[Grooveuniverse]

Hi James, no need to apologise, it's not like you made the watch is it? In all honesty, I couldn't really care less and no, it's not important to me that it can be seen in the dark, The only time when it does annoy me is in the car when I can't read it. I'm just stating it like it is that's all, All I'm saying is that's how my PO works, or doesn't, whichever way you look at it. But as a problem, nope, it isn't. Was just interested that so many have a dayglo version Omega, but as you can see there are others like myself on here who also have a lume that needs to be under a lamp for effect and don't get the buzz.

It may very well be the best chargeable glow material available on the market but I'm telling you how mine perfoms, or doesn't where lume capability goes

Someone mentioned expectatons, and that is just it....I think Omega sets those expectations when marketing a rugged all around watch. As I mentioned before, I have an AT....it retails for 3 grand..I just expected more...

Point being however, using Superluminova might be the best but that is just generic...its like saying synthetic oil is better than traditional oil, but there are so many factors within synthetic to make one better over the other.

As for the driving part that drives me nuts. I let me watch "charge" for hours under my super bright desk lamp, and leave when its dark out. While driving, I cant even tell the time...it seems it has to be daylight to see, or pitch black (after being charged) for me to tell....and when charged does not last for "hours."

Thats the gist of it for me, I know I like my watch alot, its classy..but in a nutshell..expected more glow for the buck.

 

[agemrich]

My watche doesn't have luminosity problems however my eyes are aging and take for ever to adjust to darkness. My 18 yr old Rolex, in theory 1.5x past the half life of the tritium in the hands, still glows and my kids with teenage eyes can read it in seconds semi-darkness. If I wake up at any time of night, I can read it. However in semi-darkness unless my eyes have several minutes to adjust, I can't make out the glowing hands. As for driving the combination of aging eyes and lume of the watch can't compete with the the oncoming headlights dashboard displays etc. I'm forced to use the clock on the radio...

 

[SpringDriven]

Someone mentioned expectatons, and that is just it....I think Omega sets those expectations when marketing a rugged all around watch. As I mentioned before, I have an AT....it retails for 3 grand..I just expected more...

Point being however, using Superluminova might be the best but that is just generic...its like saying synthetic oil is better than traditional oil, but there are so many factors within synthetic to make one better over the other.

As for the driving part that drives me nuts. I let me watch "charge" for hours under my super bright desk lamp, and leave when its dark out. While driving, I cant even tell the time...it seems it has to be daylight to see, or pitch black (after being charged) for me to tell....and when charged does not last for "hours."

Thats the gist of it for me, I know I like my watch alot, its classy..but in a nutshell..expected more glow for the buck.

All the talk about photos, I am not sure what to make of that. Both my watches glow incredibly bright just like all the photos I see, and I know that they only glow that bright for a few minutes. The residual glow that is much dimmer does last for many hours.

For you to be able to see the glow, it needs to be brighter then the available light. I too can only read my watch in the absence of light. If I have some light, I can see the dial and the hands.

This is very obvious a matter of expectations not meeting reality, or something is at fault to not meet those expectations.

If you have seen the new Omega AT, it looks like they have added more glow material to their dials, so it may correct the deficiency that you are dealing with now.

 

[eptaz]

This strikes me as a strange discussion and "more glow for the buck" seems like an odd expectation. The Aqua Terra doesn't glow like a torch because it doesn't use much luminous material. This has everything to do with the type of watch and very little to do with price. If you want a luminous torch on your wrist, look at Dive watches. They're loaded up with lume and, therefore, will glow brighter and for longer.

As for price, a Seiko Dive watch will glow brighter than an Omega Dive watch, which will glow brighter than a Rolex Dive watch. On the other hand, this $20K+ Patek uses no lume and won't glow at all:

eric

 

[Grooveuniverse]

I think there are two camps here. One, you spend thousands on a watch with luminosity and expect it to be visible in low light and no light conditions, and another that says, if you want better luminosity, get one that is made for those purposes.

I love everything about my Omega except for the fact that it does not live up to its claim of its luminosity being intense and long lasting on all of their watchs. And the other thing, I dont like is Omega's being sold at Costco. There I said it.

And no im not trying to be scrooge..I love my AD, and accept its "faults."

 

[AAP]

I think there are two camps here. One, you spend thousands on a watch with luminosity and expect it to be visible in low light and no light conditions, and another that says, if you want better luminosity, get one that is made for those purposes.

Well, those in the first camp are going to be awfully disappointed no matter which brand they buy. That is a completely unreasonable expectation. I would equate it to buying a Porsche and then being upset that it doesn't fly. ;-)

 

[mrsnak]

Didn't read all the posts, but right off the bat, it seems to me the main reason for the appearance of diminished lume on the AT is simply because the lume areas on this partucular model are small, and has nothing to do with the actual strength of the lume material.

 

[TSC]

Well, those in the first camp are going to be awfully disappointed no matter which brand they buy. That is a completely unreasonable expectation. I would equate it to buying a Porsche and then being upset that it doesn't fly. ;-)

Come on Alex, that Porsche line's a bit strong. The Omegas just don't shine as bright as you think. But I don't blame Omega for those claims/expectations, I blame the owners!b-)

 

[AIKO]

Come on Alex, that Porsche line's a bit strong. The Omegas just don't shine as bright as you think. But I don't blame Omega for those claims/expectations, I blame the owners!b-)

Agreed. In general Omega glows brighter than most Rolex (except the maxi dials which are about equal to SMP's) but Seiko glow brighter than Omega. For Swiss mechanical watches, I think the lume of Omega is very decent. Some people find lume a critical part of their watches, I do not.

 

[TSC]

If you shine a light on that watch it's going to shine bright, but that's no use to anyone unless you are taking a pic of it and they look great. But in the real world, you want it to shine when it's dark out! Some of you guys say it glows through the night at a quality you can still see, Mine doesn't, and I'm sure many others don't as well. But all these claims are from owners not the manufacturer.

Do the Rolex divers have AR coating?

 

[AIKO]

If you shine a light on that watch it's going to shine bright, but that's no use to anyone unless you are taking a pic of it and they look great. But in the real world, you want it to shine when it's dark out! Some of you guys say it glows through the night at a quality you can still see, Mine doesn't, and I'm sure many others don't as well. But all these claims are from owners not the manufacturer.

Do the Rolex divers have AR coating?

The Subs have a flat crystal and no AR coating, the DSSD is domed and no AR coating. I can tell no difference between AR coated and non-AR coated divers between Oris, Omega and Rolex. They are all equally clear.

 

[AAP]

Come on Alex, that Porsche line's a bit strong.

I know it was a bit of a stretch, but not by much. My point revolves around expectations. If all mid-to-high level sports cars flew, and the Porsche didn't meet the expectations set by the rest of the field, you'd have an argument.

The fact is there aren't any watches (without tritium gas tubes) which will meet this expectation, no matter the brand. So, the bar must be set at where the other competitors fall. And amongst Omega's competitors, they perform extremely well (both in terms of lume quality and application).

 

[TSC]

Maybe it's because we never have any sun in the UK I don't get much from the PO or SMP?b-)

AIKO, the PO looks the same but on certain angles it has the AR look. More so not visible though, all depends on the light. I'd like to see an AR coated Sub just for the hell of it though.

 

[Danger]

But I don't blame Omega for those claims/expectations, I blame the owners!b-)

Good point! I was going to make a quick remark saying something to the effect that OMEGA is the one making these claims but when I went and checked the source again (Omega's FAQ at http://www.omegawatches.com/index.php?id=438) I realized that there are NO quantitative claims being made at all! Only that "the luminosity of Omega watches SO intense and SO long" which really isn't saying anything at all, that's a subjective statement!

Plus, they DO say right on that same page that "The luminescence decreases with HOURS but it is restored as soon as the watch is exposed to bright light."

So nice call there, TSC!

PS: The watch I'm looking at is the 2503.33 (or maybe a Railmaster or Ti Seamaster). Meets my needs best and this is a great thread to stumble upon in terms of keeping my expectations realistic! Nothing like buying (to me) a grail watch that I intend to keep serviced and wear for 50+ years and wake up disappointed the first night. So thanks guys!

 

[fmalloy]

I don't blame you, and I have an AT as well (std size blue dial 2503.30) but the truth is that the AT is more of an old-school dressy look, and they don't apply much lume, I'm assuming so you can enjoy the silver hands, hour markers, and beautiful dial. Look closely - you will see hardly any lume material. More lume mass = more light for more time.

My AT is the same as yours - very little and it fades quickly. It's not a defect. But, that's ok with me as I expected to give up checking the time in the dark. Also, I think lume looks ugly in daylight on a nice (read: non-tool) watch anyway, it's so yellow-white and pasty, like dried plaster.

If you insist upon strong readability in the dark, you need to go with a diver that has large amounts of lume, like the PO or 2254. High lumination and a dressier look just don't go together.

 

[Grooveuniverse]

Well, those in the first camp are going to be awfully disappointed no matter which brand they buy. That is a completely unreasonable expectation. I would equate it to buying a Porsche and then being upset that it doesn't fly. ;-)

I think that was unfair. It is completely within reason to assume that an Omega will be visible while driving home from work in the evening especially when exposed (and I mean directly under a very bright light for hours) prior.

 

[Grooveuniverse]

If you shine a light on that watch it's going to shine bright, but that's no use to anyone unless you are taking a pic of it and they look great. But in the real world, you want it to shine when it's dark out! Some of you guys say it glows through the night at a quality you can still see, Mine doesn't, and I'm sure many others don't as well. But all these claims are from owners not the manufacturer.

Do the Rolex divers have AR coating?

I agree. My expecations from an Omega is that when its dark out, that I dont need to prepare my watch by carrying around a flashlight.

 

[Grooveuniverse]

Good point! I was going to make a quick remark saying something to the effect that OMEGA is the one making these claims but when I went and checked the source again (Omega's FAQ at http://www.omegawatches.com/index.php?id=438) I realized that there are NO quantitative claims being made at all! Only that "the luminosity of Omega watches SO intense and SO long" which really isn't saying anything at all, that's a subjective statement!

Plus, they DO say right on that same page that "The luminescence decreases with HOURS but it is restored as soon as the watch is exposed to bright light."

So nice call there, TSC!

PS: The watch I'm looking at is the 2503.33 (or maybe a Railmaster or Ti Seamaster). Meets my needs best and this is a great thread to stumble upon in terms of keeping my expectations realistic! Nothing like buying (to me) a grail watch that I intend to keep serviced and wear for 50+ years and wake up disappointed the first night. So thanks guys!

I dont know how you interpret that, but the way I assume most potential first time buyers would interpret that statement of it being so intense and so long wold be along the lines of expecting it to glow pretty damn good.

 

[SpringDriven]

I think that was unfair. It is completely within reason to assume that an Omega will be visible while driving home from work in the evening especially when exposed (and I mean directly under a very bright light for hours) prior.

Well, since your expectation was not met, why not compromise, carry a inexpensive and bright LED flashlight in your car and shine it on your watch to charge it up and see what happens? Compromise?

And if it STILL does not live up to your desires, then it was not meant to be.

Here is the deal.

If you have a problem, and there is a solution to your problem, but you refuse the solution, then you have to except the problem and move on with it.

Anyways, this is based on expectations, which differ from person to person. The only way to change someone's expectations is with testing and facts. Many facts have already been presented in this thread, so I guess that leaves the testing up to you.

Good Luck.

P.S. Evening? Are we talking Dusk, or total darkness? If total darkness, did you hold the watch up to your desk lamp and then walk directly to your car? How long between the walk to the car and the last time the watch was exposed to light? I guess what I am trying to make clear, is that there are many reasons that your expectations are not being met, and I feel that most of those expectations have nothing to do with Superluminova. Even a tritium tube watch won't look like it is glowing unless there is no ambient light for it to compete with. It really does take absolute darkness to see the glow of a watch, unless it is very recently charged with a bright light...

 

[Neil(UK)]

TBH I think all of these "lume shot" pics that are posted with great regularity on watch fora give the wrong impression of what to expect in real life use.

Whilst SL is a useful thing and gets us away from radioactive materials it is certainly not a wonder material.

Next to my bed I have a drawer with my everyday wearers in it. The majority are SL which when they have been left in the drawer for a few days glow not at all.

Although not glamourously gleaming like the SL equipped watches when shown a light the only watch still glowing and readable if I open the drawer in the middle of the night is my 15 year old tritium Tudor Sub. ;-)