Reluming watch hands

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yonlo

·May 4, 2024

Personal taste/philosophical question; If there is already a thread about it please refer me to it and I will ask to delete this one.

What your thoughts on reluming hands of a watch? Particularly on one were the lume falls off the hand. From my side I can say I do feel the watch is “less original” although can look way better if the job done right. Nonetheless if the hands were relumed already in a bad way.

 

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coffee

·May 4, 2024

I respect the skill and craft it might take for a watchmaker to do this. But, I prefer to keep everything original. Same with unpolished cases.

 

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gbesq

·May 4, 2024

I usually have my watchmaker stabilize the lume on the hands of any vintage watch that I purchase as part of its first service. If the lume is disintegrating and there is a risk of it getting onto the dial or into the movement, then having the hands relumed is a no brainer for me. I don’t like the appearance of a vintage watch with skeleton hands where the lume used to be.

 

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BLOW UP

·May 4, 2024

yonlo

Personal taste/philosophical question; If there is already a thread about it please refer me to it and I will ask to delete this one.

What your thoughts on reluming hands of a watch? Particularly on one were the lume falls off the hand. From my side I can say I do feel the watch is “less original” although can look way better if the job done right. Nonetheless if the hands were relumed already in a bad way.

If they were re-lumed badly at some point I would most definitely have them redone by somebody very skillful who could match the existing original dial patina and (presumably tritium) lume fade. If it were all original, stabilization would be my first preference, and depending on how much the lume featured I.e wide sword hands, I would very sensitively restore. Hope that's helpful

 

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Nupero

·May 4, 2024

Missing lume --> reluming by a competent watchmaker. Skeleton hands look too weird for me.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/before-after---show-us-your-relumed-watch.158878/

 

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watch_my_six

·May 4, 2024

gbesq

I usually have my watchmaker stabilize the lume on the hands of any vintage watch that I purchase as part of its first service. If the lume is disintegrating and there is a risk of it getting onto the dial or into the movement, then having the hands relumed is a no brainer for me. I don’t like the appearance of a vintage watch with skeleton hands where the lume used to be.

Does stabilization make the existing lume darker? Can this be done to dial lume too (or not because is it done from the underside for the hands)?

 

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gbesq

·May 4, 2024

jspdl

Does stabilization make the existing lume darker? Can this be done to dial lume too (or not because is it done from the underside for the hands)?

Hand lume only and in my experience it does not darken the lume color although I have heard that others have experienced this.

 

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gbesq

·May 4, 2024

Here‘s a good example of what reluming (and, in this case, replating) hands can do when done by a skilled watchmaker.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

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Waltesefalcon

·May 4, 2024

I had the hands done on my Astronaut. Yeah, there's a difference between the hands and the dial, but it's not nearly as noticeable in person.

 

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BLOW UP

·May 4, 2024

Waltesefalcon

I had the hands done on my Astronaut. Yeah, there's a difference between the hands and the dial, but it's not nearly as noticeable in person.

For sure the narrower the handset the less noticeable especially on the Astronaut with pretty slim hands at about 38 mm dia. (unless it's pink or something silly), but when blown up like this it looks pretty obvious (no offence meant) I seem to remember the second hand on these also was lumed? maybe they changed on later versions??

 

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yonlo

·May 6, 2024

Thank you all! Indeed it is a question of personal taste, i do feel that complete skeleton is a relume for me, but partially one maybe can live with