Community Stories

Ref 14390 SC - tritium or radium

river9

·Apr 30, 2022

Hello OF members
I bought lately this Seamaster for the love of its black dial. Indices & hands glow faintly after being lid by smartphone built-in flash)
I wonder if this is radium/tritium lume materials.
Serial No 18,xxx,xxx.
Thank you in advance.

duffy7

·Apr 30, 2022

I would expect that it is radium

sleepyastronaut

·Apr 30, 2022

18M serial indicates 1961, which is around the switch from Radium to Tritium. Better pics of it the lume plots and the hands might help.

mrbreen

·Apr 30, 2022

sleepyastronaut
18M serial indicates 1961, which is around the switch from Radium to Tritium. Better pics of it the lume plots and the hands might help.

And at this date there would be no T markings on the dial if it is tritium. That it lights up from just a cellphone flashlight would lead me to think it’s tritium, but yeah… better pics would help.

river9

·Apr 30, 2022

@duffy7 @sleepyastronaut @mrbreen
Thank you for replies
Below is dial photo of that Seamaster cal 285
Please share your thoughts

mrbreen

·Apr 30, 2022

Aging/appearance to me looks more consistent with Radium ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

river9

·Apr 30, 2022

mrbreen
Aging/appearance to me looks more consistent with Radium ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Tks for sharing your thoughts.
The more I scrutinize dial paint degradation the more I think it's radium lume.

84CJ7

·May 2, 2022

Tritium is a gas so it would be in a vile. I believe it has to be radium.

Nupero

·May 2, 2022

84CJ7
Tritium is a gas so it would be in a vile. I believe it has to be radium.

That's a modern thing. Vintage watches have tritium paint, just like with radium.

84CJ7

·May 3, 2022

Nupero
That's a modern thing. Vintage watches have tritium paint, just like with radium.

I learned something today. Never realized they made a paintable substance with tritium.

I was only familiar with gun sights and nuclear weapons using tritium.

Dan S

·May 3, 2022

84CJ7
I learned something today. Never realized they made a paintable substance with tritium.

I was only familiar with gun sights and nuclear weapons using tritium.

Tritiated polymer binder.

KnoP

·May 4, 2022

84CJ7
I learned something today. Never realized they made a paintable substance with tritium.

I was only familiar with gun sights and nuclear weapons using tritium.

on the speedy the indices were tritium some years ago... ok more than some years, but anyway!

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