When did Rolex start and stop using tritium?
As you may know, Rolex has used a number of different luminous materials for its watches throughout its history. One such material is tritium.
But when did Rolex start using tritium and when did the company stop using it? Continue reading and find out.
When did Rolex start using tritium?
Rolex originally began using radium as the luminous material of choice for its watches. The issue with radium, however, is that it is radioactive and dangerous to work with. Furthermore, radium also loses its glow over time. Rolex stopped using radium in 1963 due to the high risk of cancer that this radioactive substance has. This applied to the people who worked with it daily in the factory. In fact, people did develop cancer from working with applying radium to Rolex’s dials.
So Rolex found a different material to use instead of Radium. The answer was tritium.
Rolex started using tritium for its watches from 1963. Whilst tritium is also radioactive, it has a much lower level of radiation. Tritium has good luminous characteristics and glows rather strong, but an issue is that it has a 12-year half-life (due to the Lowe level of radiation), which means it will stop glowing. Vintage Rolex enthusiasts love tritium due to the fact that it changes in color over time.
When did Rolex stop using tritium?
Rolex stopped using tritium in 1998 when it was banned. Following this, Rolex started using Luminova – a non-radioactive luminous material.
