Just got my First Rolex (GMT II)

[nvhertz]

Hey guys this is my first post. I just purchased a W series (1995 MODEL YEAR RIGHT?) GMT II with the red/blk bezel and have been doing some research on it. I bought it from a co-worker at work because his new GMT II came in. I was noticing that the markers and hands do not glow. Is that normal? I have not been able to google anything to tell me either way.

Other GMT owners are ya'll setting your 24hr hand to your local time or to GMT?

Thanks,

DJ

[USMCsilver]

I set to local time.

As far as no-glow, I would assume that's about normal for a 12 year old watch. Is there no glow at all, or is it just very dim? Like, if you take a bright flashlight to charge, do you get any results or none? Might be time for a superluminova touch up...

[nvhertz]

No Glow at all.


Yeah i just got the search function working in the forum. ( Wasn't using enough words )

Read about the whole Swiss T < 25 thing and the life being around 12.5 yrs. I was feeling a little sick about it and thought my bud ripped me off!

[Tools]

Originally Posted by nvhertz

No Glow at all.
Yeah i just got the search function working in the forum. ( Wasn't using enough words )
Read about the whole Swiss T < 25 thing and the life being around 12.5 yrs. I was feeling a little sick about it and thought my bud ripped me off!

Welcome nv.,
I'm surprised there is no glow at all.

Tritium has a half life of ~12 years, not a life span.

That means that after 12 years the beta activity, or the radioactive component, in the tritium paint is reduced by one half. ... So after the first 12 years you should see about half the brightness of the original.

The second 12 years you would have one half of that, or 1/4 of the original....etc.

Still, half of what was not really good glow in the first place is pretty dismal.

If it hasn't had a service call since new, it's time to send it into Rolex for a refurish and clean/oil, they can also change that dial and hands to new ones that glows just fine..

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Welcome to TRF!

The funny thing about Tritium is that although it has a halflife of about 12,5 years, some of the MUCH older Tritium dial still glow whereas some much younger than 12 years old dial are "dead".

You can have a SL dial and hands put on your "Pepsi" GMT II, but please keep the original T dial + hands since it would decrease the value of the GMT II if the original T dial and hands were lost.

[BigHat]

Originally Posted by nvhertz

Other GMT owners are ya'll setting your 24hr hand to your local time or to GMT?

Thanks,

DJ

Congrats. At first I set it to ZULU time, but now I leave it local and move the hour hand to adjust to travel. Not that I've gone anywhere with it yet. It will be a month old on Oct 25th.

[txrob779]

Arlington Va or TX?

[mborkow]

Originally Posted by nvhertz

are ya'll setting your 24hr hand to your local time or to GMT?

i keep the 24hr hand on GMT. that way calculating a 3rd time zone is just a matter of rotating the bezel.