Today, Maxi Dials continue to be found on current production, 6-digit reference Submariners with Cerachrom ceramic bezels. They are also now paired with the “Super Case”, which has fatter lugs, a wider bezel, and an overall beefier look on the wrist.
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What is the Rolex Submariner dial made of?
brass
Aside from some special dials made from materials such as meteorite, mother-of-pearl, and hard stones, Rolex dials are made from brass, while the dial markers are fashioned from 18k gold (also made in-house at Rolex’s own gold foundry) to prevent tarnishing.
How are Rolex dials made?
Decorative dials, like for the Rolex President, are made by a diamond-tipped tool that automatically and meticulously carves the pattern into the surface. This is where we see Rolex’s past experience blend with modern technology.
What material are watch dials made of?
Nowadays, watch dials are made from different materials. The two most common are metal and metal coated with porcelain enamel. Metal dials were just thin pieces of flat metal painted, embossed or printed with corresponding numbers, markers or decorations to show the time.
What are Rolex watch faces made of?
Depending on the era that they were made, Rolex watches can either have acrylic (a.k.a. plastic) crystals or sapphire crystals. First came acrylic (Polymethyl methacrylate), which is a transparent thermoplastic that was used as a shatter-resistant alternative to glass.
What is a tritium dial?
An isotope of hydrogen that is used to make watch hands and indices glow in the dark. Until a few years ago, hands and indices were often painted with tritium paint. But because tritium is mildly radioactive, and feared by some to be a health hazard, tritium paint is no longer used on dials.
What is Rolex tritium dial?
To replace radium, Rolex switched to tritium as the go-to luminescent material for its dials. Like radium, tritium is also self-luminous, however, it is a low-grade radioactive material, therefore not nearly as dangerous. Rolex used tritium on its dials until the mid-1990s.
What metal does Rolex use?
OYSTERSTEEL
OYSTERSTEEL. A Rolex watch must work perfectly and maintain its beauty even in the harshest environments. That is why Rolex uses Oystersteel, a steel alloy specific to the brand. Oystersteel belongs to the 904L steel family, which is particularly resistant to corrosion and acquires an exceptional sheen when polished.
How thick is a Rolex dial?
Often carried out inside sophisticated vacuum chambers where the pressure is equivalent to that found in space, some 150 kilometres above the earth’s surface, the techniques used by Rolex coat the dials with a fine layer of vaporized oxides and metals less than one micron thick.
What are Rolex hands made of?
Did you know that the hands and hour markers on all modern Rolex watches are made in 18ct gold? It’s true! Most watch manufacturers make the hands and hour markers in stainless steel – and so has Rolex, but not anymore. Today, the hands and hour markers on Rolex watches are made in white gold.
What are watch dials painted with?
Radium dials are watch, clock and other instrument dials painted with luminous paint containing radium-226 to produce radioluminescence.
What is enamel watch dial?
Enameling is the process of applying a thin coat of finely ground glass (made of silica, red lead, and soda) to a metal. When heated to a high temperature, the glass melts and fuses to the metal which creates stunningly beautiful dials.
What is a lacquer 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.
Can you scratch a Rolex face?
Wearing and using your Rolex watch will result in scratches. However, there are steps you can take to avoid scratching. For instance, you can lay your Rolex on a soft cloth or in its box at night.
When did Rolex stop using plexiglass?
By 1991, the Rolex Perpetual was the last watch to possess a acrylic crystal. Now, all Rolex watches feature the sapphire crystal.
Can you scratch a Rolex glass?
Yes, a Rolex sapphire crystal can both shatter or scratch. While a sapphire crystal is extremely hard and durable, it can scratch, and even shatter. Some people believe that the sapphire crystal can only be scratched by diamond, but this is not the case.
Why did Rolex stop using tritium?
Whilst tritium is also radioactive, it has a much lower level of radiation. Tritium has good luminous characteristics and glows rather strong, but an issue is that it has a 12-year half-life (due to the Lowe level of radiation), which means it will stop glowing.
Will Rolex replace a tritium dial?
Most commonly for vintage Rolex dials is that the luminous material used for the watch (oftentimes tritium or radium), changes colors, ages, changes shape, and loses its glowing effect. During a service by Rolex, Rolex does not repair and restore old dials. Instead, they replace it with a new dial instead.
Does tritium glow forever?
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.
How long do tritium dials last?
Tritium exit signs usually come in three brightness levels guaranteed for 10, 15, or 20 year useful life expectancies.
When did they stop using tritium in watches?
Since tritium watches are also considered to be potentially hazardous, the use of tritium in watches was finally stopped in the 1990s. Since then, timepieces are made with Super-LumiNova, a pure phosphorescent luminescent material that is free of any radioactive additives and based on an alkaline earth aluminate.