Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Tritium & It's Many Colors or What is Patina on Rolex etc.

 Hello Swiss Monsters, today I am going to attempt to offer a bit of insight and information on "Tritium & It's Many Colors."
Tritium: is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium (sometimes called a triton) contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium (by far the most abundant hydrogen isotope) contains one proton and no neutrons. Naturally occurring tritium is extremely rare on Earth, where trace amounts are formed by the interaction of the atmosphere with cosmic rays. The name of this isotope is formed from the Greek word "tritos" meaning "third."


Layman's definition : The luminescent (glowing) material (paint) on watch dials (face).
After reading forty pages of forum materials, I have come away with the following:

1. Tritium marker watches that were well worn incur less colorization. In some cases the dial's markers are completely pale white.
2. Tritium marker watches in humid environments are not necessarily overly colored or affected at all. 
3. Tritium marker watches used for diving (diver's watches, Submariners etc.) that were submerged are not exempt from patina colorization despite being exposed to countless hours in direct sunlight, whilst aboard etc.
4. Tritium marker watches worn daily with very little patina  still have the ability to change to a darker color once stored away (In the case of a rare Comex model Rolex discussed on a forum).
5. Tritium marker watches with dark patina (amber etc.) can lighten once exposed to continues sunlight.

In short, my findings (according to the testimony of many forum members) are that light is the most significant cause of Tritium patina. Timepieces that were stored away and not exposed to UV rays developed as a whole more patina. Owners who wore their watch on daily or regular basis enjoy a less patina/colored dial transformation...

Some of the more interesting pages I visited concerning the above topic: 
A few photos: left ref. 1680 with heavy patina while piece on right is seemingly factory new.



Above photo owned by forum member: junerai of TZ.com
Below: photo of two ref. 6542s both with variant degrees of patina.


Above photo owned by forum member: nbtimes of TZ.com
 Below: 16750 with new old stock dial! This dial has heavy patina and is essentially new.


Above photo owned by Keeperoftime of TZ.com

-JKS

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