{"id":5421,"date":"2020-11-06T13:48:58","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T13:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swisswatchexpo.com\/TheWatchClub\/?p=5421"},"modified":"2025-08-02T08:42:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T08:42:16","slug":"rolex-luminous-materials-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swisswatchexpo.com\/thewatchclub\/2020\/11\/05\/rolex-luminous-materials-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Rolex Luminous Materials Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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One of the frequently touted advantages of tool watches is their legibility. Often equipped with lume, their most practical use is to be able to tell time in the most difficult conditions \u2013 in murky waters, inside a cave or in the dark.<\/p>\n

First developed around WWI, the use of lume was driven by soldiers\u2019 need for watches that are easy to read in low light. Since then, several materials have been used to make markers glow in the dark. Today, Rolex leads the pack with Chromalight, a material that is said to glow more than double the time of other luminous materials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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In this guide, we\u2019ll take a closer look at Rolex luminous materials, and every material they have used throughout their history.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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RADIUM<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The first luminous material used in Rolex watches was radium; and it remained the standard until 1963.<\/p>\n

Before then, the effects of radiation exposure were not well understood, until the highly toxic material caused radiation poisoning among factory workers. At some point, Rolex even recalled Rolex GMT-Master<\/a> ref 6542 watches with radium bezels and replaced them with aluminum bezels free of charge.<\/p>\n

Because radium was ruled unsafe, Rolex phased out radium altogether and replaced it with Tritium.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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A post shared by Phillips Watches (@phillipswatches)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n