Post pics of your watches Part II

Pablo_Flox · 03-04-2026 08:43AM

Good Friday Pepsi vibes

Wibbs · 04-04-2026 11:25AM

Moving stuff around last night I found that old Irish Civil Defence booklet re nuclear war. I hope the Matrix isn't foreshadowing… 😱 Luckily I have my Soviet era Polish gieger counter doohickey to work out how radioactive I am if it is and a Cold War era watch to work out how much time I have left. 😁

Cyclingtourist · 04-04-2026 01:00PM

I remember those nuclear war booklets being distributed. Every household in the country got one free. It advised not looking at the detonation and hiding under the stairs.

Ian OB · 04-04-2026 01:14PM

What if you live in a bungalow?

Charity shop find this morning. Hope I have a battery to fit it at home

H_Lime · 04-04-2026 02:08PM

Cool post Wibbs, man that Heuer chrono is a thing of functional tool watch beauty. We need more pics.

By the by and speaking of radiation I found a rake of these a couple yrs back through work.

Screenshot_20260404_132019_Samsung Internet.jpg

All sent out by the hse in the wake of the twin towers as worries peaked regards a possibile attack on a nuclear power plant across the way or on mainland Europe. As a child of the eighties the fear of nuclear war/fallout was ingrained in us, that and AIDS, who can forget ads with John Hurt narrating.

On a related topic I recently decided to get my Grandfathers watch running again but the watchmaker declined as its most likely spicy as hell. The appearance of the lume with what is supposedly a classic tell of slightly pumpkin coloured degrading lume plots gives the hint.

There are service engravings up till the mid sixties on the caseback so I'm hoping it's been relumed. It still fluoresces under uv...

With this in mind I took some advice on the matter and should recieve this FS-5000 detector in a couple days to see once and for all if it is radium.

I plan on removing the dial and hands and seeing if the movement is also active. The device above will give a reliable indication of that. If it's not contaminated I can see about having it serviced. I may lacquer the dial and hands to stabilise the degrading lume in place thereafter. Obviously I need to take precautions a plenty.

Wibbs · 04-04-2026 02:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124362798#Comment_124362798

I'll take a guess now H_Lime and going by the colour say that the (may not be original)handset has been relumed with safe luminova type stuff, but the numerals are radium and still "hot"(1600 year half life). Handsets of this vintage tend to lose their lume faster as the original radium mixes were hotter and sucked in moisture more. The radiation blew the phosphorescent material in the mix out in a few years(WW1 ads guaranteed the lume for only 2-3 years)and as it broke down it got more delicate. It was also getting hit by damp on both sides. Numerals tended to last much longer.

As the radium decayed into equally dodgy radioactive elements these tended to get into the movements as fine dust. So it's not unusual to get a return from bare movements. Though yours having had a fair few services that's less likely.

A Geiger counter is a good investment for anyone dallying with stuff from circa 1960, when radium was starting to be phased out in favour of much weaker alpha and beta emitters like Tritium among others(radium also fires out gamma). Then non radioactive goo like Luminova took over. You can get some idea from experience of the colours radium tends to come in and break down into(muddy brown and v dark grey) and a lack of phosphorescence, but it's not a reliable method. I've seen NOS vintage hands that looked brand new with pale sandy colours or very bright greenish colours that were mini Chernobyls when tested. I've also seen Trench watches with little of the radium left but were still very hot. Early mixes tended to be very strong.

Ryath · 04-04-2026 02:53PM

NWD Hamilton Field Chrono, bit of an impulse buy as I had a watch I bought as a present to exchange but really pleased I got it. Have wanted a mechanical Chrono for years. Love the dial and sandblasted case. Wasn't planning on buying anything this year so will have to sell some pieces now to justify having it. I got it at a very good price so well worth it I think. Something different to have and a nice change from my usual Seiko divers I'm tempted by.

Do actually like the bund! I had a Fossil on one 20 years ago that got more comments than any much dearer watch I bought since! Strap is too long for me to wear without the bund pad so may get another leather strap to wear it on. Will also pick up a Nato and mesh braclet I think. It is right at my limit size wise at 44mm and a very thick watch. The Bund while comfortable does make it sit very high. Think I can get away with it size wise due to the type of watch it is. Will be just for weekend/casual wear and while it will compete with my Stowa flieger it bit more robust.

H_Lime · 04-04-2026 03:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124362911#Comment_124362911

Based on your assessment I'd imagine the dial is quite active so. The luminous compound on the hands seem to far out strip the dial but as you say no guarantee the less active dial is non radium.

Intresting it broke down so quickly, I never knew they were only guaranteed for a couple yrs.

If I get a reading from the bare movement I'll just put it all back together and leave it be as a much loved family heirloom.

Be intrigued by to see how active my beta light is...

banie01 · 04-04-2026 04:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124362347#Comment_124362347

You really have some of the oddest things that somehow manage to be perfectly congruent.

Wibbs · 04-04-2026 08:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124363212#Comment_124363212

Hey! That's no way to speak of my good friends. 😂

Wibbs · 04-04-2026 09:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124363063#Comment_124363063

Looks like Tritium in a tube so unlikely you'll get any readings at all beyond background. 👍️ It's a beta emitter and it doesn't take much to stop those low energy electrons. Your skin stops it, tin foil, glass, acrylic and the like, so your beta light case will deffo stop it. Not good at all if you inhaled it but otherwise safe as houses.

Gamma's the real barsteward. Radium's even worse as a material because your body mistakes it for calcium so will deposit in your bones. Gruesome. The tale of The Radium Girls is horrific, but. what has long interested, nay surprised me, was how some of the women, quite the number actually, didn't fall ill.

Now if you have any of your granny's old glassware around and any of it is green, put your detector near that. It might be uranium glass, which was fashionable back in the day. Surprisingly high beta emitter.