Give me a hand here (or two).

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Dgercp

·Apr 8, 2023

Happy Holidays all.
So, bought this 105.012 66hf a few years back thinking all correct, but recently got around
to UVing it and find hands not right. I believe the dial lume is all original best I can tell.

My questions are:
Can you tell if the hands are replacement ones, or rather relumed original. I am thinking replaced?

How hard, and where might I look for originals that will match well with the dial lume, both with natural and UV
light?



Thanks!

 

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Dash1

·Apr 8, 2023

Well, the hands don’t look bright white (although the chrono one is whiter than the others) so they might be original. I guess someone just relumed them to match the dial. They look pretty good , so why not just leave them as they are for now?

 

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Dan S

·Apr 8, 2023

They match well cosmetically. Just out of curiosity, what is your rationale for wanting them to match under UV?

 

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ahsposo

·Apr 8, 2023·Most fun screen name at ΩF

Dan S

They match well cosmetically. Just out of curiosity, what is your rationale for wanting them to match under UV?

Speedy Obsession/Compulsion

 

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Dgercp

·Apr 8, 2023

Dan S

They match well cosmetically. Just out of curiosity, what is your rationale for wanting them to match under UV?

great question, basically I’m just a nut job. Guess I would just like hands with original lume.

 

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Dash1

·Apr 8, 2023

Dgercp

great question, basically I’m just a nut job. Guess I would just like hands with original lume.

But if you replace the hands then the hands won’t be original to the watch! Don’t get me wrong, I get it, it’s just worth thinking wether it’s necessary or not.

 

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Dgercp

·Apr 8, 2023

Dash1

But if you replace the hands then the hands won’t be original to the watch! Don’t get me wrong, I get it, it’s just worth thinking wether it’s necessary or not.

I’m thinking hard but smoke coming out of my ears. You make a great point. Possibly original hands? vs finding period correct hands with original tritium. I probably should just find some other problems to worry about, like world hunger!

 

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Dan S

·Apr 8, 2023

There are certainly people hoarding tritium lume Speedmaster hands. If you are paying attention, you probably know who they are. Contact them (or maybe they have already contacted you) and buy a pair that is a reasonable match.

Or you can have a specialist re-lume your hands with period-correct lume, but keep in mind that the only real difference will be how they look under UV.

It's really up to your personal preference to decide whether you want to pay $400-$1000 for something that won't change the appearance of your watch at all. The lume in hands is arguably the most delicate part of a vintage watch, and every years more and more hands are damaged. As a result, I think that re-lumed hands are becoming more accepted by collectors. Certainly I see watches with color-matched hands selling for very strong prices if the rest of the watch is solid.

 

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140dave

·Apr 8, 2023

I have a very similar 105.012-65
Like you I didn’t know it for a while, found out the same way. I worried about it for a day, looked for potential replacements, then realized I really liked it and kept as-is.

 

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M'Bob

·Apr 8, 2023

Dgercp

Happy Holidays all.
So, bought this 105.012 66hf a few years back thinking all correct, but recently got around
to UVing it and find hands not right. I believe the dial lume is all original best I can tell.

My questions are:
Can you tell if the hands are replacement ones, or rather relumed original. I am thinking replaced?

How hard, and where might I look for originals that will match well with the dial lume, both with natural and UV
light?



Thanks!

Just curious: does the lume on your dial degrade brightness intensely very rapidly?

 

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ortope

·Apr 8, 2023

Dash1

Well, the hands don’t look bright white (although the chrono one is whiter than the others) so they might be original. I guess someone just relumed them to match the dial. They look pretty good , so why not just leave them as they are for now?

Agree 100%!

Cheers

 

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Dgercp

·Apr 8, 2023

M'Bob

Just curious: does the lume on your dial degrade brightness intensely very rapidly?

yes.

 

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pkaye6

·Apr 8, 2023

I understand your obsession but, that watch looks fabulous as is. I'd just enjoy it as is. 😀

 

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Dgercp

·Apr 8, 2023

Really helpful comments from everyone. Thinking now just leave it as is.

 

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Davidt

·Apr 8, 2023

I second leaving them as is. If you can’t tell in normal light or even under magnification who cares as long as they look good. If we assume they are the original hands but relumed with non glowing compound you have two options:

1. Original hands with non glowing compound.
2. Non original but period correct hands, with vintage tritium, plus $$$ and considerable time and effort to source and install them.

I know which option I’d go with.

 

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hoipolloi

·Apr 8, 2023

IF the watch were mine, I would use old tritium to relume the hands, they will match both under natural light and UV.