Hi all

Doing a lot of learning these days and visiting one vintage watch shop after the others, also spending a lot of time online trying to sense how this all works.

I went to see a very nice 145.029 yesterday in a shop where I felt a bit more confident to buy than the one I saw last weekend. The one I saw yesterday is attached at the bottom - there is tritium on the hands.


Remember we discussed it once already here: https://omegaforums.net/threads/hel...er-and-color-combo-145-029.36704/#post-418810. And we seemed to agree these were service hands and likely service dial.


Now, the one I saw yesterday did have tritium hands... as opposed to this one for instance:


Upon talking to the shop owner about these variations, he mentionned that a simple rule is, if the original dial had Tritium, then the hands would, too - making sense, as one thinks the whole point is to read the time in a dark environment.

Then again, STANDY's watch in the other thread shows non-trit'ed hands:


So, what do you gentlemen think - would it make sense to originally sell watches that have non-luminous hands with a luminous dial? And if not, then what happened to the tritium on the hands of the two watches pictured above, does it just "disintegrate/powderize"?

Thank you,
Paul

 

The trit can fall out and most people here would then leave it, rather than relume the hands

 

@Lonestar my hands have lume just black from age. Just looked with a loupe, even looks like the orange is lume but not sure not much glowing (even putting under a light for a bit) after 44 years

 

Second watch has one black (hour hand) one missing

 

STANDY, this is useful, thank you. Sometimes on the pictures it's hard to see if the tritium has just changed color, or powderized/fallen (?) and one can see through...

Overall, do you gentlemen agree it's fair to say that luminous dials (whatever material they might be) always imply originally luminous hands?

 

No the first one has been repainted. See how mine and second pic the orange is raised a bit..

 

Thanks - By raised, you mean there is a gap between the black and the orange surfacing?

 

Yes, the orange sits half a mm higher. I just looked at first one again and they look right. Think the photo the other day looked more painted but if it's the same photo as above could be new hands that are the right ones.

 

Second picture one of the chrono hands is too thick

 

Well, the pic is blurry, really... But I trust your judgement!

I'm actually going to that shop tonight to check that one again this evening (the last one above)... With my little knowledge, I'd say it looks legit and the price is ok. This might be the first vintage Omega that I purchase - the one on my avatar was given to be by my dad 20y.a. and purchased by him 50y.a.

Thansk!
Paul

 

In case they are needed/wanted I have 2 new old stock sets of these orange hour + minute hands
Here is a link
https://omegaforums.net/threads/new...orange-minute-second-hands.36382/#post-413530