Reply To: Radium Dials and Hands – AUGH!

[Bob Tascione]

Good to see you up here Jeff!

I too have often wondered about the dangers, if any, of working and wearing watches with radium filled hands and dials. My personal feeling has been that occasional repairs made on these watches if approached with a little caution isn’t a problem. By caution I mean handling them with tweezers and other tools and avoid any physical contact. This feeling isn’t based on an educated guess as I truly know zip about the dangers of minute exposure to radium. It’s based solely on an uneducated, irrational justification I’ve made motivated by my uncontrollable urge to play with vintage watches made during the radium days!
I don’t know what new watchmakers are taught about the subject. Would be interesting to hear more on that topic.

Here’s a link to some good info on the subject of radium and tritium as well as other compounds used in these watches: http://www.trusted-forwarder.org/elgin/help/luminous_dials.html

I haven’t grown a third eye or any extra fingers or toes yet so so far so good.

Aside from the link I’m sure this post didn’t help much if at all…just wanted to welcome you up here Jeff!

Bob