Raised Loom in vintage Rolex

[JEKS]

Pbdad, I'm a noob, so I must ask. Why does vintage lume go 3D? Does it decompose over time and have a higher specific volume than the 'new' lume hence flaking off like rust? Or, is the lume thick to start with and pieces are simply falling off? On real units, would this flake off and accumulate in between the dial and crystal as loose particles? Thx

I asked the same question in a sales posting here.

[FxrAndy]

I am no rolex expert but todays dials of all sorts not just rolex are generaly pad printed, which means that an even layer of lume is layed on by machine over the whole area to be lumed pushed through a thin gause, in an old dial that had been hand lumed the lume will be placed bit by bit in the center of the area to be lumed and then spread out to cover the area, more would be in the middle because of the the miniscus efect of the liquid carrying the lume compound. I have seen old dials where the lume has started to flake and turn to dust like you say. And generaly older dials do look more 3D particualy if they have been relumed at some point.

[praetor]

hmm... and what time period would you say they stopped hand luming? Btw...That is not how pad printing work. The method you've described above is most likely silk screening.

[FxrAndy]

Sorry yes silk screaning pad prining is differnet, not sure if they use pad printing for lume.

[praetor]

it's possible to use pad printing for lume. But the resulting lume would be flat and texture-less.

[Ronin]

I think this is as Andy said, the result of the old 'hand' lumed dials. Some lumers (new word), may have been more heavy handed than others. This is also why, I believe, you end up with the I-Beam style dials as well, as they were too afraid to lume outside the lines.

Add to that, I would not be surprised if, back in the day, when serviced the lume would get added on top of some of the older lume.

Both my Gen 1680 (for Tritium) service dial, and Ubi's 1665 (for Tritium) service dial, have the white printed markers, but no actual Tritum applied. That was left to the servicing tech but then the radioactive scare hit. It is not inconceivable to find Gen Rolex's with Service Dials and just painted markers sans-lume.... But I digress.