[More regarding the colour]
Haven't fully checked this thread out but heaps of researched information over there.
https://www.thewatchsite.com/threads/seiko-6105-8009-with-radium-dial.344616/
(Corrected link)
Here's a proof. Lume looks about the same to me. Recessed in the lume pots, kind of a wavy texture.
Thanks for all of the photos and info on the tan lume being radioactive.
The watchsite post referenced above is a fascinating piece of research.
I'm still on the fence - I feel like if the photos bug me, it will always bug me in real life. I'll keep hunting around for a solid example, they are hard to come by. After acquiring a 6306 and getting in deep with vintage Seiko, for some reason I've become fixated on this model even over the more popular Captain Willard.
I like these much more than the -8110, they are my favorites next to the 62mas. Unfortunately, I only have three left, all different variations with no duplicates, so I don't have one to sell at the moment.
Fantastic collection. The dark lume seems like the rarest of them all? Interesting discussion on why it’s more radioactive and Suwa vs. Daini build
The Daini are probably the least common. Legit resist/proof examples are also pretty uncommon, but it is difficult to distinguish legit from franken. Seiko did not use radioactive lume (even tritium) for domestic production as it was not allowed in Japan. The brown lume on this reference and others is not just radioactive, but very hot, and from the Daini factory. They were presumably made for export, but the details are murky.
Beautiful watch @Dsloan. I have a 1979 6306 turtle and a SKX009J and agree with the above, I am going after the 6105-8000 over the -8110 to round out my Seiko collection.. I love the case design and sizing and the fact that they were only produced for a few years. These vintage Seiko divers have been a revelation for me... all of the hallmarks of great vintage watches (scholarship, quality, unique & classic design, little details to harp over) without the high prices of Speedies, Rolex etc.
I kind of like it that they are even more under the radar than vintage Speedmasters, but maybe I'm crazy.
No idea why the Daini watches were sent to the NA market, but that seems like it was the case.
Getting back to the OP’s question, that looks like a relume to me. The color is a bit on the tan side for a Suwa dial and the original Seiko lume was a bit coarser grained than this looks to be. The metal surrounds on the plots show some wear and corrosion, but the lume doesn’t — usually, if you see some corrosion of the metal you’re going to see some darkening at the edges of the lume unless the lume has been replaced. FWIW, some of the better dial restorers out there (not naming any names) will refinish the lume plot surrounds with a little matte lacquer before reluming; this seals the metal against further corrosion.
Also FWIW I’ve seen more Daini movements in 6105-8009s than other 6105s. No idea why the Daini watches were sent to the NA market, but that seems like it was the case. I have a pretty nice Daini -8009 I picked up a while back; the dial wasn’t so great so I had it relumed in a fairly deep tan.
