What is a refinished watch dial?
In most collectors’ minds, what’s worse than a non-pristine but original dial is one that has been redone or “refinished.” That means someone, typically a third party other than the original manufacturer, has modified the original dial to varying degrees.
What paint is used on watch dials?
Radium dials are watch, clock and other instrument dials painted with luminous paint containing radium-226 to produce radioluminescence.
How do you lacquer a watch dial?
Instead of using enamel powder, a lacquered dial is produced by spray-painting a few layers of lacquer (or enamel paint) on the base dial (normally made of brass). After the spraying is evenly applied, the dial goes into the oven in high heat similar to the production of an enamel dial.
When did they stop using radium on watch dials?
1970s
Many of these workers developed bone cancer, usually in their jaws. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers’ illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. By the 1970s, radium was no longer used on watch and clock dials.
Is radium paint still used?
Radium paint itself was eventually phased out and has not been used in watches since 1968.
What material are watch dials made of?
Watch dials are made of metal, such as brass or titanium, and then a finish is applied to them.
How long do tritium dials last?
However, tritium gas tubes have a half life of 12 years and will need to be replaced after roughly 24 years (modern lume such as Super LumiNova doesn’t last forever, either). Tritium glows less brightly than many lume applications at full charge, but will often be brighter within the first hour as the lume fades.
When did Rolex stop using radium dials?
Rolex stopped using radium in 1963 due to the high risk of cancer that this radioactive substance has. This applied to the people who worked with it daily in the factory. In fact, people did develop cancer from working with applying radium to Rolex’s dials. So Rolex found a different material to use instead of Radium.
Are radium dials safe?
Do not attempt to take apart radium watches or instrument dials. Radioactive antiques are usually not a health risk as long as they are intact and in good condition. Do not use ceramics like antique orange-red Fiestaware or Vaseline glass to hold food or drink.
How do I know if my watch has radium?
Plastic crystals can often exhibit a burn-in from the paint. Radium-based paint was banned in the 1960s and all of the paint was phased out a decade later. The easiest way to tell if a watch is radioactive is to pick up a simple Geiger counter. This will tell you definitively if a piece is radioactive.
What is watch dial and hand refinishing?
Watch dial and hand refinishing. The dial (AKA Face) of a watch is where the time is displayed. We offer complete watch dial refinishing and restoration for most watches. We can even make the dial from scratch if needed. We also perform watch hand refinishing and restoration. Refinish dial as original or custom.
How much does it cost to clean a watch dial?
In house acid bath dial cleaning process: This affordable process ($40) can return a number of wrist watch dial types back to a much crisper and cleaner appearance – designed for watches that don’t have a great degree of dial surface decay.
How can I make my watch dials look more vintage?
Often, the resulting patina is attractive and makes a vintage wrist watch look authentically vintage. Other times uneven blemishing and water damage can leave a dial in a sorry state. Regardless of the degree of decay that your watch dial exhibits, you’ve a few appearance enhancing options that I’d like to pass along to you.
What is a dial on a watch?
The dial (AKA Face) of a watch is where the time is displayed. We offer complete watch dial refinishing and restoration for most watches. We can even make the dial from scratch if needed.