Rolex GMT vs Omega GMT lume — a night in the park.

[shedlock2000]

I popped outside tonight to let Jyp have his evening constitutional, and I looked at my watch to check the time. I was rather surprised that I couldn’t (without difficulty) actually tell the time!

The Rolex had been worn all day outside on the deck, but the omega had been on my desk in the office (which is very shaded). I compared the two outside after running in to get the Omega. I thought a few of you might be interested to see the results:



The photo is a very accurate representation of the lume, but there was some reflected light from the park light some way off (you can see it pick up the 2 on the Omega’s bezel).

The plots on the gmt are bright enough, but the hands are almost indistinguishable. In contrast, the sword hands of the 2234.50 show up against the dial more clearly. I have never noticed this before either, but the aluminium bezel of the omega seems to pick up the light slightly better than the glossy bezel of the Rolex. Additionally, the flat crystal causes the dial to glare out on the Rolex when trying to bounce the light off the hands — an issue not seen on the Omega.

With a short increase in exposure, the lume appears more evenly balanced, but the relative size differential on the minute hand of the Rolex explains why it’s much harder to see in the dark:


A disappointing showing from the Rolex considering it had been in direct sunlight all day and the Omega had spent all day in a one-window basement office.


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