have thought a quality make like Omega would be good for this aspect at least. Even my timex watch I had as a child had nice bright hands, used to loved going under the bed sheets just to look at it 😎

italy1861 · Nov 8, 2015

ALL watches that use tritium for lume will degrade over time regardless of the maker. If your looking for markers and hands that glow like a torch don't expect that from a Speedmaster, buy a SMP or PO. Easiest way to get new lume is to replace your dial and hands with modern superluminova versions. Most with a watch like yours don't want to replace the tritium because over time it takes on a wonderful patina that doesn't happen with superluminova. I personally wouldn't touch the dial or hands, get the watch cleaned and serviced.

friendharry · Nov 8, 2015

Agreed, bad lame makes it better !

How many times you wake up at night to check the time ? I check my iPhone, but will not damage a vintage spirit to get a modern convenience !

SeanO · Nov 8, 2015

if you want lume then Ball or Lum-Tec might be more your style.

ConElPueblo · Nov 9, 2015

You could get the dial and hands changed at a service, but it will ruin the value of the watch (as a collector's item!), as well as being rather pricey. If you consider going down this route, it might actually be more cost efficient to sell the older watch (if it's in good condition and hasn't any sentimental value) and buy a newer one with Superluminova instead of tritium.

STANDY · Nov 9, 2015

Get a Oliver Hemming clock

The desire alarm clock lights up when you pick it up

http://www.oliverhemming.com/

Can get it cheaper elsewhere

Picture of mine, well made and heavy as chrome boarder is quite thick.
This one is 80mm

LawBrk · Nov 9, 2015

My '68 speedy that is currently at the spa had lume that barely glowed for 2 min and that's the same stuff as on yours. It's not going to be like modern watches but that's the charm, but I'm not sure even SuperLum would stay visible for 5+ hours.

Also, I enjoy that even when threads bear off of the OP it's still about time. That Oliver Hemming is now on the Christmas list.

Maximus84 · Nov 9, 2015

I know the OP is talking about a Tritium dialled watch, but there has been talk about the modern Superluminova watches also.

My Speedie Pro is coming up to a year old. I'm away from home (and have been for the last 4 months) and as such I do not have an alarm clock. I'm working all kinds of wacky hours and often wake up and would like to know the time. Sure, I could check my phone, but then that would blind my dark-adjusted eyes (even on the dimmest brightness setting) as well as waking me up more than I would like (the blue wavelength light that's emitted from electronic devices stimulates the brain to wake up).

Anyway, I have thus been wearing my Speedie to bed, and have found that the time is still legible even after 8+hours in a completely darkened room. Sure, the hands and plots are pretty small (it's no diver!), and it can take a couple of seconds for my eyes to see clearly, but it's legible.

Back on topic - I'd also leave the dial/hands as they are, and if I needed a watch for night time use I'd get a modern luminova variant or a diver (which is next on my list anyway - Great White in fact!)

dsio · Nov 9, 2015

J jimmyboi
Hi all,

New to this forum. I have my dads old speedmaster proffesional bought new in 1990. The watch runs fine but the lume is very weak/doesn't last long. Is this normal for a watch of this age?

I have 'charged' it up (left in direct sunlight for a few hours) and the lume is bright initially but doesn't last very long. I know some dive watches have ridiculous lumes that can light up a room and i'm not after that but being able to see the time when waking up in the middle of the night would be nice.

Do all speedmasters have weak lumes or just get degraded over time?

Congrats on a nice piece, a 1990 probably has the rather uncommon 1450 bracelet (with 808 end links) and is one of the nicest eras to buy from, modern reliability but the last of the vintage feel.

jaymyms · Nov 10, 2015

My Seiko SKX outglows my Omega and Rolex by a large margin.

I echo the others, leave that gorgeous tritium dial and hands the way they are! Theres a charm there that you just won't get with a modern reference.

constellationM · Nov 12, 2015

My 2012 Speedy has very strong lume! And is legible all night long.
Please retain the Tritium dial. Perhaps change to new hands, but request the old ones back.

al128 · Nov 13, 2015

those vintage watches often become liked also for their quirks .... "technically" a 1960ies Stratocaster is a pretty crappy guitar, wont stay in tune, etc... but thats part of their personalities ... just like on the speedy. I assume in car-world there are similiar analogies ;-)

al128 · Nov 13, 2015

those vintage watches often become liked also for their quirks .... "technically" a 1960ies Stratocaster is a pretty crappy guitar, wont stay in tune, etc... but thats part of their personalities ... just like on the speedy. I assume in car-world there are similiar analogies ;-)

Blackbox0903 · Dec 3, 2015

Get a seiko monster for crazy bright lume. not a speedmaster 😀

Jonathan H. · Jan 28, 2016

I recently joined the Speedmaster Pro club. After much debate I decided I wasn't prepared to spend the kind of money needed on an early '70s model that would be in a condition I was happy with. So I set my sights on mid 90s examples that had the 861 movement and the tritium lume. I finally found one with box and papers that was purchased new in 1995 and pulled the trigger.

Having looked at tons of pictures of these watches from this time period I noticed that the hands seem to age differently than the dial in that the dial had the beginnings of the orangish patina while the hands were closer to the original color which was also the case with mine. On my watch the dial lume faded within a couple minutes and the hands lasted a few minutes more.

Is this phenomenon typical or have my hands been replaced?

CTS-V · Jan 28, 2016

SeanO
if you want lume then Ball or Lum-Tec might be more your style.

Luminox is pretty decent as well....

Bad lume on speedmaster

jimmyboi

italy1861

hoppes-no9

vinn2

jimmyboi

italy1861

friendharry

SeanO

ConElPueblo

STANDY

LawBrk

Maximus84

dsio

jaymyms

constellationM

al128

al128

Blackbox0903

Jonathan H.

CTS-V

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