Pigments based on photoluminescent material (like strontium aluminate) are what are most commonly used for watch lume today. In the early 1990s new even safer alternatives - still used today - took its place. Tritium is significantly less radioactive than radium, meaning it was safe enough to be painted onto watch dials for decades. Another radioactive material started to be used at this time. Watches with Radium on Dial and Hands “The Radium Girls”īy the 1960s the amount of radium used in watch dials was one-hundredth the amount used in the early 1900s in 1968 it was banned altogether. Unfortunately this material was highly radioactive and was a major health issue for the workers that applied the paint at various watch companies.įor more info, read my blog post on the “Radium Girls” This material would glow an entire night, making this a real advantage in early watches. Originally the hands were treated with radium which is a radioactive substance that was painted on the hands. Luminous watch hands have been in use since around 1910.
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