Luminous paint on minute hand

[chrisogilvie]

Hi everyone
The luminous coat on the minute hand on my gold Rolex Day Date has worn off. Can the hand be easily replaced or should I try to just replace the luminous coating? (using an expert repair specialist of course).

[rayan008]

As far as restoring the luminescence on an older watch that no longer glows, it is possible; however doing so requires that the dial and hands either be “re-lumed” or replaced – there is no way to simply “recharge” the pre-existing luminescent material. Re-luming is an aftermarket process in which a photo-luminescent compound is applied to the dial and hands in place of the non-glowing Tritium. Alternatively, a watch’s luminescence can be restored by replacing both the dial and hands with later-era equivalents that rely on photo-luminescent material to provide the parts with their glow.

A glowing watch does possess a functional advantage over its non-glowing equivalent; however most vintage Rolex watches have lost their ability to glow, and it is simply considered a trait that is consistent with older timepieces.

[77T]

Originally Posted by chrisogilvie

Hi everyone

The luminous coat on the minute hand on my gold Rolex Day Date has worn off. Can the hand be easily replaced or should I try to just replace the luminous coating? (using an expert repair specialist of course).

If you don’t know how it wore off the minute hand, maybe address that first.

But a skilled watchmaker should be able to do both.

Another choice might be a replacement hand set.


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