LumiNova.....

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LumiNova is a registered trademark of Nemoto & Co. Ltd., a Japanese company that has made luminous and phosphorescent paints and coatings since 1941.

LumiNova was invented in 1993 and patented in 1995; Nemoto & Co. Ltd. was contracted in 1998 to provide LumiNova to the Swiss Watch Industry..

This is when, of course, Rolex began the changeover although, it seems, that it was not until after 2000 that the industry started calling the compound "Super Luminova".... Our watches use the conventional paint grade GSS LumiNova.. Many WIS seem to believe, I think erroneously, that "Super-Luminova" is a different compound than that LumiNova used in the first two years.

I cannot find any reference outside the watch industry for what we call "Super Luminova" until the LumiNova plant and a joint venture was incorporated in Switzerland to specifically produce this compound for the Swiss Watch Industry, and surmise that it is the exact same substance, but just called super in the watch arena...

Here is a link to this interesting company..

http://www.nemoto.co.jp/index.html

For the Swiss Watch Industry, Nemoto & Co. Ltd, entered into a joint venture as previously mentioned, with RC Tritec Ltd. to form the LumiNova AG Switzerland company. This venture and Swiss plant was likely to ensure that LumiNova used in Swiss Watches was actually a Swiss product.. That Swiss marketed product is called "Super-Luminova (reg) Pigments", but only in marketing terms and not in the actual compounds produced..

So, we now see the name-change to "Super LumiNova", but can only find this reference with the new company; the LumiNova product is the same..

This Joint Company can be viewed here:

http://www.rctritec.com/index.php?id=13

....... Still, an exciting breakthrough for watches, and LumiNova can be had in a variety of colors as we are just now seeing with hands and dials in tints different from the original greenish hue..........