# Best Lume?



## cigar-aficionado (Mar 18, 2008)

As a newcomer to the forum, and getting baffled by the range of watches on here, I would like to ask for some advice and opinions guys.

I know it sounds sad but I really like a watch I can see clearly after dark and wondered, in your opinions, which watches have the best after dark performance and which lasted longest? My old Breitling B1 used to shine brightly right through to morning but what lese is out there?

Thanks in advance for advice chaps.


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## thunderbolt (May 19, 2007)

The lume on these is terrific. It's still perfectly legible after about 6 hours or more.


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## Leebman (Mar 13, 2008)

The ball watch company make watches with tritium tubes last about 25 years and need no charging the engineer ohio is on my grail list.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Tritium tubed watches will be constant in their glow regardless of 'activation' by light..They arnt necessarily the brightest..These are little glass vials that have activated gas sealed in....

With most watches that use 'normal' lume the factors affecting glow seems to be type, luminova, Super luminova etc, but more importantly its the amount of lume in terms of surface area that will determine how bright it looks, the glow will be the same intensity but with more of it it will look brighter,and will probably seemto last the longest.. Like has been said, the Seiko Monsters have legendary lume...My Citizen Eco drive 300M is very good too...As is my Capeland XXL


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## Toshi (Aug 31, 2007)

Seiko generally IMO. My Samurai is as bright as my OM










BTW - do Seiko use Super Liminova? I thought they used their own lume? Lumibright?

Rich


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Yeah, Lumbright is Seikos own brand name, I doubt if it is too much different to SL









Personally I would like to see brands experiment with lume colours more, I love vintage aged 'brown sugar' coloured lume, I like also white that glows blue, like my Citizen..


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## Flashharry (Feb 20, 2007)

My best watch lume can be found on my Rolex Sub LV










my Ocean 7 LM 1










Ocean 7 LM 2










and Sinn 656










I charge them up for ten seconds and that seems to last the night for me.

Most of my watches are vintage and the lume now sucks.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Neal, get a UV torch ( Roy has em for a few quid) its great to charge up the Tritium of a long dead lume vintage piece and you will get a idea what it would have looked like back in the day...Its surprising the glow you can coax out of them....


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

From what I've seen of Sinn watches, the lume they use is pretty good and last for a good few hours, will try and get a pic of the 103 and post sometime.

The only lume pic I've got so far is my RLT36


















Not bad for a first attempt either IMO









Edit: Forgot the 6105 from Jack now that glows


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## Flashharry (Feb 20, 2007)

jasonm said:


> Neal, get a UV torch ( Roy has em for a few quid) its great to charge up the Tritium of a long dead lume vintage piece and you will get a idea what it would have looked like back in the day...Its surprising the glow you can coax out of them....


Will do that, thanks for the tip Jason


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## SharkBike (Apr 15, 2005)

RLT 41?


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

The best performing lume in my collection (apart from my Seiko) are on the bottom row:

From left - Omega Seamaster 300, Omega Seamaster Pro, Bathys 100 Fathom, Rolex Submariner










In terms of brightness, I think the Omega SMP has it.


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## cigar-aficionado (Mar 18, 2008)

Stanford said:


> The best performing lume in my collection (apart from my Seiko) are on the bottom row:
> 
> From left - Omega Seamaster 300, Omega Seamaster Pro, Bathys 100 Fathom, Rolex Submariner
> 
> ...


What a collection and good grief some of those shine out. I do like the look of the Omegas but how expensive are they to get hold of? Have to get prior warning of the flack I am likely to take from swmbo


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## PaulBoy (Dec 2, 2007)

Best lume in my experience has been on a Marathon TSAR which uses Tritium tubes - I wear my watch in bed & this one used to wake my wife up it was so bright!

HTH ... Paul


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## bowie (Mar 12, 2005)

best of both world's.

have a look at there never dark bit tritium and superluminova

http://www.reactorwatch.com/frame.html

bowie


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

cigar-aficionado said:


> Stanford said:
> 
> 
> > The best performing lume in my collection (apart from my Seiko) are on the bottom row:
> ...


A quick trawl on the net will reveal all - prices will vary depending on model, age and condition, and bear in mind that the SM300 is much faked


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## cigar-aficionado (Mar 18, 2008)

A quick trawl on the net will reveal all - prices will vary depending on model, age and condition, and bear in mind that the SM300 is much faked


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

cigar-aficionado said:


> For a beginner it's really difficult to know when a watch is real or fake, are there any guides to what is fake and how to tell the difference?


It's difficult for everyone as fakes get better and better














Do your research, and then some more before buying.

With SM300s, a good place to start is 'scubawatch'

With SM Pros, I would look for a serial number on the back of one the lugs, and matching papers. This is a good place for tips on fakes of ( chronocentric ) these and others


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

And if you click the '*Quote*' (there is ''*Delete, Edit , Quote, Reply* tabs under posts ) button at the bottom of the persons topic reply their post automaticly is quoted in your reply


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## cigar-aficionado (Mar 18, 2008)

> It's difficult for everyone as fakes get better and better ph34r.gif huh.gif Do your research, and then some more before buying.
> 
> With SM300s, a good place to start is 'scubawatch'
> 
> With SM Pros, I would look for a serial number on the back of one the lugs, and matching papers. This is a good place for tips on fakes of ( chronocentric ) these and others


I am amazed at the ways to tell fakes and am seriously indebted to the forum and members...I never thought I would learn so much so soon


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## quoll (Apr 20, 2006)

My Marathon TSAR is the only watch I can tell the time on when I am driving at night. Some 'regular' superluminova watches may be brighter initially but the tritium tubes outperform them after an hour or so.


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## SharkBike (Apr 15, 2005)

And if you click the '*Quote*' (there is ''*Delete, Edit , Quote, Reply* tabs under posts ) button at the bottom of the persons topic reply their post automaticly is quoted in your reply


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Oh god, someone please take that smiley away from him.........









And his sarcasm gene.......


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## cigar-aficionado (Mar 18, 2008)

Sorry about the quotes guys, still getting used to this forum...don't have this facility on our cigar forum


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Not a problem at all....Just helping out....









Wheres Sharky gone with his tongue?


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## SharkBike (Apr 15, 2005)

jasonm said:


> Wheres Sharky gone with his tongue?


Giving it a rest...think I gave myself an injury.


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

Stanford said:


> cigar-aficionado said:
> 
> 
> > For a beginner it's really difficult to know when a watch is real or fake, are there any guides to what is fake and how to tell the difference?
> ...


sorry Jason.....


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## Alas (Jun 18, 2006)

Forget what they all said about best lume







5am in the morning, crap eyesight and unable to see the time with any lume. And the answer is























Cheape Casio Super Illuminator with 2 LED lights - looks like a torch when you press the button,







Quite useful
















Alasdair


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## Alas (Jun 18, 2006)

Here's another quick pic I just took. Crap picture but you get the idea.

Alasdair


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