So this topic may have been discussed on this forum before and I have heard it being a common occurance. I have a vintage -69 Speedmaster and all three hands lume have a darker chocolatey appearance, for lack of better terminology. The lume on the hour markers is much lighter an only has mild patina. Although even and appealing to me does anyone know why this is common for either this reference or all early speedmasters?
Could you post a picture? I think you'll find that there's no absolute tests for the originality of hands and dial lume. But there are highly knowledgeable members of this forum who can give helpful opinions. Some say that if the hands and dial lume match too closely, this can be an indication of a relume. So, your observation might be a really positive indication.
When exposed to bright light does the dial stay glowing for longer then the hands? I’d expect less then 15 seconds of glow. It’s a correct 69-73 dial.
I forget exactly how long the dial and hands stay glowing for but the dial is a brighter than the hands. They both seem to fall off at the same rate.
Well it’s correct... it’s not expected to see that much of a difference. Hands do tend to be darker then the dial but not that much in my observations as it appears from pictures. It appears almost perfect dial and hands are aged... my -76 is similar but the hands are not as dark and the dial shows similar age. It’s possible the hands where swapped to bump the value of another piece, but I’d not worry. It’s attractive, or just may be the picture emphasizing the difference. Mine shows differently depending on lighting.