Hey gang,

Gemini4 recently posted about a 105.012, https://omegaforums.net/threads/nice-105-012-64-speedie-on-ebay.29757/#post-333100

This watch would have had a tritium dial, but the lume and hands are that nice orangey colour.

I was curious to know if there are any 'rules' about how lume ages. I'd expect the older radium stuff to age to the orange/brown, and tritium to age to the sort of yellowish/green.

Does tritium also aged to an orange/brown colour?

As always, thank you in advance for thoughts and opinions.

 

I think Tritium can eventually age to orange, also. You don't see it as often as with radium, since it hasn't been around as long yet. Although, even my 21 y.o. Speedie appears headed toward 'orange' (but still closer to yellow):



As to the watch you referenced above (seen below),



I'm not convinced that's only tritium in the hands. It's just too 'bright' to be believable. There must be orange 'paint' in there...

 

The hands on the second one are definitely redone imho..

When do you get yours back dougiedude?

 

I still have it, I'm waiting in line to get it done... it will be going to Canada ...

Very, very, hard to not wear it!

ACtually, I could wear it, I just can't WIND it ...

 

Pass it through Toronto, I'll give it a little blessing on the way by.

 

You can't see how radium or tritium age. What you see is the aging of the phosphor compound which can be made from many different materials, which in turn will age differently depends on its composition, time and environment. I've seen a lot of the not too old superluminova aged to dark yellow/brown as well as all kind of shades on the 40-50 years old lumes, tritium and non tritium.

 

I also think the hands of the 105012 have been relumed.

 

Pretty sure too..

I was hoping there were some general rules about how lume ages so, for example, if a 105.012 had orangey lume, that would be a red flag. But, I guess that would make it too easy.

 

The flag for me is it looks too good, too new, too perfect. Same thing with another 105.012 recently sold for very high price.

 

They look like brand new hands to me that have had the lume stained or replaced with coloured lume...

Cheers, Al

 

I can show you tons of photos of dial lume and plenty of them turn orange, brown, yellow, beige, etc.. Would the watch look better or worth more if the hands were original and corroded or if the lume turned dark green from humidity? Personally, I think the watch in question is very nice, battle scars and all and an excellent example of a somewhat rare and difficult model to find. I like the hands personally and think mismatched "original" looks ugly, but thats just me. A thick unpolished case, original dial and DON bezel with correct matching movement and caseback? I focus on the hard stuff, hands can be relumed or purchased outright for a few hundred dollars. In the end, the seller did disclose that he felt the hands may have been replaced so at least he was being honest and not trying to pass them off as 100% original. They appear to be genuine Omega hands and with the correct second hand, so if they were replaced they replaced them with proper hands..

 

Actually, the case has been polished all over, including between the lugs which indicates there was rust there before. There's no more sharp edge left on this watch. There may be not many of this model, but it's not in anyway rare, and for a high price, I'd prefer an untouched case. Like you, the hands are acceptable to me, but not the polished case.

Incidentally, the other very high price 105.012 sold recently with the perfect lume also has a heavily polished case, even more than this one.

 

TNTwatch, I respectfully disagree.

I have looked at this watch in high detail and I am a Rolex collector originally. The polish between the lugs to be is indicative of a strap or bracelet causing wear. That's the main reason you see shiny metal between lugs. Yes it can be polished but it isnt a place that is ever seen so people rarely polish in there. I can show you pics of rolex's that are mirror shiny from WEAR, not a wheel.

I also looked closely at the rehaut, which is the area between the crystal and the case lip. I see some sort of dirt or surface rust. If the case was heavily polished or refinished then that area would be clean as the ultrasonic and steam used to remove the rouge would remove the rust/dirt.

I looked at the lugs and I can clearly see some nicks and dings which to me indicates it was not refinished and is just in great shape.

Finally, if you are looking for sharp edges on a 50 year old watch you wont find one. At least not on a watch that has been worn for 50 years. The rounded edges are normal and expected UNLESS it gets refinished and then they can rechamfer them and make them as sharp as a razor. We call this "shirt polish". It isnt a term I created, but it is basically the polishing effect caused by the wearing of a long sleeve shirt over a watch for many years. The cotton asks as a buffer and creates shine (polish) and rounded edges.

Again, these watches are like women, what you may call a big nose I call character and while you make like big artificial boobs I may prefer all original and flat chested. We just see things differently I suppose

 

Forgot to comment on one more thing. You stated "...including between the lugs which indicates there was rust there before."

How on earth can you know if there was rust there before and that was the reason it was polished? I dont see any indication of pitting or any possible way to know if:

A. it was ever polished
B. If it was what was the reason for doing so

To state that is was definitively polished to remove rust is absurd. Are you a psychic?

 

Last comment on this.. (I have ADD )

I just looked at the pictures again. Those edges are sharp, I mean they might be the sharpest edges I have seen on a vintage omega. No way this thing is rounded or polished all over. The pushers have surface rust from below! In between the lugs I see nicks and swirls. If it was polished in there from a wheel it would all be in one direction and there would be no nicks! That case is mint, I'm sorry I just dont see what you are seeing.

 

Man, claiming to be Omega expert based on being a Rolex collector is way more absurd than a speculation of rust between the lugs.

I said "indicates", it doesn't in anyway mean "definitively" rust. It could be rust or it could be whatever. It's perfectly clear there're polishing marks there, and that's the point. (Note that I never said this watch was heavily polished). With all your Rolex expertise and you don't know this...

And you think because you see nicks and dinks, it means no polish??? There's big gouging mark on the case back still clearly there, and I can tell you the case back has been polished almost to death.

Get out of here... Show me one picture of that watch with a sharp edge. Have you ever seen a vintage Speedy Pro in real life, or with a loupe?

 

Me thinks you are backpeddling..

I never said I was an Omega Expert OR a Rolex expert, only a Rolex Collector Originally

In my native language of English when you say "indicates there was rust there before" that doesnt in any way imply "may have been rust" or "might have been rust". It indicates that there WAS rust there (which is the word you used) and that's how I interpreted it.

You never said the watch was heavily polished? Am I seeing things? Let me quote you a few times..
"the case has been polished all over"
"There's no more sharp edge left on this watch"
"the case back has been polished almost to death"

In your language does this indicate a "light polish"? A "medium polish"

If a watch has been polished all over, has no more sharp edges and polished almost to death, that means it has been HEAVILY polished my friend. And I would love some others to comment on the condition of the case because for me to say original and probably never polished to you saying heavily polished to death and no more sharp edges is too large a discrepancy to be an opinion.

Pics of the case in question

 

One more of the caseback that, if has been polished to death, they sure did a nice job not polishing away the logo or the circular machining swirl on the case back from manufacturing...

 

It's been polished. And that's that.

 

IMO, the case is one of the best features of this watch; relatively 'unpolished' to me, especially for it's age... (edit: and what I really mean is, it's not too 'worn down'. The 'shiny' nature of the surfaces indicates extensive area polish, however).

I'd like to see a pic of the back of the lugs, though, as that can be a good indicator of the extent of polishing, too.