Service on 16750 / Hand Swirls - Thoughts?

[crash_c]

Hi all,

I'm new here but I've been lurking for a while. Big fan of the brand -- I own both old and new pieces.

I fairly recently acquired a GMT Master 16750 Matte Dial from the early 80's. It keeps excellent time and I love the piece...

HOWEVER...

Yesterday, I noticed an extremely light partial hand swirl on my dial -- it's a slight arc that runs from 6 to 9 just under the hour hand. And obsessing and inspected, I decided to take the piece to RSC in New York City this morning.

The took a look and advised that I should replace the dial and hands and have a full service (I declined). Their rationale: The lume on the back side of the hour hand is ever so slightly disintegrating and that's what's touching the matte dial. Because of the disintegration, there's a risk of the material falling through the date window and ultimately affecting the movement.

I have no desire to risk the value or 'look' of this older piece. Give the collective knowledge here, I though some of you might have some informed alternative ideas about how I can resolve this issue?

Many thanks for your time and consideration.