16700 hands & dial under UV light

[khalifam]

Hi all,

I played this in the vintage forum however, feel it was more suited if I post here

I recently purchased this 16700 for a dealer. It has Rolex service however, the hands and dial were refused a change at the time of service

Under UV light there is no reaction at all - once I remove the UV light the hands or dial do not even light up even for a second. Does this seem okay? Do the hands and dial look okay

P.s. it's 1996

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[khalifam]

Anyone?

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[Tridor]

If it's a tritium dial and hands from 1996 (which is confirmed by the dial reading "T<25"), then it shouldn't glow at all anymore. I believe that the half-life of tritium is 12.33 years, meaning that between 2006-2007, the watch would have decayed to half as much as its original amount. By about 2020, it would not glow at all.

[khalifam]

Originally Posted by Tridor

If it's a tritium dial and hands from 1996 (which is confirmed by the dial reading "T&lt;25"), then it shouldn't glow at all anymore. I believe that the half-life of tritium is 12.33 years, meaning that between 2006-2007, the watch would have decayed to half as much as its original amount. By about 2020, it would not glow at all.

Thanks, yes I understand that but under UV shouldn't it glow somewhat? The last pic is kind of deceiving as it's not luming under a UV light...

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[Phrank]

My E-Serial GMT has absolutely no glow under UV light...not even a glimmer, so most likely the hands and dial have been replaced within the last 12 years.

[Tridor]

Originally Posted by khalifam

Thanks, yes I understand that but under UV shouldn't it glow somewhat? The last pic is kind of deceiving as it's not luming under a UV light...

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I don't see why it would ... there is no longer any active tritium material to excite.

[khalifam]

Originally Posted by Phrank

My E-Serial GMT has absolutely no glow under UV light...not even a glimmer, so most likely the hands and dial have been replaced within the last 12 years.

What would indicate the hands / dial have been changed in the last 12 years if it doesn't glow at all?

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[Phrank]

Originally Posted by khalifam

What would indicate the hands / dial have been changed in the last 12 years if it doesn't glow at all?

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When I hold my 16700 GMT under UV light, I get absolutely no reaction at all. The final picture you've posted under UV light shows the plots "reacting/glowing". I do that with mine and there is no reaction or glowing at all...hope this helps.

[GGGMT]

Should not glow. At. All. Not. One. But.


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[springer]

Let's clarify a couple comments here that are a little confusing. If the tritium dial is old enough, and placed under the UV light, it will "glow" white while the UV light is on. Once the UV light goes out, the markers and hands will no longer "glow" white. This "glow" is not a glow in the true sense of something that glows, but, instead, is a reaction of the dead tritium to the UV light which makes the tritium appear to glow but all it is doing is turning white under the UV light - just light paper, urn, some vitamins and many other substances which will "glow" or react to the UV light.

In summation, for me, "glow" is the wrong descriptor when describing how dead tritium reacts to the UV light. Properly said, an old, tritium dial - from the 70s, 80s, 90s and up until around tritium was discontinued in 1998, will "react" to UV light by turning white. While many of us improperly call this UV affect "glow" it is actually a reaction to the UV light. And, not to confuse this further, my comments here should not be confused with the "glow" given off by tritium that still has life left to it - like some of the zinc sulfide tritium dials and hands from the 1960s.