Hi all,

Well, a confession... After years in Omega, predominantly Speedmasters, I find myself lured into the vintage Submariner trap. Of course that one tool watch has to be added to the collection and I believe to have found a nice one in this T-serial (1996) 16610. A friend of mine has one for sale which looks completely legit and in very nice vintage condition.

Now, there's one thing that I would like your views on, being the lume.

It looks perfectly fine in person and very much in line with other T-serials I've seen.




Now, here comes the part where I start to wonder...

The lume appears as if there are flakes of dust (or rather; luminous) material present. It is best observed on the Mercedes hand, and in real life is homogeneously present on all lume surfaces. Except for the pearl, that is. If it really is dust, it makes one wonder how it can only be present on all lume, but not on any other (dial) surface... The lume fades quickly and is gone in minutes after exposure to light, as one would expect from tritium.

I have never observed this in any of the Speedmasters I have handled in person (dozens) and hence I am asking for advice. Besides that, I do not doubt the originality of the piece.


(Apologies for the reasonably poor picture; lume shots are tricky)

Keen as I am to learn and share... Is this common to occur in these neo-vintage Submariners and if so, any idea as to what is causing this?

Really appreciate your views!

 

Better picture added.


And a shot under UV with some daylight helping me take a decent picture.

 

This is my 14270 with serial number starting with S. The tiny grains of tritium do emit light.
I don't have a picture of it, but my 16610 with the same serial number starting with S does not emit tritium micro-grains.

I used my 16610 a lot and my 14270 not so much.
I think this has something to do with the fact that the tiny grains of tritium do not emit light.

 

It is a Rolex......,
so no surprise the used materials differ from year to year. Has this rare itteration not been picked up yet by the dealer community ??

 

Thanks a lot! Your Explorer seems to produce the exact same effect as the Submariner that I am currently looking at. Reassuring!

 

My 14270 was serviced by Rolex Japan in 2018. The hands and dial were able to be serviced without being replaced because the tritium is in good condition.

I think your 16610, which still has a lot of microscopic many luminescence, is also in good tritium condition. Probably kept in a dark place and not exposed to too much UV light.

My 16610, which I used almost daily for about 20 years, had only one micro luminescence of tritium.

 

Yes completely normal and indicative that the lume is indeed original.

 

Just a short update to say I'm happy to call it mine. Thanks all!