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Omega seamaster Chronometer stains

Penangtan
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I have own this watch for many years. Lately i have noticed that the hands luminious portion has dark fungus like stains.
Pls share you thoughts on what i should do as in leave it alone, clean or last option replace hands.
Some friends advise to keep it original and not to change anything.
Advise, guidance and inputs appreciated.

Thanks,
Stan
[email protected]
 
Penangtan
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9B9C27B0-1613-4D40-9973-2CF8D87CD6C8.jpeg

Davidt Davidt
Do you have pictures?
9B9C27B0-1613-4D40-9973-2CF8D87CD6C8.jpeg 9B9C27B0-1613-4D40-9973-2CF8D87CD6C8.jpeg 9B9C27B0-1613-4D40-9973-2CF8D87CD6C8.jpeg 9B9C27B0-1613-4D40-9973-2CF8D87CD6C8.jpeg
]
Penangtan Penangtan
I have own this watch for many years. Lately i have noticed that the hands luminious portion has dark fungus like stains.
Pls share you thoughts on what i should do as in leave it alone, clean or last option replace hands.
Some friends advise to keep it original and not to change anything.
Advise, guidance and inputs appreciated.

Thanks,
Stan
[email protected]
Davidt Davidt
Do you have pictures?
Davidt Davidt
Do you have pictures?
Davidt Davidt
Do you have pictures?
 
Dan S
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That certainly appears to be mold, and it's not generally possible to clean moldy hands. Leave or replace, it's your personal choice. Most people would probably replace them. It's not really a collectible watch and assuming that the lume is luminova, replacement hands will probably be similar.
 
Penangtan
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Dan S Dan S
That certainly appears to be mold, and it's not generally possible to clean moldy hands. Leave or replace, it's your personal choice. Most people would probably replace them. It's not really a collectible watch and assuming that the lume is luminova, replacement hands will probably be similar.
Thanks Dan. By any chance you csn share a link where i can buy online? Many thanks
 
Davidt
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That looks like an early tritium dial which was only produced for a couple of years so I’d be inclined to keep these hands even with the slight discolouration.
 
Penangtan
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Davidt Davidt
That looks like an early tritium dial which was only produced for a couple of years so I’d be inclined to keep these hands even with the slight discolouration.
Your advise to keep is priceless as i am sure you can tell what is worth to keep whole and taking into consideration the make , dial type and how many are made. I am happy to take your advise and that what the guy inside me is telling me. ….. but one day when i find a competant watch master, i may try cleaning it . Thanks a million David.
 
Davidt
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I doubt it can be cleaned. The other option would be to remove the infill luminous material and replace it with artificially aged material to mimick tritium (or do the same with a new set of hands).
That said, Dan is right that this isn’t a 60’s Speedmaster and it won’t impact the value significantly so it’s almost a person/aesthetic choice. Personally I’d keep them but it’s not a disaster if you had them replaced. You can always keep the original in a container.
 
Mouse_at_Large
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Some people actually like the "fried egg" look of these dials - me not so much. The replacement of tritium with luminova was a step forward imho. That having been said, the cost of reluming the dial and hands (provided you can find a competent relumer) may not be significantly more than swapping for a service replacement dial and hands.
 
Penangtan
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Thanks for inputs. I forgot to mention this watch is a boysize model, its a tad smaller than the common ones i’ve seen.
Will this size thing have an inpact on finding the replacements hands as it my be shorter?
Just thinking aloud …
 
Davidt
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I’m certain Omega will have hands for this model.

I didn’t notice it was the boys size. That being the case they’re not particularly collectible anyway, even with tritium so take whichever option appeals most to you
 
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