lume is overrated...

[gimme]

I understand why you would want to get AR coating, but I don't see the big deal with modding your reps with lume, unless the expense is minimal, but I don't think it is.

Anyway, what's the big deal with lume? Sure, looks cool, but I hardly appreciate the lume in my gen Seikos, so I don't see why I should invest in lume for a dress watch like an IWC for example. I guess it's a savior if you go to the theatre, but my daily activities are always in well lighted places.

Can you guys give me some insight on why this is so popular among the group? Little drunk and tired so I hope I didn't offend anyone

[gtanak]

Think of it as a must-have step in the quest for gen-dom. Rep lume is known to be very weak, AR is improving but lume is still consistently weak. Its not like pple here use their watches as torches in the night.. but its exactly why we would mod say a gen springbar... (which eludes me) But anyhow, it is a essential step towards getting closer to the gen. That's all it is to me. As to the cost of luming... i'll leave it to the experts to show why it is all worthwhile.

[hiker01]

+1! That's what your Cell Phones are for.......to tell time in the dark after your Lume fades away...........................................................................

[By-Tor]

I've never been obsessed with the lume, either.

I'd rather take very well applied hour markers and zero lume than a torch that has half-assed and sloppy lume application. With reps you can rarely get both.

[robertk]

I have many gens and most of them have weak lume after several years anyway.

So +1

[gtanak]

I've never been obsessed with the lume, either.

I'd rather take very well applied hour markers and zero lume than a torch that has half-assed and sloppy lume application. With reps you can rarely get both.

Or would u rather take a The Zigmeister lumed torch?

[cougaree]

I use to believe the same thing, until I becomes more critical about watches. If you just wear the watch as it is, right out of the box, then you will be fine without having the watch lumed, but if you ever have your watch modded or movement serviced, without reluming your weak rep lume seems the job is not completely done. It's kind of like wearing underwears. Why wear underwear if you also have to wear pants? Why buy different color underwears if no one can see them? Most of us do because free balling feels... something is missing and because ourselves know how pretty our own underwears are without needing to show to others.

I think we all have something that drive us nuts. Perhaps this is the price to pay for being true watch collectors/makers/perfectionist. One other thing especially bothers me is that a watch that has stronger lume on the dial than the hands. In this case, I will have to get the hands relumed so it's at very least equal or brighter than the dial lume.

[cougaree]

I've never been obsessed with the lume, either.

I'd rather take very well applied hour markers and zero lume than a torch that has half-assed and sloppy lume application. With reps you can rarely get both.

I agree with you there, BT. I'd rather to keep the perfectly applied wear lume than bad lume jobs anyday!

[Ztech]

Umm... because it looks cool???

[gtanak]

OH dear Cougaree.... different colored pretty underwear is for when the pants come down

Agreed on the feeling of incomplete and as a general rule, or rather IMO, hands are normally lumed slightly brighter than the dial...That's the way i do it anyway

[By-Tor]

Or would u rather take a The Zigmeister lumed torch?

Yeah when it comes to mods, Ziggy is the master and in the league of his own.

But the longer I've been around, the LESS sense the mods make to me. Especially those which require shipping the watch somewhere. Mods like gen insert are great... and if you have the skills to make more advanced stuff like swapping the datewheel, etc. it's different of course. I don't, so I simply buy gens and the best OTB reps, like the Skyland v2 which still impresses the hell out of me (without any mods). I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the upcoming 42mm PO... and besides, I love reps when they're $250-$300 but not when they're $700.

[gtanak]

Yeah when it comes to mods, The Zigmeister is the master and in the league of his own.

But the longer I've been around, the LESS sense the mods make to me. Especially those which require shipping the watch somewhere. Mods like gen insert are great... and if you have the skills to make more advanced stuff like swapping the datewheel, etc. it's different of course. I don't, so I simply buy gens and the best OTB reps, like the Skyland v2 which still impresses the hell out of me (without any mods).

The Skyland V2 is my fav still, just a bid ahead of my modded Sinn U2. Just ordered a V3 black dial... I think the V2 skyland coupled with a V3 dial to correct the lume dots just seals it for me. Simplest but effective mod

$700 reps you will love... only if they're WM9!

[cougaree]

OH dear Cougaree.... different colored pretty underwear is for when the pants come down

Agreed on the feeling of incomplete and as a general rule, or rather IMO, hands are normally lumed slightly brighter than the dial...That's the way i do it anyway

That's true. Forgot about that part, pants do come down.

[gtanak]

That's true. Forgot about that part, pants do come down.

Hush now.... if you dun bring it up.. we might all forget ur still a VIR-GIN. BTW its boxers or nothing for me.. still love the airy feeling.. this is seriously going OT. Well.. how did we get from lume into balls?

[By-Tor]

I got lucky with my Skyland v2. I can't see the lume misalignment with a naked eye, unless I'm zooming really hard to the '4 marker. I find it very insignificant and definitely not worth a relume. But I understand that there are much worse dials around. I've seen some with "broken" lume balls, even.

There's nothing special about gen Skyland dials, imho. If that great watch has a weak point in design, it's the dial definitely. And I mean both gens and reps... they're a bit boring. It's "matte" and very basic, which is probably why it was so easy to replicate.

That's why I wouldn't waste my money on a gen dial. Fish is completely different matter... gen dial on a rep Fish would make an amazing franken. Same with BCE sticks version... rep dials aren't that great in comparison... both have quite bad lume application... all other things are pretty amazing though.

[gtanak]

I got lucky with my Skyland v2. I can't see the lume misalignment with a naked eye, unless I'm zooming really hard to the '4 marker. I find it very insignificant and definitely not worth a relume. But I understand that there are much worse dials around. I've seen some with "broken" lume balls, even.

There's nothing special about gen Skyland dials,

Agree about the gen dial... but it'll be quite a lotto win to even find a gen dial cos i've been looking hard on the bay. SA dials everywhere but no skylands. Hence, i decided a V3 dial should suffice for now, i got a nasty tinny bit of lume sticking out of my 4 marker.. BTW, i think people have reached the peak of their SA desire... its now seeing diminishing marginal returns cos everyone's selling theirs on forums, just last few months they were the talk of town..

[By-Tor]

BTW, i think people have reached the peak of their SA desire... its now seeing diminishing marginal returns cos everyone's selling theirs on forums, just last few months they were the talk of town..

Yeah the SA hype... even I was thinking about one because I actually like SA dials more than Skyland... but I think it's just too big. And it has nothing to do with wrist size or overall size of the wearer... there is a limit for everything and I think 45mm is the limit for a watch to be balanced and good looking. Well, so far I haven't seen anything that would prove me wrong (at least from this higly subjective point of view).

[cougaree]

Yeah the SA hype... even I was thinking about one because I actually like SA dials more than Skyland... but I think it's just too big. And it has nothing to do with wrist size or overall size of the wearer... there is a limit for everything and I think 45mm is the limit for a watch to be balanced and good looking. Well, so far I haven't seen anything that would prove me wrong (at least from this higly subjective point of view).

46mm SOH is actually pretty decent. 47mm Fiddy / RXW is pretty decent also IMO. I think what "saves" them from being simply large is the fact they are thinner (i.e. thinner than SA). I see your point though.

[phaedo]

Actually i feel the SA is very well weighted - I have been wearing my seawolf to the gym and it feels a bit top heavy - wore the SA the other day and because it is bigger witt the same height as the wolf, it felt the right balance, even during the workout.

[gtanak]

+1 for the SOH. BT you have to just relax your tolerance by 1mm.. just 1mm and you can include the SOH in your consideration

[gtanak]

Actually i feel the SA is very well weighted - I have been wearing my seawolf to the gym and it feels a bit top heavy - wore the SA the other day and because it is bigger witt the same height as the wolf, it felt the right balance, even during the workout.

WAT? wear to workout? I get a workout wearing my skyland on Pro II bracelet already.... Now i have a stronger left wrist.. wonder what i can do with it?

[gran]

If it is a dive or avaiation type watch I feel ackward if thelume is not reasonable..a PO with too weak lume bothers me

[fakemaster]

I understand exactly what you are saying. It always comes back to 'it's a rep guy thing'. People in the outside world don't care about lume. I can't tell you how many times I have asked someone 'how's the lume on that' only to get a look of followed by what's that?

[plaifender]

I've never relumed a watch.. probably never will. I never look at my watches at night... and I'm always in well-lit places.. I dont think the price value ratio convinces me enough

[gran]

But the lume pics are so great.....BTW I just had my PO Chrono relumed (+mod, service...) by Domi

anyhow I feel much better now about all the 20+ watches I have not bothered to relumed who cares anyway