Hi all,

I recently sold a new & sealed no date SM300 dial and received it in return as the buyer found that it does not fit on a 565 movement. He is a reputable member and was pleasant to interact with, so I had no doubts.

Anyway, I was just scrutinizing this thing earlier this evening and noticed a small blemish on the 11 o'clock lume index. It appears to be some sort of oil/dirt smudge, but I obviously wanted to avoid prodding it with my fingers or taking some Windex and paper towels to it.

Any ideas what this could be? My first idea is moisture damage. I'm currently storing it dial-up in a sealed container to prevent any moisture or air from getting on the dial.

As always, the community's infinite wisdom is much appreciated. Thank you!


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Touching the dial without gloves yourself i see

 

Just the edges! I'd never touch the paint. Plus I washed my hands beforehand... if that matters.


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If you're worried about moisture, it'd be a good idea to toss a few desiccants into the container (or some rice).

 

Stole your picture from Google @Archer ( sorry )

 

@STANDY is 100% right. Even on your pic your thumb is brushing against the 6 o'clock lume. It doesn't take much as the fleshy part of our fingers molds to objects, which is how we can delicately hold them by the edge.

Clean hands or not your body oil, or even soap or cream residue could have easily stained that lume.

There is a reason for those finger protectors and gloves. I am sure watchmakers and tradesmen have clean hands, but they still use protection when handling watch parts.

Note both on your pic and the one posted above that the fingers are touching exactly on the same.area.of the lume that is affected on your dial. Which lume will depend on the "grab" but in any case it is near impossible you can handle a dial without your hands touching there, unless you use tweezers....again, gloves!

 

Gloves will be worn from now on!

To clarify, the picture of the entire dial was taken moments after the dial was received in return, and if you zoom in, the speck is still there. So, it must have been there on its way back. I did not cause this blemish, but me not wearing gloves could certainly lead to another dot. I will avoid that buy spending $3 on gloves.


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The lume plots can easily get marked or stained, so that's why gloves or more commonly finger cots are used.

What can you do with the stained plot? If it makes the dial unusable or unsaleable in your opinion, you can always try to clean it. Of course this comes with risk...so do this knowing you may further damage the dial...

I think your best bet for this kind of mark is using a plastic eraser - Staedtler Mars brand is what I use and it works very well - https://www.staedtler.ca/en/product...ars-plastic-526-50-eraser-in-premium-quality/

Make sure the surface is absolutely clean, and gently wipe it across the marker. Note that some of the shine on the marker surface may be removed.

 

So then perhaps the buyer handled it without gloves as well?

 

I have the same kind of dot / blemish on the Watcho that i recently acquired, it is at 12 (sorry for the bad picture). Maybe it comes from manipulation of a dial that was sitting there for quite a while, At least when i see the watch i know it is mine ....

 

That is my suspicion. I cannot 100% confirm this as it was sealed in the packaging when I mailed it out, so I couldn't get a clear visual on the dial. I guess Omega can make errors, so perhaps this is an Omega factory blemish. Unlikely, I imagine.

@LaurentBxl no idea how that got there, huh? I'm worried this will end up bugging me more than it should.

 

No idea how that got there as I bought the watch as you see it, directly from Watchco in NZ. It surprisingly does not bother me much... it adds a little character to a watch that was not supposed to be new to start with