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Dirty Dozen Omega - Any saw combat?

size11s
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Promethium was also used on the Seiko gen 1 & 2 RAF watches from circa 1984 well into the 1990's.
 
bigbug1964
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size11s size11s
Promethium was also used on the Seiko gen 1 & 2 RAF watches from circa 1984 well into the 1990's.
“Well, as every proper military watch enthusiast knows, the only ironclad rule in this hobby is that there’s always an exception to every rule—except for the rule about exceptions, which, of course, also has its exceptions. So if Omega ever did make a Dirty Dozen with a promethium dial, it would be entirely consistent with the grand tradition of watch collecting: the more impossible, the more likely someone’s got one in a sock drawer somewhere (next to the Holy Grail, for me a WWW Grana with a P-dial)." 😉
 
I
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size11s size11s
Promethium was also used on the Seiko gen 1 & 2 RAF watches from circa 1984 well into the 1990's.
Interesting. Why would they do this well in the 1980s and 1990s when everyone else has moved to tritium?
 
bigbug1964
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Interesting. Why would they do this well in the 1980s and 1990s when everyone else has moved to tritium?
The continued use of promethium lume on Seiko Gen 1 and Gen 2 RAF watches in the 1980s and 1990s, despite the broader industry's shift to tritium, was primarily due to specific procurement, regulatory, and operational requirements within the UK Ministry of Defence. Promethiumoffered lower radioactivity and a sufficiently bright initial glow, albeit with a much shorter half-life than tritium.

In some cases, promethium was favored because it posed fewer handling and storage restrictions under transport and health regulations compared to tritium and could be serviced on a predictable schedule due to its rapid fading. Additionally, standardization across government contracts and the desire to avoid cross-contamination with sensitive equipment (especially in aviation and submarine service) influenced the MoD to maintain promethium use on selected models even as tritium became more common elsewhere.

Thus, the decision reflected a balance between operational safety, regulatory frameworks, and supply logistics rather than purely technical superiority.
 
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bigbug1964 bigbug1964
The continued use of promethium lume on Seiko Gen 1 and Gen 2 RAF watches in the 1980s and 1990s, despite the broader industry's shift to tritium, was primarily due to specific procurement, regulatory, and operational requirements within the UK Ministry of Defence. Promethiumoffered lower radioactivity and a sufficiently bright initial glow, albeit with a much shorter half-life than tritium.

In some cases, promethium was favored because it posed fewer handling and storage restrictions under transport and health regulations compared to tritium and could be serviced on a predictable schedule due to its rapid fading. Additionally, standardization across government contracts and the desire to avoid cross-contamination with sensitive equipment (especially in aviation and submarine service) influenced the MoD to maintain promethium use on selected models even as tritium became more common elsewhere.

Thus, the decision reflected a balance between operational safety, regulatory frameworks, and supply logistics rather than purely technical superiority.
Thank you. I'm learning a lot from this thread!
 
Ludi
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An other Omega W.W.W dial variant, fitted with a VB dial; no clue if it has seen some action though

IMG_0984.webp IMG_1774.webp


To my knowledge, two watches were fitted with VB dial only:
  • Omega 10033
  • Record 10034

Two watches were fitted with NSN printed on the dial:
  • Record
  • IWC

In addition, various MoD dials were made with the brand name reprinted on it.
 
kfranzk
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Here you see the Royal Airforce Seiko Chronograph Gen 1 from 1988 with the Promethium dial (C24).
Seiko Prometium RAF Chronograph (1).webp Seiko Prometium RAF Chronograph (2).webp
 
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Ludi Ludi
An other Omega W.W.W dial variant, fitted with a VB dial; no clue if it has seen some action though

IMG_0984.webp IMG_1774.webp


To my knowledge, two watches were fitted with VB dial only:
  • Omega 10033
  • Record 10034

Two watches were fitted with NSN printed on the dial:
  • Record
  • IWC

In addition, various MoD dials were made with the brand name reprinted on it.
Thanks for sharing. Sorry for my ignorance, but what's a VB dial?
 
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kfranzk kfranzk
Here you see the Royal Airforce Seiko Chronograph Gen 1 from 1988 with the Promethium dial (C24).
Seiko Prometium RAF Chronograph (1).webp Seiko Prometium RAF Chronograph (2).webp
Thanks for sharing this. 1988 is really quite modern!
 
JimInOz
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Sorry for my ignorance, but what's a VB dial?
Before the adoption of the NATO stock control system, the MoD used an alpha/numeric inventory system.

VB dials are those where the inventory number is displayed on the dial.
 
JimInOz
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kfranzk kfranzk
Here you see the Royal Airforce Seiko Chronograph Gen 1 from 1988 with the Promethium dial (C24).
My Gen 1 from 1990.

IMG_5066.webp
 
DoctorEvil
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JimInOz JimInOz
My Gen 1 from 1990.

IMG_5066.webp
May I ask if the chronograph seconds hand is the one at the 6 o'clock subdial or the large central seconds hand? Thanks 😊
Also, if the subdial at 3 o'clock records tenths of a second, then I'm guessing that the little hand would be spinning around like crazy when the chronograph is in use.
 
JimInOz
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DoctorEvil DoctorEvil
May I ask if the chronograph seconds hand is the one at the 6 o'clock subdial or the large central seconds hand? Thanks 😊
Also, if the subdial at 3 o'clock records tenths of a second, then I'm guessing that the little hand would be spinning around like crazy when the chronograph is in use.
Yes, the chronograph seconds is the big one, seconds at 6 and yes indeed, that tenths hand spins like a helo tail rotor.
That's why I stopped the chrono for the photo.
 
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kfranzk kfranzk
Hammer price excluding fees: 21.000€!
That's actually not too bad (not that I would buy at this price!). These watches seem to have gone up in value individually anyway, and obviously it would have taken years of effort to collect the whole set.
 
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