Just thinking about it, I seem to remember there may have been a safety issue with older luminescent materials. May have been one of the reasons for not staying the same.
Edit: I do remember it being bright.
Yes, that would be a plausible explanation. If the watch was pre-1970 itās likely that radium was used in the lume. Radium has a half-life of 1600 years! This was replaced with Tritium, which has a half-life of just 12 years. This has since been replaced with superluminova, which I understand doesnāt use any radioactive material.
A short half life does not make it safer. There is a reason why the half life is so short!
In short donāt replace hands and dial unless you have to. These are the bits that make your watch yours.
As others have stated replacement parts remive value. Rolex only change items ( with or without permission) on an exchange basis. I.e. you donāt get the old bits back.
Omega send the bits back. Interesting. Neither seem to give the customer much choice.
Thereās a lot to love about a tritium lume. I have an old Ollech & Wajs based WCT M16 Mk.1. This was basically an O&W M4 (a 39mm ETA 2824-2 equipped dive watch) fitted with a US Military Marathon dial and tritium vial hands. It was probably one of the first ones they did and so is likely getting on for almost 20 years old now. Itās my go-to watch if I ever need to know the time in the dark as the lume is constant and more than bright enough to easily read however dark it may be.
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My 1992 vintage Rolex Datejust has been serviced once in 2007 .
It continues to be as accurate as it has ever been ie gains about 10 seconds a day .
My intention is to leave well alone .
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Lovely watch and great movement.
Love the legibility. 
Tritium is used on the Omega watch which is away for service currently. That watch is marked āT-Swiss Made-Tā, which confirms tritium. However, thatās now 51 years old and the lume no longer glows in the dark.
You canāt go wrong with a Seiko. I never cease to be impressed with the quality at their respective price points.
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Sounds like a plan. A Rolex AD advised me to only have a service when a watch fails. +10 sec a day is nothing for that beauty.
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Yes, thatās normal. None of my really old watches glow at all now.
Just a thought. I understand the avoidance of a full service and all that it entails. However, I think a good Rolex dealerās watchmaker or workshop would regulate it to within a second or two per day for not much money, in no time.
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Interesting. I didnāt know that. However I know that a full service is warranted 3 years against similar issues. Iām hoping Iāll be covered this time. Otherwise I might just sell the watch.
How are you?
Ian
I am fine, Ian, thank you for asking. Regrettably, I am still incarcerated in my bl**dy asylum. I can give instructions on where the wretched place is, plus a reward, to anyone who will spring me.
Itās my birthday at the end of next month, and Iām determined to be home for that.
Amazingly, reasoning along the lines of 'I need to see if my copy of āAnimals is as f**ked as everyone elseāsā or 'But donāt you understand that theyāve just remastered and reissued āRevolverā fall on deaf ears in this place. I ask you!
Is there a process for you to be able to leave Graham?
Who is controlling this, it does seem rather odd to me, can you simply just leave?
