Lume mystery

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felsby

·Apr 14, 2023·I don't see any option in settings or profile

I just got hold of this Arrowhead, and I haven't yet attempted to open the caseback, so the reference is unknown. It does however unmistakenly look like an 2852 to me.
The watch history is unknown.
The hands are patinated at the same degree as the hour markers, so I suspect that they have been mounted for many years. But they are lumed! Could they be factory mounted?
I have a spare set of gold 2852 hands, but they are unpatinated, so I suspect they would look out of place in this beat-up beauty.

What do you think? Original hands or not? If not, switch or keep?

 

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Foo2rama

·Apr 14, 2023·Keeps his worms in a ball instead of a can.

🍿

 

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Shabbaz

·Apr 14, 2023

Hmmm. Dunno. I did'nt do any research but the hands are a bit suspicious. Lets wait what others have to say.

 

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gatorcpa

·Apr 14, 2023·ΩF InvestiGator

Were these the hands that left the factory on that watch? Probably not, but I can see someone asking their watchmaker for luminous hands later on. They certainly seem correct for that reference. They would have been functional also. You would just need to see the hands to tell the time in the dark.

The degradation of the dial would be consistent with these hands being on the watch for a very long time.

Then again, the whole thing could have been put together in an Indian horological chop shop.

We really have no way to know for sure. So I would leave it alone and enjoy the watch for what it is.
gatorcpa

 

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felsby

·Apr 14, 2023·I don't see any option in settings or profile

Thank you @gatorcpa for your thoughtful comment. I have certainly no problem with enjoying the watch as it is so the hands stay.

As for the history, we shall probably never know. I bought it from a taciturn man from a little rural town. He bought it on a flea market in an even smaller rural community 10 years ago, and the tracks stop there. Hmmm...I might just order an extract of sheer curiosity!

 

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buddman

·Apr 14, 2023

You don’t really ever have lumed hands and non lumed dial, or vice versa. Reasonably solid sign of post manufacture tinkering.

 

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felsby

·Apr 15, 2023·I don't see any option in settings or profile

Fun fact, not meant as a lame excuse:
Filtenborg was the Danish agent. They worked closely with Ω since the beginning of the 20th century.
One of my watchmaker friends worked at a Danish Ω dealer in the seventies. When they got an order, they specified bracelet type and crystal with or without date loupe to Filtenborg who prepared the watch accordingly. My friend suggests that an order for lumed hands would be considered as well.

Edited: Apr 15, 2023

 

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felsby

·May 10, 2023·I don't see any option in settings or profile

Will an extract from the archives give any indication of which hands was fitted from the factory?

 

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gatorcpa

·May 10, 2023·ΩF InvestiGator

felsby

Will an extract from the archives give any indication of which hands was fitted from the factory?

No.

The only things you will find out are the case reference and movement caliber (which you already know), the date of delivery from the factory from the distributor and to which country’s distributor the watch was delivered.
gatorcpa

 

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DON

·May 10, 2023

Personally. I would leave them as is. Aged and a perfect match to the condition of the dial

 

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felsby

·May 10, 2023·I don't see any option in settings or profile

DON

Personally. I would leave them as is. Aged and a perfect match to the condition of the dial

You are right, Don. That will be my plan also.