Hi, Chris - I think photography can modify what you see by quite a bit, as you can see below. I don't really distinguish objectively between "champagne" and "cream", but I am always rather dubious about anything from that far back that is still "white". Theories abound, but light and atmosphere I think will always promote a chemical reaction over time - the trick is to get one of the benign ones. The exception is if it's made from an inherently inert material like enamel, and even then it can happen - as @Scarecrow Boat has illustrated perfectly above with his UGs.
What is weird it's these dials in real life don't look yellowish, but on photo they seem really yellow/salmon
But I love them ...
That is a beautiful Zodiac! Thank you for sharing it!
Since I am trying to learn more about the different models out there, would you mind sharing the references for each?
UV radiation or ionising radiation (old lume) damage
Hi River9, I think I know exactly what you mean! Below is a pic of my 166.010. It definitely has a silver sunburst dial. BUT: in certain lights (natural light especially), it takes on a coppery, cafe au lait color, which is beyond beautiful. My (totally uninformed) theory is that the decades have sort of "cured" the finish on the dial to give it that hue. (By contrast, I've noticed that silver-dialed Seikos [e.g., my King Seiko] from that period do not seem to take on the creamy/golden color with age. Maybe their finishing techniques were different?)
~Chris
Sorry I am not English native speaker. Just want to say what you describe above was exactly what I would want to tell.
Below are pics of my watch in different ligh conditions. Please notice hue color the same white dial 'plays' with light.
Cheers
As an aside to this conversation, I've noticed that Omega's Extract of the Archives sometimes notes a dial color:
But on my Seamaster 30, which is definitely cream-colored today:
There is nothing indicated:
