I offer a series of thoughts about early dials which had numbers and hands that were either ‘skeleton’ or radium-lumed. This is something I don’t know much about (not a good start!) – but I hope somebody can put me straight. All the watches that follow are Omega. Wikipedia states that “Radium dial production peaked in the first decade of the Twentieth Century”. The earliest dials I have with lume date 1916 (each is an Omega 27’’’ ‘Goliath’): But there were also ‘skeleton’ dials: I presume that the ‘skeleton’ numbers were the first stage of the process – which were then (sometimes) completed with the radium lume (and of course there is extensive history of the ‘Radium Girls’ who were involved). But I really think that the skeleton numbers were an option, separate from the radium alternative. As far as I can see, all dials with lumed numbers also had lumed hands – but the skeleton-numebered dials sometimes had lumed hands, sometimes not. Moving on almost 20 years, the 35.5S Ref. CK700AD ‘Aviator’ (in my opinion) came in both versions. I have looked at many of these and have seen both lumed and skeleton numbers. I really think that the skeleton numbers started life like that (it’s not just a case of the radium having fallen off some of them): there are too many that are absolutely straight ‘skeleton’ numbers. But in my experience, all the hands are of the same form: the lumed numbers have lumed hands, the skeleton numbers have the same form of hand, filled with a lighter substance (presumably not luminous). The following are typical of many: And finally I offer an unknown. This is another ‘Goliath’, this time a 30’’’ from 1907 – and therefore earlier than I would have expected for a lumed dial. It may even have been re-dialled – I don’t know. At first sight I assumed it was a ‘skeleton’ dial. But then I noticed traces of lume on some of the numbers – and on close examination, it is clear that the dial had previously been lumed. (Yes, I am aware of the dangers of the radium – subject of a current/revived thread). I assume that the last dial is an exception (in other words a lumed dial that has lost its lume and has become a skeleton): I really think that most skeleton dials started life in that form, just as skeletons. That’s my contribution. What can you offer?
As a brief sequel, I offer the following link: http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/blogluminousdials.php A recent thread referred to the Vintage Watch Straps website, maintained by David Boettcher – and full of interesting stuff. Sure enough, he refers to the luminous dials – and the ‘pear skeleton’ hands, in French ‘poire squelette’. But as you will have gathered, my interest is in the contrast between the lumed numbers/hands and the ‘pure’ skeleton version.