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Nupero
路I believe that 60s were the period of 'transition' from radium to tritium. Does anybody know when Certina switched and did they mark every tritium with 't-swiss made-t'? My watch has 'swiss made' in the bottom of the dial, barely seeable when watching from the top with sharp view angle.
I am not scared of gamma radiation or radon buildup, but I am of particles getting free in case of crystal breakage or some other scenario.
The lume has no glow in dark and it doesn't charge in light. Is the only way to find out the geiger counter or does anybody have any info? What do you think about reluming and would that make the watch considerably safer? Am I maybe being overcautious?
I would too like to know when Certina stopped using radium. I have searched and searched, but I have not found anything. Maybe someone here will know.
The fact that the lume does not charge in light (with a flashlight in a dark room) indicates radium, but this is not a 100% accurate method. Only way to be sure is to use a Geiger counter. In my opinion, radon gas build up is the most problematic aspect with collecting radium watches. It's the reason I only buy tritium dial pieces. I would not worry about the loose particles too much; just don't open the watch. Late 50s/early 60s watches used a relatively small amount of radium compared to older watches, so having one radioactive piece is unlikely to do you any harm. But if you have small children in the family, then maybe the Certina has got to go. Better safe than sorry.
And please post a pic of your watch. It does not help answering the radium/tritium question, but we like to look at beautiful Certinas 馃榾
