Seamaster Polaris : re-lume suggestions?

Hello everyone,

I'm new here, so please let me know if a post like this is appropriate.


I recently purchased this 1988 (is this even considered vintage?) Omega Seamaster Polaris from eBay, and it both looks and runs great. The old tritium lume has developed a nice patina, but since I'm more about function over form, I’m considering having the dial and hands re-lumed.

I don't plan on selling this watch, so I’d love any recommendations on what to go for.


From what I’ve seen on Omega’s website, the original lume from the 80s and 90s seemed to be a typical light green, especially on black dials.



When looking closely at the following image, the lume on the indexes doesn’t quite match the yellow tone of the day-date complications—it still seems to be light green, though.

Has tritium lume always been green (the paint, not just the glow)? I know Superluminova can take on a variety of colors.


Interestingly, the patina on my watch really complements its yellow tones, almost as if it was designed that way. I’ve noticed a similar effect on champagne dial versions, where the fading lume seems to blend with the dial over time, as shown above.


Here’s a similar watch that was recently re-lumed. While I’m neither drawn to nor put off by it, I do prefer the yellow tones on mine, but the lume is dead. I’m not a fan of the "fake aged" look, so I’m unsure whether to recreate the patinated colors (which do look quite nice) or stick with the standard light green (a bit bland, but blends well enough with the white dial), without disrupting the overall aesthetic. I’d prefer to go with whatever the original vision was.

My main goal is simply to restore the lume so I can read the time in the dark. Any thoughts?

That's some nice looking lume, I wouldn't touch it.

For visibility at night, at most I would do is to have the hands re-lumed with the similar tone of color and leave the dial as is. Personally, I sleep better without knowing the time at night.