Opinions on reluming hands 1969 Speedmaster

Norfolk · Nov 7, 2020

Requesting opinions from the hive on this 1969 Speedy recently added to my collection. It’s a one owner and was last serviced in 1977! Been in a drawer for 30 years. It’s going off for service next week. The dial is excellent and the lume acceptable and still working. The hands are however black and dead eg no lume. So do I get the hands sympathetically redone to match dial (which my watch man can do and very well) or leave untouched?

I am conflicted as it is all SO original but I find the black lume unattractive.

mr_yossarian · Nov 7, 2020

Well..if it's not broken, don't try..😀
I would leave it as it is, part of the way it came through time for me. But if you're really annoyed by the colour, it's your watch, go ahead.

WYO_Watch · Nov 7, 2020

+1 don’t relume - they match. They’re correct, they look complete. It goes with the charm of the watch (ghosted and slightly chipped bezel).

Concer · Nov 7, 2020

I'm with WYO_Watch but it depends on what you are gonna do with this watch in the future.

1. If you are sure that it will stay with you forever: Change/redo the lume, otherwise it will bother you every time you look at it
2. If you are unsure and maybe sell it someday. Leave it exactly as it is, otherwise you have to mention it when you sell it and every unnatural change may/will be unattractive for potential buyers.

Marsimaxam · Nov 7, 2020

One of those “ beauty is in the eye of the beholder” questions, but, not a soup question.

Personally, I find the watch beautiful as is and would leave alone. The lume in the hands looks great against the dark dial. It has character, it’s different.

But, as others have mentioned, if it bothers you so much that you can’t sleep at night or cringe with disgust every time you look at the dial ... relume... but, not my choice.

My non-matching hands...wouldn’t touch them... ever.

Ree · Nov 7, 2020

I'd leave untouched. But if you insist, perhaps buy spare hands and relume? All while keeping the original ones safe.

WYO_Watch · Nov 7, 2020

The other thing I’ll add is that this hand combination is pretty common for this series of speedy.

Shameless plug for the “database” I tried to start haha

https://omegaforums.net/threads/speedmaster-hand-lume-color-variation-picture-database.91764/

eugeneandresson · Nov 7, 2020

Looks perfect as is.

Thrasher36 · Nov 7, 2020

Leave it alone. Its correct as is.

Norfolk · Nov 7, 2020

I believe the hive have spoken - I will keep this 50yr old as it came to me....and shall continue to honour it (with a service) and wear it with pride and pleasure. Thanks everyone.

watchlovr · Nov 7, 2020

It just looks right.

Dan S · Nov 7, 2020

I see a few spots of mold on the lume on the dial, so if you wait a bit, you may have everything matching. 😁

Davidt · Nov 7, 2020

I understand why people like to see perfectly matching custard yellow lume on the dial and hands but the fact is many watches don’t age that way.

Another vote for leaving as is.

mancio · Nov 7, 2020

Relume.
You don't like it? Do it!
I'm against relume unless condition are terrible, and thi is one of that case.

zwjk · Nov 7, 2020

I say leave it.

I would be suspicious if the hands match the dial. Speedmaster dials rarely match the hands.

wagudc · Nov 7, 2020

Norfolk
I believe the hive have spoken - I will keep this 50yr old as it came to me....and shall continue to honour it (with a service) and wear it with pride and pleasure. Thanks everyone.

Good choice. You can always relume them later, but you can't unrelume them if you do it now.

janice&fred · Nov 7, 2020

The apartment next door just got rented out by two young coeds and yesterday while I was lounging on my deck I heard some giggling and...

Ooops wrong forum.

padders · Nov 8, 2020

Counterpoint view. I hate blackened fungal lume so were it mine, yes I would be tempted to get those hands relumed (or replaced with nicer originals). Looking closely, the dial has nice patina, the hands much less so, I don’t buy that it matches well at present. I am not suggesting a perfect hand-dial match, just something more appealing than crusty black.

Originality is king yes, but not at the expense of aesthetics.

rootbeer7 · Nov 8, 2020

Late to the party, but I’d get spares in matching lume (if possible) or the cheapest replacements I could find and have them relumed to match, all the while keeping the original ones secure.

janice&fred · Nov 8, 2020

Norfolk
I will keep this 50yr old as it came to me

Thank God good sense has prevailed! Now...back to that coed story 😁