LumiBrite (or Lumi Brite) is a very impressive type of luminescence found in Seiko divers ranging from a few hundred dollars to models reaching into the thousands. In fact, many watch geeks believe every collection is deserving of an Orange Monster, partly because of the great lume they offer.
In this post
What is Seiko lume made of?
Today, the most often used watch lume pigments are those based on photoluminescent materials such as Strontium Aluminate or LumiNova.
Does Seiko have good lume?
Seiko has the best luminous paint in the industry, and the SNKL07 has the strongest lume I have seen on a Seiko 5: it glows in the dark like a diver watch for six hours. If you need a watch you can read in the dark, this is a good one.
What is Seiko lume called?
Lumi Brite LumiBrite
LumiBrite is a recent development in Seiko luminous paints that is brighter, longer-lasting and completely free of radioactive substances.
How long does Seiko lume last?
The more coats applied, the longer the lume will last after being fully charged. Most watches painted with lume need only 30 minutes in optimal light conditions to fully charge. Once they fully charge, they can last from as little as 30 minutes to eight hours. Some watches can glow in the dark for long periods.
How long does tritium lume 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.
Does tritium stop glowing?
Since Tritium is radioactive, it will glow whether or not it receives any light exposure; however its ability to glow is limited by the radioactive half-life of the material itself. This means that as Tritium ages, its ability to glow will diminish until the point that it ceases to glow at all.
Which Seiko has the brightest lume?
In this article, we will look closer at the best lume watches, meaning watches that have the strongest and brightest luminescence.
- Seiko Prospex SBBN031.
- Seiko Prospex Monster Blue.
- Seiko Prospex 200M “Samurai” SRPB51K1.
- Luminox LM8822.
- Seiko SRPA21 Prospex Padi.
- Victorinox AirBoss Automatic 241507.
What is C3 lume?
C3 Lume. The C3 is a lume that is used in most vintage-styled watches. This lume gives an extraordinary look to your watch when you are in the dark. Hailed as one of the brightest lume compared to its other counterparts. The relative brightness of this lume stands at an astonishing 100%.
What is Rolex lume?
This lume compound stores photons when exposed to sunlight or artificial light, allowing it to glow in darkness for hours after initial light exposure. In low light, Super-Luminova glows green, and this particular color soon became associated with the Rolex brand.
How long does C3 lume last?
We know it because we bought it on local markets in China out of curiosity. At this point being said: The lume quality of the Chinese suppliers is actually not bad, they can have a pretty decent brightness and longevity of up to 8 hours.
How long does radium lume last?
1,600 years
Watches were using radium as lume until the 1960s. Radium is a material that can potentially glow for over 1,600 years which is around the half-life of the material wherein which the luminescence begins to dim.
How good is hardlex Crystal?
Hardlex is harder and more scratch-resistant than regular mineral crystal because of the added boron and proprietary heat treatment. If you do get a scratch on your watch glass, both crystal materials are easily replaced.
What is the brightest watch lume?
1. Chronoswiss Timemaster Lume Dial ref.
How do I recharge my lume?
To charge the lume of your watch, simply expose it to a light source (preferable those with UV rays) in order to ‘charge’ the lume of your watch.
How do you charge a Seiko lume?
With that said, charging your watch’s lume with a UV flashlight is very simple. All you need to do is direct the light to the watch for a few seconds and then it will glow brightly. Charging the lume with a UV light is unarguably the most effective way if you need it to glow as strong and bright as it possibly can.
What kind of lume does Timex use?
Indiglo
Some watches rely on electroluminescence to glow in the dark. As its name suggests, electroluminescence requires a current of electricity for the phosphor to glow. One of the most famous examples of this is Timex’s Indiglo, which was patented in 1992. With a press of a pusher on the case, the whole dial lights up.
Is it safe to wear a tritium watch?
The answer, you will be glad to hear, is that the Tritium illumination used in Nite watches is completely safe.
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.
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.
Is it legal to buy tritium?
Although it is illegal for Amazon to support sales of tritium on their site, it is somewhat similar to a game of whack-a-mole. If Amazon finds the listing and shuts it down, another will pop up until they are found again.