Watch Lume

[ByMyBeard]

So, I'm curious about watch lume. I enjoy occasionally charging up my watches at night and seeing them glow. I enjoy even more the incredibly rare times when I step into a dark room and notice my watch has charged on it's own. The latter is what I'm really curious about. My initial thought is that "good" watch lume would be something that is "charged" throughout the day simply by being on your wrist, and then lasts for at least an hour or so throughout the evening. Perhaps "REALLY good" lume would last all night. Does this exist with higher priced watches, or is my expectation of "good lume" incorrect?
I realize that one can get a digital watch with a light feature, or even the little nuclear tube things (term escapes me currently), but those I consider their own category.
Finally, has anyone ever attempted to UPGRADE the lume on their existing watches? I've seen kits for mixing and applying lume paint, but was curious if anyone had attempted that. Perhaps it's really easier to swap out the hands for something with good lume already applied? Or, just ponying up more $$$ for a watch with good lume to start with (wherever that price point lies).
Thanks for sharing your opinions/experiences!

 

[Sinnbad11]

I've never attempted to upgrade mine but I have a few watches from the 300-500$ range whose lume last all night. It's common for me to wake up at 2 or 3 am and be able to read the dial perfectly.
Here is one of those freshly charged.
Zelos Great White

 

[StillShaving]

I have read mixed reports about applying extra lume, where some were satisfied and others not so much. I think it depends on the skill of the person applying and how critical of an eye they have. With some quite happy with the improved glow, others dissatisfied that it now looks painted on when examining the dial too closely.

Seiko generally has good lume, and not just their divers as my Essential quartz model and SARB035 have good lume relative to the small amount applied. But of course one should shop specific models carefully. Those youtubers who compare watches and do a group lume shot with some of their other watches is very helpful when shopping.

As you are probably aware it can be hard to objectively compare sometimes as some watches seem to be less bright just after charging but hang in for longer. And after your eyes adjust to the dark the lume can often shine through, enough to read the time in the middle of the night without having charged the watch before going to bed.

 

[KW Driver]

It depends on the line, type of lighting charging the lime, etc…

I’ve found over decades that, having spent all day outside in bright, full spectrum light that lume wouldn’t last well past midnight or into the early hours as easily readable. At 40-ish I started needing glasses and not able to read a lumed face without my glasses, and often a light too.

The last watch I bought, for about $300 is a titanium cased, 30 ATM, and tritium hands and hour markers. I can see what time it is without glasses or lights at any hour now. It should last 30 years or there about. I’d be happy to do without the lumed numbers if that had been an option

 

[LuckyR]

So, I'm curious about watch lume. I enjoy occasionally charging up my watches at night and seeing them glow. I enjoy even more the incredibly rare times when I step into a dark room and notice my watch has charged on it's own. The latter is what I'm really curious about. My initial thought is that "good" watch lume would be something that is "charged" throughout the day simply by being on your wrist, and then lasts for at least an hour or so throughout the evening. Perhaps "REALLY good" lume would last all night. Does this exist with higher priced watches, or is my expectation of "good lume" incorrect?
I realize that one can get a digital watch with a light feature, or even the little nuclear tube things (term escapes me currently), but those I consider their own category.
Finally, has anyone ever attempted to UPGRADE the lume on their existing watches? I've seen kits for mixing and applying lume paint, but was curious if anyone had attempted that. Perhaps it's really easier to swap out the hands for something with good lume already applied? Or, just ponying up more $$$ for a watch with good lume to start with (wherever that price point lies).
Thanks for sharing your opinions/experiences!

Sounds like your need for telling the time in the dark is somewhat uncommon. As you know dive watches are typically more well known for lume. For my work, waterproofness and visibility in the dark were important to me and I like the look and heft of dive watches so I sprang for an Armida A1. But since lume dies down in brightness at a similar speed to increased sensitivity to low light of your retinas, just about any large lume hand/dial watch will do the job.

 

[Doc4]

My initial thought is that "good" watch lume would be something that is "charged" throughout the day simply by being on your wrist

Well, "being on your wrist" isn't the deciding factor ... being in the light is.

Wearing a watch all day, inside, with a shirt sleeve and suit jacket sleeve covering the watch most of the time, won't charge the lume much at all. Wearing it for half an hour while bike riding in the mid-day sun, in a short-sleeved shirt, will charge it much more.

 

[Multum in parvo]

I have vintage watches with Tritium (70s-90s) that still have a faint glow once your eyes are adjusted and it’s fully dark but reading the time is guessing with pieces that old.

Luminova from the early 00s is bright but goes down fast, by the end of the night it’s barely distinguishable.

Super Luminova, Lumibrite and the stuff Orient uses is super bright and lasts through the whole night.

I’m not 100% sure but I believe that UV is the key for lasting brightness. I have a glow thingie on my keychain that shines bright in the dark garage or house entrance even though it stays the whole day in my pocket. I guess it gets charged by the UVA and UVB parts of the sunlight going through the fabric.

 

[Smashie]

I have vintage watches with Tritium (70s-90s) that still have a faint glow once your eyes are adjusted and it’s fully dark but reading the time is guessing with pieces that old.

Luminova from the early 00s is bright but goes down fast, by the end of the night it’s barely distinguishable.

Super Luminova, Lumibrite and the stuff Orient uses is super bright and lasts through the whole night.

I’m not 100% sure but I believe that UV is the key for lasting brightness. I have a glow thingie on my keychain that shines bright in the dark garage or house entrance even though it stays the whole day in my pocket. I guess it gets charged by the UVA and UVB parts of the sunlight going through the fabric.

If it's in your pocket all day, it's more than likely a gaseous tritium tube.

 

[GeronimoWSB]

I have vintage watches with Tritium (70s-90s) that still have a faint glow once your eyes are adjusted and it’s fully dark but reading the time is guessing with pieces that old.

Luminova from the early 00s is bright but goes down fast, by the end of the night it’s barely distinguishable.

Super Luminova, Lumibrite and the stuff Orient uses is super bright and lasts through the whole night.

I’m not 100% sure but I believe that UV is the key for lasting brightness. I have a glow thingie on my keychain that shines bright in the dark garage or house entrance even though it stays the whole day in my pocket. I guess it gets charged by the UVA and UVB parts of the sunlight going through the fabric.

I was wondering how well Orient stuff did. My Seiko doesn't last long at all, Vostok terrible. Love my tritium though in my Deep Blue.

 

[Multum in parvo]

If it's in your pocket all day, it's more than likely a gaseous tritium tube.

I know the tiny Tritium tubes (fishing lures, Traser watches) here the whole material is glowing so I don’t think it’s Tritium based.

 

[Multum in parvo]

I was wondering how well Orient stuff did. My Seiko doesn't last long at all, Vostok terrible. Love my tritium though in my Deep Blue.

On the Sport models like this New Triton easily 8 hours.

 

[Rudy Vey]

oh, you talking about the light up on watches at night, first I thought you talked about a deodorant for watches.....