Need help with dial mark "RA Swiss Made RA"

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ahsposo

·Nov 15, 2022·Most fun screen name at ΩF

I have a Vulcain Cricket model S2329a from around 1963 or so if my research finding is valid. There is the unusual dial mark pictured below. Does it signify radium? If so why didn't more dials of the period have this marking. Again, if my research is valid radium could have been used up to 1968 but it's only on Vulcain watches that I've seen this marking.

 

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TheGreekPhysique

·Nov 15, 2022

I am pretty sure it means that your vulcain cricket is saturated adequately on "RA" or room air and therefore does not require any supplemental oxygen.

 

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Foo2rama

·Nov 15, 2022·Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...

It would normally indicate radium. 1963 would have been right around the end of radium use.

 

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JwRosenthal

·Nov 15, 2022

Foo2rama

It would normally indicate radium. 1963 would have been right around the end of radium use.

This has always been what I have read but I have a few watches marked RA that are late 60’s according to catalogs so it has puzzled me if there was a firm and hard cutoff.

Prior to the ‘63 Tritium push across the industry, they usually weren’t market at all as there was radium and that’s about it. I wonder if putting the RA on the dial was post ‘63 for the few years is may have continued being used to denote the difference between radium and Tritium lumed watches

 

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X350 XJR

·Nov 15, 2022·Vintage Omega Aficionado

130TT, ca 1964

 

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Archer

·Nov 16, 2022·Omega Qualified Watchmaker

Hmmm...

 

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Pvt-Public

·Nov 16, 2022

TheGreekPhysique

I am pretty sure it means that your vulcain cricket is saturated adequately on "RA" or room air and therefore does not require any supplemental oxygen.

Or as a warning, that to be truly "water protected" it needs supplemental helium.