crystalcranium Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 I'll try to post some pictures tonight. The T-39 was left under a strong UV light source over the weekend and the result was a beautifully yellowed aged appearance this morning!!! Cant wait to get this puppy on my 1665!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalcranium Posted July 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 Just saw Nanuq's post that he's off in the wilderness for a few days... Man...this crystal is awesome! It's a smokey brownish yellow just like the 30 year old originals. The light source is a very powerful disinfectant UV light inside a bio-safety hood. I placed the crystal about 12 inches away from the light Friday afternoon and took it out Monday morning. It looks like 24 hours is equivalent to about 10 years of aging. Pic's up. My photography skills are lousy and the flash washed out some of the ambering. Around the edge, where the color is darker is actually more representative of how the crystal looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalcranium Posted July 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Pic's up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighDef Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Looking great, I will try it on mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalcranium Posted July 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Looking great, I will try it on mine. Be careful...i have no idea what this treatment would do to a replica dial....I would remove the crystal from the case or treat a purchased crystal prior to installation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drop Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 I was just about to ask your thoughts on what this might do for a replica dial with less exposure time... say, for example, the lume of a 1665 Looks great though, looking forward to seeing pics of your crystal back on the watch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 I may be alone in this, but I do not think having a yellowish crystal makes a watch look more vintage or old or real. It is rare for a crystal to remain on a watch long enough to turn yellow, naturally. They almost always crack, leak or become too opaque (from scratches and wear) to see through before they will discolor. In almost 25 years of watch collecting (and growing up with a watchmaker in the family), I think I have seen only 3 discolored crystals, and 2 of those were artificially discolored (yours being the 3rd). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalcranium Posted July 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 That's a great result! Now you need to throw the crystal down a cliff (without the watch) to get an aged appearance! That color looks quite a lot like the crystal I just took off my 6536. It was the flat-top tropic-18 and it had been on there AT LEAST 20 years that I know of. Probably more like 30 years. I replaced it with a domed t-18 but I wish it was even a little yellowed like that. Aged plexi just has that look about it... like aircraft windscreens too. Well done! Thanks guys...I'm a little hesitant to try this on a replica dial. Aging one of those 30 years might make it ugly and ilegible. I have seen several 1665s on ebay and in pics on the web that have discolored original crystals. Most of them are far more ambered than this one. I wouldnt go any farther than I have with it though. The look I'm going for in my MBW is "I found this watch in my recently departed Uncle's dresser drawer where it sat for 25 years". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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