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Following the test of my neovintage dive watches (see HERE), I always wanted to do a big lume test with a maximum of watches for a period of up to six hours ...
I got time yesterday, so I am pleased to present you 34 divers and 9 chronographs in a full lume test. They were pictured together at the same time intervals of 0, 15 and 30 minutes and 1, 2, 3 and 6 hours after being lit. For camera settings, after some testing, I chose the rendition that most resembled my own vision in the dark: f/1.4 aperture, 1 second exposure , ISO 3200
High-end dive watches :
The top:
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine
and a great result for the old Omega Seamaster Peter Blake from 2001
The good ones :
Jaeger LeCoultre MCNS, it's the only watch that has so readable indexes that hands can't be seen
Chopard Pro One, Girard Perregaux Sea Hawk and Hublot super professional are still legible in the morning although they date back 10 years !
Patek Philippe Aquanaut is still readable in the morning too, although its indexes and hands are very thin
Rolex 14060 Sub is a little worse in the test but seems more effective in real life (?)
The disappointing result :
IWC aquatimer 3536, is readable for an hour, other watches of the same age do much better
Unworthy result:
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver ... a shame, difficult to read during the day, and impossible in the dark...
![Text Pattern Font]()
Mid-range watches :
The top:
Unbeatable Davosa with tritium tubes
Baume & Mercier Capeland xl diver and Bell & Ross BR02 and are very readable despite their age
Good results :
Alpina extreme sailing
Ebel Aquatica 300
Mathey Tissot Squale 1001 indexes disappear after 30 minutes already
Oris Swallow ( not so good considering the price of this new watch)
Perrelet Seacraft
Finally, a little lower, but not ridiculous:
Armand Nicolet S05
Glycine Lagunare
Diver Paul Picot C -Type
![Font]()
9 Neovintage Divers and 3 deep quartz divers :
The top:
Ball Skindiver a true fireworks with tritium indexes and hands, and luminova bezel
Doxa 750T one of the best results for a "old" watch
Average : the indexes quickly disappear
Breitling SuperOcean Heritage 46 : The triangular hour hand is visible all night , but hard to read
Certina DS3 1000m great lume on minute hand, but impossible to see the hour hand in the dark
Eterna SuperKontiki 1973 same remark as Certina
Jenny caribbean
Longines Legend Diver, same remark as Breitling
sdw hyperbar shark
Even less bright, unreadable after an hour :
Vulcain Cricket nautical
Bell & Ross hydromax , very disappointing
sdw hyperbar pro
![Font Screenshot]()
Chronographs (non-divers)
The very good results :
Breguet Type XX 3803
Breitling Blue Sky AB012512
Tag Heuer Monaco is almost as good despite his age and very thin hands
Good:
Hamilton Pan Europ
Zenith Stratos Flyback
Quite good :
Fortis Marinemaster Vintage
Rolex Daytona, considering his age
illegible:
Omega Speedmaster 3592 , very old tritium..
Wyler Code R Spetsnaz (Russian special forces) , totally unreadable day and night !
![Text Font Pattern Screenshot Circle]()
I got time yesterday, so I am pleased to present you 34 divers and 9 chronographs in a full lume test. They were pictured together at the same time intervals of 0, 15 and 30 minutes and 1, 2, 3 and 6 hours after being lit. For camera settings, after some testing, I chose the rendition that most resembled my own vision in the dark: f/1.4 aperture, 1 second exposure , ISO 3200
High-end dive watches :
The top:
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine
and a great result for the old Omega Seamaster Peter Blake from 2001
The good ones :
Jaeger LeCoultre MCNS, it's the only watch that has so readable indexes that hands can't be seen
Chopard Pro One, Girard Perregaux Sea Hawk and Hublot super professional are still legible in the morning although they date back 10 years !
Patek Philippe Aquanaut is still readable in the morning too, although its indexes and hands are very thin
Rolex 14060 Sub is a little worse in the test but seems more effective in real life (?)
The disappointing result :
IWC aquatimer 3536, is readable for an hour, other watches of the same age do much better
Unworthy result:
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver ... a shame, difficult to read during the day, and impossible in the dark...
Mid-range watches :
The top:
Unbeatable Davosa with tritium tubes
Baume & Mercier Capeland xl diver and Bell & Ross BR02 and are very readable despite their age
Good results :
Alpina extreme sailing
Ebel Aquatica 300
Mathey Tissot Squale 1001 indexes disappear after 30 minutes already
Oris Swallow ( not so good considering the price of this new watch)
Perrelet Seacraft
Finally, a little lower, but not ridiculous:
Armand Nicolet S05
Glycine Lagunare
Diver Paul Picot C -Type
9 Neovintage Divers and 3 deep quartz divers :
The top:
Ball Skindiver a true fireworks with tritium indexes and hands, and luminova bezel
Doxa 750T one of the best results for a "old" watch
Average : the indexes quickly disappear
Breitling SuperOcean Heritage 46 : The triangular hour hand is visible all night , but hard to read
Certina DS3 1000m great lume on minute hand, but impossible to see the hour hand in the dark
Eterna SuperKontiki 1973 same remark as Certina
Jenny caribbean
Longines Legend Diver, same remark as Breitling
sdw hyperbar shark
Even less bright, unreadable after an hour :
Vulcain Cricket nautical
Bell & Ross hydromax , very disappointing
sdw hyperbar pro
Chronographs (non-divers)
The very good results :
Breguet Type XX 3803
Breitling Blue Sky AB012512
Tag Heuer Monaco is almost as good despite his age and very thin hands
Good:
Hamilton Pan Europ
Zenith Stratos Flyback
Quite good :
Fortis Marinemaster Vintage
Rolex Daytona, considering his age
illegible:
Omega Speedmaster 3592 , very old tritium..
Wyler Code R Spetsnaz (Russian special forces) , totally unreadable day and night !
and really a good comparison 
