![]() Some additional symbols on the dial as they indicate the level of radium present in the watch. Most Rolex watches that used tritium will have the symbols “SWISS T<25” or “T Swiss T” under the 6 o’clock marker. Although safer than Radium, it is still radioactive. After that point, Rolex started using Tritium instead of Radium. “R” or “Ra” on the dial may also indicate that it has radium.įor Rolex and Tudor watches, Radium was the standard luminous material until 1963. If it is Swiss but is made after 1998, then it probably used LumiNova already on its dial. ![]() If your watch is quite vintage and is Swiss (produced before the 1960s in Switzerland), then it is highly probable that it comes with radio-luminescent paint. If you don’t have one, there may be some indications on the watch dial. The most reliable way to know if a watch has radium (or other radioactive material) is through the use of a Geiger counter. Image Credit: Jafd88 via Creative Commons Because of the grave risks posed by radium, watchmakers stopped using it on watch and clock dials by the 1970s. In addition, radium may also cause lung cancer when it decays to radon gas (a powerful carcinogen). After a few years, many of them developed bone cancer. In the case of Radium Girls, they have swallowed little amounts of radioactive paint as they licked their paintbrushes. Once ingested or even only inhaled, the emitted radiation may interact with the human cells and then damage them. Radium emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, which is why it is classified as highly radioactive. Unfortunately, it took years and decades before people realized that it has harmful, fatal even, effects on the body. Yet, because of its glow that many found fascinating at that time, radium was also used in many everyday objects such as dinnerware, paints, and even in drinking water. Radium is a radioactive element first discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. Radio-Luminescent paint is composed of zinc sulfide and radium salts. ![]() Image Credit: Arma95 via Creative Commons
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