Horological Meandering

Let's test the performance of various SuperLuminova variants by Marcus Hanke Especially on sports watches, luminance is a vital design element: even when we are not diving in the depths of eternal submarine darkness Some six years ago, I wanted to compare...  

Marcus, One word: Bravo! It's great to read a crystal clear analysis of this matter. Congratulations, Nilo

... but please don't forget that my procedure was by no means scientific. It only confirms what was already stated in the manufacturers' datasheets. Regards, Marcus

Hi Marcus, While not an engineer, and incapable of running my Sony camera in any mode other than "Auto", I thought I would take the resources I have at hand and do a comparison to complement yours. I do have an assortment of luminous material from my amat...  

Hi Mr. Hanke and cazalea, I appreciate very much the information about super lumina and the effort it took to complete these experiments, but I'm not sure how to relate to your results. I note that in this second report by azalea there is a Gerber Model 4... 

it has the black colored luminous material, which is tolerable for a very short time and at very short range (and provides full camouflage when swimming with salmon) I did some lume shots of the Gerber last summer. Here's the best one but it took a lot of...  

the human body is a miracle, and also the eyesight is a wonderfully complex and flexible system with unbeaten capability. The optical sensor consists of two different types, rods and cones. The cones are in use whenever there is enough ambient light. Cone... 

Of course it would be great to know the exact camera settings, but the EXIF data are not accessible. In automatic mode, most cameras manipulate their exposure programs in a way that the outcome is sometimes difficult to be compared with a slightly differe... 

the red variation's rather underwhelming results just about matches my experience with similar hands on the blancpain speed command. it's supposed to have good lume, but it's just disappointing on that count, and your exercise gives me a little comfort: t... 

... and fulfils that job very well, otherwise we would not be attracted to these watches so much. Regards, Marcus

Wow, Marcus. Very well done and definitely one for the books. Totally appreciate that UN of yours. And to think I was looking forward to the glow of the red one. So as I understand it, even if you use the same material, the final result will depend on how... 

... also the application method is important for the glow result. Since the luminescent substance is a granulate, a liquid binder is necessary to make a paintable colour from it. SL does not like humidity and quickly loses its abilities in contact with hu... 

years! Great post! A panerai in a future test?

.. but lacking an own one, and having no people around willing to give me one for test, I have to pass. Maybe we should start some kind of regular test scheme with watches given by the industry for that purpose: The annual Glowworm Award - with different ... 

Hey Marcus, A great post - many thanks for all the effort. Years ago on another site I remember a discussion about the importance of the thickness of the luminous material and I have an idea they mentioned other factors such as density, but I really don't... 

Good point about thickness. I think I remember Gerber pointing out that thinner is not as bright, but also that for the second hand on the Model 42 he had to use a thinner application because of the weight of the luminescent material.

(eight times per second) the increased mass of the paint might indeed be an issue. However, I rather think it is the slim second hand being a poor base for a thick layer of the granulate. Regards, Marcus

Of the lume just by sight and with no tests?

In this respect, I fully depend on the manufacturer's datasheets. However, I did not make my comparison in order to supply an academ8ically valid scientific test; just a easy setup that only confirms what the datasheets already stated. Regards, Marcus

A very informative post! I find the luminous intensity of watches to vary greatly as well! And this has always been a question in my mind. Sometimes I wonder how thick the layer of the luminous paint is used. Sometimes I wonder about the quality of the lu... 

... but as the example of the Longines and the Breitling shows, the application and dial preparation, too, makes a large difference. The UN Marine Diver excels in this discipline beacuse of its very thick SL layer on the markers. the variation in brightne... 

Of vintage timepieces where adding tritium back on the dial and hands is not an option. I am in the middle of restoring a vintage Oris with tritium all over the dial and hands, and was just wondering about adding superluminova to match the original color.... 

... it is always difficult to decide whether the original state (factory-fresh) or the "used" look should be recreated. For a condition "as new", the C3 could indeed be the best choice, but if you like the faded appearance of old tritium-activated phospho... 

Excellent point, I was originally going to use C3, but the more I look at the faded color of the tritium on the hands, it is more pale green than I remembered. It's been a while since I worked on it, it needs a new balance staff I must yet turn. I will tr... 

Quote from the Super-Luminova datasheet. "The achievable luminosity is directly dependent on the thickness of the applied pigment layer. The thicker the brighter!" http://navigater.na.funpic.de/PDF/Technical%20Data%20Sheet.pdf nick

... why the Marine Diver is so good in this respect. But also the preparation of the base (glossy white or silver base, vs. flat or even dark-coloured base), and the chemical stability of the particle binder should not be neglected. Regards, Marcus

nt

To make it short, I loved your article a lot. Very interesting to see the difference between the different SLs you can find on the market, and in our watches. The most efficient is the C3, which was chosen by JLC, for example, for their NS Alarm, and for ... 

... but by a phosphorescent substance. this can be phosphor, but also some other substances were used frequently during the history of luminescent dials. the radioactive agent (tritium or radium) is there only for the energy-supply. These elements have th... 

about an interesting topic. Thanks a lot, Marcus! Oliver

cheers PAt

Thank you, Marcus for a great writeup! :) Best Blomman

Very interesting, I've enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to do and post it. Cheers, Vte :)

the scientific process applied to watches..love it..

and I did find your report most interesting. Nice work and look forward to making it to the next one! Best regards, Tim

I have thought about this subject many times and your post as well as others has helped to answer most of my own thoughts. Those photos showing the old Radium and their effects were great. Regards Tony

I am glad you liked the article! Regards, Marcus