# the glowing makers hardly glow on my watch



## RichardMT

I have a Tag watch with the little glowing markers. The thing is I can hardly see them at all in the dark. If I hit them with a flashlight they will glow very bright for a minute or 2, then they simply stop glowing again...is this considered normal? Went out today and got a Timex indiglo just so I would have something to wear at night that I could see.


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## Tomas

That's absolutely normal for the majority of "glow-in-the-dark" watches. Most use a *zink selenide* type GID goop which looses 90 percent of it's glow in just a few minutes.

Some watches use _Luminova_ or _Lumibrite_ (very similar but _Lumibrite_ is proprietary to _Seiko_ ) which have a different base entirely (*strontium aluminate* - I looked it up /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ). 

Both still require "charging" by exposure to light to get them to glow, but can hold a useful glow for several hours (a Lumibrite watch I have is useful for up to 7-8 hours when really charged up - difficult to do naturally in winter with long sleeves ...

A few watches use various radioactive substances to induce their phosphors to glow, the most common being *tritium*. These either use a radioactive *tritium* paint or the tiny hollow tubes lined with phosphors and filled with *tritium gas*. (Those are MY favorites.)

Here's a pic of a couple of watches that use the tiny tritium vials, and don't need to be charged with light to glow. (Their glow is brighter, too, than most other GID materials, especially considering it takes years (half-life = 12.3 years) to get dim, not minutes ... )

(Left is a one day old civilian model that I don't like the looks of, wanna buy it? Right is a standard military watch (SandY 590). Both are made by the same company that makes the Luminox and a few other brands: mb-microtec (Swiss). 












EDIT: The tritium vials in the Tracer keyrings, gunsites, compasses, emergency signs, military hardware, etc., etc., are ALL made by only one company: mb-microtec.


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## MeridianTactical

I have a high dollar watch, and short of hitting it with a flashlight to charge the markers. the luminesent markers are quite dim...

The Luminox Watches have the tritium vials as well and work awesom. I have one I use whan I dont want to beat on my other watch.

http://www.meridiantactical.com/luminox.html


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## guncollector

Recently, when I had my IWC (DaVinci SL) serviced, the service center (as part of their policy I presume, as I didn't request it) replaced or repainted all the hands (including the tip of the seconds hand--which wasn't painted originally).

I noticed a _big difference_ in the luminescence upon its return to me.

I don't know if luminescent materials lose their efficacy over years, but my guess is that the service center used a newer or just different luminescent material on the hands.

Perhaps, when/if you send your watch into TAG for servicing next, you can request they repaint/replace the hands for you.


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## gadgetnut

I am very impressed with the glow of my Luminox. I've only had it a month or so but the longer I have it, the more I like it. I have the Stainless Marine model with the silver face. I took my wife and son to the movies last weekend, and I noticed people looking at my wrist during the movie. It really does glow quite well. The coolest part is, it glows like that 24-7 with no "charging".


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## guncollector

gadget-

I'm not sure if you're aware, but your Luminox doesn't use luminescent paint at all.

Your Luminox users small vials of tritium (a radioactive substance with a 10-12 year half-life) to illuminate the hands. It's the same stuff used in gunsights, and the Traser keyrings.

It will "out-glow" almost any paint over the course of an evening (though the new Super Luminova paints, freshly charged by a light source, will give it a good run for the money for the half the night).


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## gadgetnut

Yeah, I know all about the tritium gas tracer vials. I tend to do a LOT of homework before I make a purchase...which is why I went with a Luminox. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif 
My post was more in response to the one from Meridian Tactical.


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## doubleganger

I love my Luminox watches. My old plastic one got to looking so bad I replaced it with a new all metal one (though the old one still works great and I keep it for yardwork). Once your eyes adjust, you can read by these watches! I've moved my wrist too close to my face in my sleep and had the light wake me up! And with a 10 year battery, a sapphire crystal, and waterproof to 600 meters, what's not to like? I'm kind of pumped about mine right now since at a retirement party last night one of the managers commented on what a nice looking watch I was wearing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## BlindTiger

I didn't know Luminox has a sapphire crystal? Which models?
Sometimes it's too bright but nice to see people look at what you have in a movie theatre.


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## doubleganger

Mine says 3200 series. I think a 3210. The one with a steel bracelet and stainless steel face. The sapphire crystal is pretty neat. If you look close you can see scratches on the stainless bezel but not a single one on the crystal. I'm always banging it on doorknobs which are at just the right height. Avoid the ones with the black carbon bezels. After a few years they look like hell. As my mother says, "Not the most expensive but not the cheapest either". 

I don't remember where I bought mine but just found it here:
http://www.omegamanenterprises.com/luminoxsteeldive.htm


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## gadgetnut

[ QUOTE ]
*doubleganger said:*
Avoid the ones with the black carbon bezels. After a few years they look like hell. 

[/ QUOTE ]That's why I like the one I have too. There's nothing on it that can rub off or turn colors. I have this one: 



That picture gives it a slightly gold tint, but the watch is silver (polished stainless). My last watch was a $300 Citizen titanium which had gold-tone accents in the band. It looked awesome when it was new, but after a while the gold started to wear off leaving a $300 watch looking pretty bad.


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## flownosaj

International Watch Works will recoat your watch with Super luminova. Reccomended by Bill Yao


Thomas--are you on the MWR board as well?


-Jason


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## Tomas

Yes, That's the same Tomas, Jason. I've seen you there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif 

I obviously don't know the MWR 'secret handshake,' though ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif


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## flownosaj

Thomas-- but we share the same tritium/luminova problems /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

-Jason


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## John N

[ QUOTE ]
*flownosaj said:*
International Watch Works will recoat your watch with Super luminova. Reccomended by Bill Yao

[/ QUOTE ]

Here is a link to their web site. Very interesting.

http://www.angelfire.com/blues/andcameysiww/Firstpage.html


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## mrorange

Tomas, why don't you like your new Traser watch?


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