What are the chances?

[omgiv]

Hi Guys,

I was wondering how often Luminova dials and hands come up for a GWSD. Also, what would a fair price be for the set? After seeing vlydog's beautiful 1680 with Luminova dial hands, it got me thinking. I would love to have one that glows, and not having to send a dial and hands off to be relumed is a plus. So, where would the best place to look for one other than eBay? Thanks in advance!!!!

[Nanuq]

Nooooooooooooooooo!!! (picture Nanuq diving in slow motion to stop an accident from happening)

I made the same mistake once, wanting a vintage to glow. I did the deed and although it looks stinkin' gorgeous, now I wish it didn't glow. In bright daylight it has an ever so faint green hue to the hour dots and I can't wait for that to wear out again. My bad.

[omgiv]

Thanks for the reply Nanuq! I appreciate you sharing your experiences I actually don't mind it. I had a 5513 that had a service dial and hands and it was beautiful. I am still trying to figure out my options as far as dials and hands go. I figured that a rep dial will cost about $150-$400 depending on what you get. Then the hands and the cost and time of reluming them. I was thinking that I would probably be out at least $300-$350 with just that. I was figuring that the Luminova dial and hands would probably be the cheapest gen to find. I just don't know how often they appear and what to expect to pay. Thanks again!!!!!

[Ronin]

This brings up an interesting topic. Would you rather chase/use a less than perfect re-dial -or- a lumi/late model service dial or even a rep late model service dial (that lends an air of plausibility)?

After poking around at DoubeRedSeaDweller, there are in fact DRSD "Service Dials" and of course to the OP GWSD "Service Dials".

It seems to me that in the "rep/franken" world we are often chasing the vintage dream dial. There are times however, where if I could locate/source a later 'service' dial it would make sense to go that route. It even leads to a more plausible discussion of if it were serviced, this is how it would be. I know I got lucky when I found a NOS Tritium Service dial for my 1680 project, and am thrilled.

It would even be cool if the Yukis/JW/NDTs etc, added look alike/re-dials of late service dials to their stores.

I actually think these dials are very cool, unique. (Kinda dig the Battlestar Galactica looking font)

A SINGLE RED LATE Sea-Dweller!!!!

Lumi DRSD

[FxrAndy]

I have re-lumed all my vintages with super luminover because it is only half the tool if i cant read it in the dark, the purists may hate it but i often like to read the time at night in fact some times i like to shut my self in a dark room just for the fun of it.

Thia is my double red

If it was affordable i would snap up a lumi dial

[TeeJay]

I have re-lumed all my vintages with super luminover because it is only half the tool if i cant read it in the dark, the purists may hate it but i often like to read the time at night in fact some times i like to shut my self in a dark room just for the fun of it.

Thia is my double red

If it was affordable i would snap up a lumi dial

+1

I'd rather have a lumed dial I could read in the dark than have one which would appear to be 'chronologically accurate'... I guess the happy medium would be to do a custom lume mix to try and give that vintage color, but still retain luminosity

[Nanuq]

I guess the happy medium would be to do a custom lume mix to try and give that vintage color, but still retain luminosity

Ask, and ye shall receive. Looks stock, glows like a torch. And I still wish I could have the "look" without the "glow".

[alligoat]

I was wondering how often Luminova dials and hands come up for a GWSD. Also, what would a fair price be for the set? After seeing vlydog's beautiful 1680 with Luminova dial hands, it got me thinking. I would love to have one that glows, and not having to send a dial and hands off to be relumed is a plus. So, where would the best place to look for one other than eBay? Thanks in advance!!!!

What about a set of Rolex aftermarket hands for 1570 movt from Clark's Watch supply? I got an eta set w/ very good lume recently from them.

A luminova GWSD dial- $500-1000 if you can find one. Maybe more, I figure they're rare as hen's teeth these days. With guys like us around, I figure Rolex is keeping pretty close tabs on stuff like that.

Everest Watch Works would be a whole lot more economical on a relume.

[jmb]

Nanuq, I feel your pain, there is no reason you should have to suffer with that! Send it to me and I' wear it out and send it back when it doesn't glow anymore...

[omgiv]

Thanks for the tips. I think that the Clark's hands are nice, but you can still tell a difference if you compare them to gen hands. I was just thinking that it might be be simpler in the long run to find a lumi dial and hands. Speaking of hands.... Ofrei lists the hand size for the 1570 to be 80/120/20 and julesborel lists them as 80/130/20. Does anyone know for sure? Thanks!!!!!!!

[TeeJay]

Ask, and ye shall receive. Looks stock, glows like a torch. And I still wish I could have the "look" without the "glow".

That's a real beauty At the risk of not understanding, why would you want a tool watch, which could not perform one of it's intended functions? To me, that would be a bit like someone who lives in a cabin the middle of a forest buying an off-roading SUV, but always leaving it parked at the visitor's center and hiking too and from their cabin rather than driving right to their front door...

[freddy333]

At the risk of not understanding, why would you want a tool watch, which could not perform one of it's intended functions?

I believe the reason for Nanuq's regret is that a tritium-powered Rolex Sub has little or no glow after 40+ years. Reluming such a watch with modern lume is like permanently cementing a toupee on your head & then being self-conscious that someone (who knows what the real thing looks like) might mistake you for a poser.

[stilty]

I believe the reason for Nanuq's regret is that a tritium-powered Rolex Sub has little or no glow after 40+ years. Reluming such a watch with modern lume is like permanently cementing a toupee on your head & then being self-conscious

Best analogy I've read in a long time! I think you nailed it! I feel the same way about my 1016. I wish I never had the markers relumed... although zig did an amazing job!

[Nanuq]

Not to take this too far off topic, you're right ... Ziggy did an incredible job with mine. The watch is 52 years old, and you just don't want to mess with a dial that old unless you have to. It was so badly done at some point in the past, I had no choice. Ziggy took the risk at my behest, and wow did he come through. It's a magnificent job.

Now to drag this back on topic, it is possible to have a dial that looks original, and still glows. Even if it's 40 - 50 years old. So my advice would be to find an early GWSD dial, and have it Ziggified. Best of both worlds.

Before

After

[TeeJay]

I believe the reason for Nanuq's regret is that a tritium-powered Rolex Sub has little or no glow after 40+ years. Reluming such a watch with modern lume is like permanently cementing a toupee on your head & then being self-conscious that someone (who knows what the real thing looks like) might mistake you for a poser.

I understand that tritium would lose it's glow after 40+ years, but surely it's still better to have a watch where it is possible to read the time in the dark than not? I'd've thought the easiest answer to some elitist snoot who commented on the dial glowing would be "Yes, I had the dial re-lumed so I can still read it in the dark... " would be a reasonable answer (especially if there is no discussion of selling the watch, so value/de-valuation would not be a salient issue...) I totally get what you mean about the toupee comparison, but must respectfully disagree, as a toupee is a purely cosmetic item (might keep the head a bit warmer...) and worn out of personal vanity and insecurity, dial lume, is a functional aspect of the watch, which enables it to be more useful... Oh well

[freddy333]

As long as you are planning never to sell or insure the watch & do not mind causing raised eyebrows among those in-the-know, you can paint the lume in a dayglo color like red to match your wife's fingernail polish. But reluming a valuable vintage Rolex, especially with modern lume, seriously deflates the watch's value & makes a nice gen look questionable. As I have said elsewhere, I am all for refurbing a seriously worn out vintage piece, but some things really should be left as-is (or, if refurbed, as they should be).

[omgiv]

Thanks for the information guys. I didn't mean to start a debate. I like the functionality of the lume but I also do admire the looks of a great vintage piece. I would think that a gen dial that is vintage would be higher than a gen service dial. I would have to have a rep dial and hands relumed anyway, so I think that I will try and find a lumi dial. I have seen them before, i just don't know what to expect to pay. Thanks again!!!!

[TeeJay]

As long as you are planning never to sell or insure the watch & do not mind causing raised eyebrows among those in-the-know, you can paint the lume in a dayglo color like red to match your wife's fingernail polish. But reluming a valuable vintage Rolex, especially with modern lume, seriously deflates the watch's value & makes a nice gen look questionable. As I have said elsewhere, I am all for refurbing a seriously worn out vintage piece, but some things really should be left as-is (or, if refurbed, as they should be).

I'm not trying to be argumentative here, I quite simply do not get it, so a couple of points...

1. No one has said anything about selling or insuring a watch, infact, I specifically said above that as long as those were not considerations, then they are quite simply not salient issues when it comes to discussing the functionality of the watch. Surely it is better to have a watch which is readable in the dark as well as the light, than to have a watch which is only readable in the light (especially when the watch was originally designed to be readable in the dark)

2. What are the chances of actually running into someone 'in the know' in everyday real life? Neither Nanuq, yourself or I are exactly noobs around here, we are not exactly 'looking for the best sub' or scared about being called out by strangers in the street, so I would again respectfully point out, that I do not understand why someone would prefer a dial which does not glow, over a dial which does (and therefore more useful) simply because it 'is less accurate', when the chances of running into someone who actually knows the subject, is much less than the chances of needing to be able to read the watch in dark conditions... The point I was raising, was one purely of functionality.

To go back to the SUV analogy, it seems (to me) to be like someone who would benefit from all the all-terrain capability of an SUV over a family station wagon buying an SUV, but rather than actually taking it 'off road', leaving it in the parking lot and making themselves walk over the terrain which the SUV is designed to be able to navigate. Sure, someone would have to be either very rich (and thus not care about the consequences) or very foolish to want to try taking a Ferrari along a wilderness trail, but the SUV on the other hand, is designed for the offroading, so why not use it to its full potential rather than simply leaving it in the parking lot?

[freddy333]

If you want a car with Xenon headlights, you can either buy a new Jaguar XK or you can modify the headlights on your 50-year old E-type. Personally, I would feel silly (for the reasons I stated previously) driving the 2nd option. That is all I am saying.

[freddy333]

If you want a car with Xenon headlights (to make it easier/safer to drive at night), you can either buy a new Jaguar XK or you can modify the headlights on your 50-year old E-type. Personally, I would feel silly (for the reasons I stated previously) driving the 2nd option. That is all I am saying.

[TeeJay]

*shrugs*

I have to admit, personally, I'd just install the updated bulbs rather than buying a whole new car... I guess different priorities for different folks