James Bond's watch in Dr. No

[ChipSlap]

While watching Dr. No with my 8 and 6-year old sons yesterday, I saw something I'd never noticed before. At one point in the film, Bond has a geiger counter and tests it by pointing it at his Rolex. It clicks as he expected, and he explains to Quarrel that it was triggered by the luminous dial in his watch. Now I have worked with tritium, and with geiger counters, and I know that tritium does not set off geiger counters. The low-energy beta particles are not strong enough to even penetrate the layer of dead skin we all carry. Radium, on the other hand, is easily detectable with standard geiger counters.

So, all you Rolexers out there...did Rolex Submariners of the late 50s and early 60s have radium lume? Or is this just a little error in the film.

[Ronin]

Not sure, but a good friend of mine in the military HAS successfully gotten a Geiger counter to register against his gen tritium based Submariner and tritium lumed military compass....

[ChipSlap]

Not sure, but a good friend of mine in the military HAS successfully gotten a Geiger counter to register against his gen tritium based Submariner and tritium lumed military compass....

I respectfully suggest that something about your friend's story is not quite right. Even if one had an extra sensitive radiation detector, the beta radiation is not capable of penetrating a plexiglass, glass, or sapphire crystal.

From further readings about timelines, I'm becoming convinced that it was likely a tritium watch and the continuity people just didn't know about radiation.

http://www.nukeworker.com/study/radiation_faqs/h3.shtml

"DETECTION

A tiny drop of contamination containing H-3 can be easily detected with a wipe test from a liquid scintillation counter. A Geiger counter will not detect the presence of H-3."

[FxrAndy]

I have to agree with chip slap here, I am a radiation protection supervisor in my day job with one of my many hats one, I asked this question on my course and i was informed of the same.

Radium would be different, but i dont think radium was used, i would assume that this is a continuity issue.

[freddy333]

I am by no means a radiation expert, but there have been a number of posts on TZ & VRF over the years where senior members have posted pics showing a small amount of activity coming from their 50s & early 60s Subs when placed next to the probe of a geiger counter. I remember 1 post in particular, where a member scoped several vintage watches in his collection. If I recall correctly, I think the original theme of that thread was the amount of radioactivity in 6542 GMTs vs other Rolex watches of the same period.

[TeeJay]

It might have just been done with artistic license as a plot point, but I'm sure I've read somewhere that there were 'concerns' about the radioactivity of some old Rolex models, so replacement dials were made available...

[kbh]

Is it not true that Tritium was discontinued because of radiation poisoning of workers that handled it on a daily basis?

[TeeJay]

Is it not true that Tritium was discontinued because of radiation poisoning of workers that handled it on a daily basis?

I believe it was more a case of ingestion, rather than just handling (licking the brush to get a good point), or so I've read...

[FxrAndy]

I am by no means a radiation expert, but there have been a number of posts on TZ & VRF over the years where senior members have posted pics showing a small amount of activity coming from their 50s & early 60s Subs when placed next to the probe of a geiger counter. I remember 1 post in particular, where a member scoped several vintage watches in his collection. If I recall correctly, I think the original theme of that thread was the amount of radioactivity in 6542 GMTs vs other Rolex watches of the same period.

Was lume reference if on thew older dial freddy, was it t 25 or just Swiss made, I only know of radium marking or a + in a circle on military dials, they may well have had radium or another substance in the lume.

[aeromatic]

While watching Dr. No with my 8 and 6-year old sons yesterday, I saw something I'd never noticed before. At one point in the film, Bond has a geiger counter and tests it by pointing it at his Rolex. It clicks as he expected, and he explains to Quarrel that it was triggered by the luminous dial in his watch. Now I have worked with tritium, and with geiger counters, and I know that tritium does not set off geiger counters. The low-energy beta particles are not strong enough to even penetrate the layer of dead skin we all carry. Radium, on the other hand, is easily detectable with standard geiger counters.

So, all you Rolexers out there...did Rolex Submariners of the late 50s and early 60s have radium lume? Or is this just a little error in the film.

Indeed you are correct rolex used radium lume in there early rolex subs then it was switched for tritium which was much safer!

[ChipSlap]

I believe it was more a case of ingestion, rather than just handling (licking the brush to get a good point), or so I've read...

You're thinking of the "Radium Girls," a very disturbing landmark in the history of workplace safety law in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls

[aeromatic]

You're thinking of the "Radium Girls," a very disturbing landmark in the history of workplace safety law in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls

iv heard about this practice from a ex navy (guy)that the military watchmakers used women to relume watches licking the paintbrush tip, its unbelievable that even back then,that they dident warned them about the dangers

[TeeJay]

You're thinking of the "Radium Girls," a very disturbing landmark in the history of workplace safety law in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls

Thanks for the link, I hadn't read the full story behind it before, I just remembered that it involved the brushes being licked to produce a finer point. Indeed, a very disturbing state of affairs...