Kent Parks Relume: Fortis Flieger 24-Hr. (Modem Burner!)

5954 Views 13 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Mike 777, Aug 25, 2010

Mike 777

Discussion Starter · Aug 10, 2010

My old tritium 24-hr. had reached its half life, and it was a pale phantom of the torch it had been when it was brand new. Well, I had always been skeptical of Superluminova; I like the fact that tritium does not need recharging, but then I bought a Spacematic GMT with Superluminova and that stayed lit all night, which meets my needs, so I went ahead and sent the 24-hr to Kent Parks at Everest Watchworks Home (based on many glowing reports about him; sorry, pun intended). To say I was pleased is an understatement. This watch is so COOL now that I can barely stand it. It shines more brightly in the dark than it did when it was new, and it stays quite bright all night (I asked for Kent's brightest lume). It's a lot brighter than my Spacematic. It's a good thing that I am no longer in the Marine Corps because I wouldn't be allowed to wear this in the field--it's like a beacon saying "please bomb me!" And the relume is indistinguishable from the original; everything down to the smallest details are perfect.

Here's a "before" pic:

And an "after":

Note that in the before pic, just above the "2" there is a small scratch in the luminous paint. This came from some damage the watch suffered after a broken mineral crystal (which I had upgraded during repairs to a sapphire crystal). In the after pic, you no longer see the damage; Kent covered that nicely.

Some more pics, with the obligatory glowing lume shot at the bottom:

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1 - 14 of 14 Posts

cuckoo4watches

· #2 · Aug 11, 2010

wow!
that is some bright lume!!
bet you are really loving that. ;-)

Kent definitely does some incredible work and all his jobs are so neat in finish.

enjoy as I am sure you will

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toxicavenger

· #3 · Aug 11, 2010

Kent definitely knows how to put some lume on a watch. He did a GMT for me that had so much lume on it MCWW had to bend the tip of the GMT hand to clear the lume. That thing glowed like a torch and the finish of the lume was amazing! If you can deal with no communication and not in a hurry then Kent is the one to deal with. Also if you want the best work out there than he is the man for the job. Beautiful Fortis!

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J.D.

· #4 · Aug 11, 2010

Mr. Parks did a great job on that watch, looks phenomenal in low light pics. Enjoy!

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whifferdill

· #5 · Aug 11, 2010

This 24 hour model is too cool. Lume is amazing! Nice you kept the 'T Swiss Made T' though - be no good to lose that!

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Mike 777

Discussion Starter · #6 · Aug 12, 2010

Thanks! And I thought the original tritium was bright. This is the brightest watch I've ever owned, and I love it.

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Mike 777

Discussion Starter · #7 · Aug 12, 2010

Thanks! Yeah, Kent takes his time, but really not any longer than some other watch repair outfits I've dealt with in the past. I'd rather wait for a job well done than get it back quickly but with average results or worse. Kent's work is superb.

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Mike 777

Discussion Starter · #8 · Aug 12, 2010

Thanks--it was worth the price, which really was very reasonable.

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Mike 777

Discussion Starter · #9 · Aug 12, 2010

It is so cool, that my wrist is getting frostbite. Well, now the "T" markings are a lie, but you're right, they're part of the watch's coolness. I can just about use this as a flashlight at night. Kent's da man! And thanks for your kind remarks!

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Mike 777

Discussion Starter · #10 · Aug 12, 2010

Side-by-side lume comparison shots

I couldn't resist adding these pictures. I put the 24-hr in the middle, my Fortis Spacematic GMT with factory Superluminova on the left, and my Fortis Cosmonauts Day/Date with about 9-year-old tritium on the right. (The original triangle on the latter's bezel ring fell out, as it usually does on this model, and Jack Alexyon put a Superluminova one in). I waited a few minutes after charging them before I took the pictures. The first picture was taken about a couple of minutes before the second.

By the way, you can easily see on the Spacematic that it's somewhat difficult to distinguish the GMT 24-hr hand from the minute hand. They're almost the same length and thickness, and in the dark it's hard to distinguish details.

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whifferdill

· #11 · Aug 12, 2010

Re: Side-by-side lume comparison shots

Great to see - makes me look forward to picking up my PP Day . Date tomorrow after a little tweeking. Fprtis do all round great watches like no other IMHO - especially the earlier models as per your collection - bold but not flashy, easy to read, rugged workhorses that are hard to beat. I wore my PP for nearly years before I go anything else and it's still the one I go back to. And yep - it has 'T Swiss Made T' on the dial, but could probably do with a re-lume after seeing these pics!

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Mike 777

Discussion Starter · #12 · Aug 13, 2010

Re: Side-by-side lume comparison shots

Yes, I agree about their earlier watches. The trend toward massively large watches over 40mm is a bit over the top for my taste. (I guess they come with the general territory--our society seems to be over the top in many ways. Tastes have definitely changed since I was young.) For me, 40mm is the maximum that I like; ideal is 38mm such as in the old Cosmonauts Chronograph or the Cosmonauts Day/Date. However, I do rather like some of their new designs, like the Marinemaster with the big-fluted bezel ring.

Definitely go for a relume; it will breathe new life into your favorite old workhorse, and you will wonder how you got along for so long without the phenomenal brightness.

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