My older Seamaster Aqua Terra [2005] is very easy to read both hands in the dark. However, my brand new $4000 plus Aqua Terra can be almost impossible to read in the dark. For some reason Omega only put lume on the Arrowhead portion of the minute hand and it can be impossible to see if aligned with any of the five minute indices/markers of the watch. It absolutely drives me nuts not to be able to look at my watch in the dark and immediately and easily determine the time. Has this bothered anyone else? Was the change simply a way to save production costs or what?

 

Same feel. I think its design and not cost saving.
BTW Recently found myself getting rid of watches (the daily ones) that hard to read.

 

This is exactly the reason why I never bought the watch even though I really like the design. I don't understand why they don't fill the minute hand with lume like they did for the old Railmaster.

 

Looking at a watch with lume in full glow is fun but has anyone ever actually benefited from lume in a practical sense?

I’ve never gone from a bright place into a dark place and needed to know the time within the two or three minutes before the lume fades.

Has anyone?

 

Can't read dial in old eyes...

 

It's not like they invented lume for shits and giggles

Good lume definitely helps in seeing the time in dark environments. It will indeed not be shining bright like on all the lume pics but if your eyes are adjusted to the dark, the slight glow will be enough to be able to distinguish the hands.