# Reluming a Damasko



## El Guerrouj (Feb 1, 2009)

Has anyone relumed a Damasko? I'm contemplating it....


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## jabstick420 (Sep 12, 2009)

Haven't... the lume on my DA36 is shining bright.


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## userfriendly (Dec 15, 2007)

jabstick420 said:


> depends where you bought it and their return policy... if its worn though, then probably not.
> 
> why would you return it? just don't like the look?


I think the words got mixed up here. Anyway I'd like to see if there's a relumed Damasko, but I have not seen one.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2009)

Why if I may ask ?


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## El Guerrouj (Feb 1, 2009)

stuffler said:


> Why if I may ask ?


Hi Mike - Just to make my DC56 a super-tool watch. But perhaps I should try supercharging the original lume first, if that's possible.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2009)

Well, I am not a night owl  but my lume is sufficient, well, for me at least.


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## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

NOV 27, 2009

Hello,

I like the look of the Damasko DA36 dial. I can quickly read it to the minute
even at oblique angles in good light. However, I was disappointed with the night
time readability. I sent it to Kent Parks at Everest Watch Works for "lume"
enhancement. He didn't keep it long, and it came back looking like this. That is
after illumination and turning out the light, no uv light. I did not have the second
hand painted, and it doesn't glow in the dark.

In the original state the printing on the dial is bright white and the numbers
do not glow. Now, this one is off white. The numbers and hands have a
green tint. I don't have a before photo, but here it is in the light next to a bright
white dial for comparison.

I understand why Damasko might go for bright white, but I prefer this trade
off. I would not say it glows like a torch now. However, it is noticeable after
coming in from outside in day light. Now, I can read the time just before dawn.
I am happy with the result, and I am wearing the watch most of the time. I
recommend the Kent Parks "lume" enhancement. His work is excellent. 

My photo was taken hand held with no illumination. Here is a better photo
taken by Kent Parks. You may be happy with your watch, but do this 
experiment. Turn out the lights and put your black dial Damasko watch next
to the photo.

Have a good night.

Thanks,
rationaltime


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## El Guerrouj (Feb 1, 2009)

Thank you, rationaltime - your DA36's lume looks fantastic!

Did you disassemble your watch before sending it over?



rationaltime said:


> NOV 27, 2009
> 
> Hello,
> 
> ...


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## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

NOV 28, 2009

Thanks go to Kent Parks. The disassembly was all done by Everest Watch Works.
They will do a pressure test after reassembly for a small additional fee. I was thinking
someone who does this painstaking work is likely to be careful reassembling the watch,
and Damasko used Viton O-rings. I skipped the pressure test, and perhaps got the
watch back a little sooner.

Thanks,
rationaltime


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## Davevb (Sep 29, 2009)

I think the DA36 looks good with the enhanced lume and looks like a very good job. I bought a " super lume" Lum Tec watch and like it's readability at night when I have to stand night watches on the bridge of our yacht.


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## Jewelmaker (Nov 4, 2008)

Hello Gentleman,

I'm thinking on the reluming of my DA36 too, because the lume of the watch is not so prominent, as I expected it from a superb quality timepiece, like this. I have fears too, that the procedure will damage the dial and it will not look like the original.:roll:
And I'm disappointed, because I sent lot of e-mails to Angelo, "The Relumer", and he did not answered a single word.:-( He's the only one in Europe, who can make this job professionel.
Does anyone knows, what about Angelo, or is there an other man in Europe, who can make the relume?:think:


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## Plissken (Aug 21, 2006)

Great job! Looks fantastic! Off white suits the watch well too.


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## HappyJack (Mar 31, 2008)

Jewelmaker said:


> Hello Gentleman,
> 
> I'm thinking on the reluming of my DA36 too, because the lume of the watch is not so prominent, as I expected it from a superb quality timepiece, like this. I have fears too, that the procedure will damage the dial and it will not look like the original.:roll:
> And I'm disappointed, because I sent lot of e-mails to Angelo, "The Relumer", and he did not answered a single word.:-( He's the only one in Europe, who can make this job professionel.
> Does anyone knows, what about Angelo, or is there an other man in Europe, who can make the relume?:think:


Try GeoffD on this forum - he runs Tuff Time, at Milton Keynes in England. I just bought a Tritium dialled Fortis which he re-lumed in SL (C3) and it's very readable throughout the night.


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## aviate (Feb 12, 2006)

Any chance of posting pictures of your Fortis? I have a Fortis Cosmonaut Chronograph that I like very much but the tritium lume has faded dramatically...was thinking of sending it off to IWW for some work.

Thank you,

Charles


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## Jewelmaker (Nov 4, 2008)

Hello,

Looks fantastic! How long did you wait for this job? Because I want to relume my watch too, but I don't want to miss it for 3-4 months, or more.

with respect, J


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## Guest (Dec 11, 2009)

Jewelmaker said:


> Hello,
> 
> Looks fantastic! How long did you wait for this job? Because I want to relume my watch too, but I don't want to miss it for 3-4 months, or more.
> 
> with respect, J


First post re re-luming two weeks ago, next post 27. Nov. 2009. You may count the days yourself.;-)


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## Jewelmaker (Nov 4, 2008)

Hello Rationaltime,

Here is my relumed Damasko DA36, done by Kent Parks, after your recommendation, when you remember me.(we e-mailed)
It was important to me, that the watch still looks like the original, but the lume is better. It is relumed with C1:C3 mixture, not so good as the C3, but I'm satisfied with it.
What do you think?

with respect, J

















rationaltime said:


> NOV 27, 2009
> 
> Hello,
> 
> ...


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## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

Hello Jewelmaker,

That looks great. Kent Parks does excellent work. The daylight color on
your DA36 looks white like the original. I am happy with the green tint
on mine. It appears harmonious with the yellow second hand. Perhaps
the white appeals to more people. I just wanted to have the maximum
night time visibility. In the photos the glow on your DA36 looks about
the same as on mine.

Thanks,
rationaltime


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## Cursor (Jun 22, 2008)

Very nice. I like the brighter lume on the numbers (in addition to the markers), too. That is a welcome addition to the face that I'm sure makes it an even more practical tool watch. I actually wished that Damasko would make a DA37 with tiled tritium tubes on the face. I don't know much about the cost of those tubes, but I can imagine using it as a flashlight.


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## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

Hello Cursor,

That is an interesting thought about tessellating an entire dial with tritium
light sources. Aside from the labor, expense, and surface texture, I wonder
if there is a regulatory issue. Tritium undergoes beta decay. The emitted 
particles would not penetrate the glass tubes, and are also contained
within the sealed watch case. Even so there appears to be a regulation 
limiting the maximum tritium content. I have not read about any watch
containing more that 100 mCi equivalent of Tritium, and most appear to
be limited to 25 mCi. I suspect regulated limits are the reason.
The tritium flash light may remain a dream.

Thanks,
rationaltime


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## Cursor (Jun 22, 2008)

Aha. I didn't know that much about tritium unti I read your post, Rationaltime. Here's what I read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_illumination

I didn't realize that Tritium is more "old school" watch lume than I had thought--radioactive. Very interesting stuff. And a little scary! Maybe the tritium tube tiled watch is something that should wait...


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## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

Hello Cursor,

Thanks for posting that link about Tritium illumination.

I don't find it scary. For the benefit of those who did not read
at the link here is a quote from the article:
"In the tube, the tritium gives off a steady stream of electrons
due to beta decay. These particles excite the phosphor, causing
it to emit a low, steady glow. One could use any beta particle-emitting
substance, but in practice tritium is preferred because it is not very
hazardous."

Thanks,
rationaltime


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## sukispop (Nov 13, 2006)

Hi,

This safety topic surfaces every so often over at the Ball Forum. Ball watches, as many here probably already know, utilize tritium micro gas tubes for dial illumination as a matter of course for their many different models. In the following link, one of Ball Watch SA's representatives addresses this topic. Good read. And, hopefully, it will answer folk's concerns about the use of tritium(micro gas tubes) in watch dials. ;-)

https://www.watchuseek.com/showpost.php?p=543535&postcount=1



Cursor said:


> Aha. I didn't know that much about tritium unti I read your post, Rationaltime. Here's what I read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium_illumination
> 
> I didn't realize that Tritium is more "old school" watch lume than I had thought--radioactive. Very interesting stuff. And a little scary! Maybe the tritium tube tiled watch is something that should wait...





rationaltime said:


> Hello Cursor,
> 
> Thanks for posting that link about Tritium illumination.
> 
> ...


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## Packleader (Aug 25, 2011)

I'm still new to watch collecting at this point, so I find myself reviving old threads as my interest and research takes me here and there all over the WUS forums.

Rationaltime, thank you for this incredibly useful post. I've just now bookmarked the website for Everest Watchworks.

I do have one question -- how will reluming the DA36 affect the future resale value of the watch?

I'll qualify my question with the following disclaimers:

(1) I realize that this is watch will never be a Rolex Explorer 1016 (whether in terms of value or classic status among watch collectors) where the patina on the original lume is seen as a plus. In other words, maybe there isn't much to lose by re-luming it.

(2) I also realize that the DA36 is a tool watch and if I am meant to use it as such (which I plan to), I should make it as effective and useful a tool as possible (and your relume is certainly effective -- gotta love those pictures).

(3) On every thread where resale value is discussed, someone inevitably posts the following "I don't buy watches for the resale value, I buy watches to enjoy them". I tend to agree with this viewpoint. While those posts tend to put things into perspective, they usually do little to answer the OPs question about resale value.

With all those disclaimers, my concern about resale value may seem a bit silly. I really LOVE the lume on rationaltime's watch. I want to get the same C3 lume. But from my perspective, as someone new to watch collecting, the DA36 is still a relatively pricey purchase and the truth is ... I'm afraid to "ruin" it. Am I worrying unnecessarily?

Thanks,
Packleader



rationaltime said:


> NOV 27, 2009
> 
> Hello,
> 
> ...


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## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

Hello,

I think it is fair to ask about how modifications to a watch might affect its resale value.
In general I would expect "collectors" to prefer unmodified watches. However, I have
to say I just don't know. Damasko is a relatively young brand. Right now it is enjoying
a popularity among people who want a German made "tool" watch. Only time will tell if
this persists. For the short term I guess these lume enhanced watches will have almost
the same demand as the unmodified watches.

Indeed, we don't know if wrist watches will maintain the present demand. About 100
years ago mechanical pocket watches were popular. They were produced by the millions.
(That's 10^6 for those of you who don't necessarily use American English.) Today those
mechanical pocket watches have lost most of their value, because demand is way down.
Today the current generation of young people again use pocket watches, but now battery
powered. What time is it? They don't look at their wrist. They dig in their pocket for their
pocket watch. How many of them will make the transition to wrist watches? I can't predict,
but surely the response of that demographic will affect the value of wrist watches.

A bigger concern might be that a modification could nullify the warranty. That concern 
might be reduced after you have had the watch for a while and seen it working properly.

To reduce both the warranty and resale value risks of modifications as well as the initial
depreciation you could shop for a used watch.

So, it is all just a guess.

Thanks,
rationaltime


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## Packleader (Aug 25, 2011)

Thank you for the insightful post, rationaltime. 

This isn't the first time that I have seen you answer a specific question, while putting it into perspective by taking into account how it all fits in the big picture.

Best wishes,
Packleader


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## voiceman (Mar 12, 2015)

Great thread and posts. Thanks to all for sharing their "lume" experiences and "shedding light" (pun intended) on a very interesting topic. I, too, will be "bookmarking" the link to Everest Watchworks for a future relume.

Ed (voiceman)


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