Vintage divers

When I think of a 1970s diver, while some patina is desirable, Omegas often seem to have gone too far, with blackened lume, bubbled up dials and broken bezels; Seikos also often end up with blackened lume; but Rolexes seem to age more gracefully with faded bezels and pumpkin lume which hasn't gone black.

Is this my imagination? Were Omegas and Seikos less well sealed? Or perhaps so well sealed with monobloc cases and the like that water vapour couldn't escape? Or did Rolex have superior materials for dial and hands which didn't degrade the same way? Or are vintage Rolexes being typically more valuable typically better maintained / restored by their owners? Or maybe Omegas and Seikos were more likely to have been used hard by serious/professional divers?

Happy to hear anyone's thoughts on this. I prefer Omega and Seiko divers not least given the price, but they are often in such terrible states (admittedly this is subjective).



Pictures for illustration purposes, credit: thedeadbeatseconds.substack.com, reddit.com Arte_1, 7friendsandwatches.com and rolexpassionmarket.com