Adventures in lume stabilisation (Tudor content)

[Cannop]

I'm the proud owner of a lovely 1984 Tudor 76100 lollipop that has aged beautifully with the lume turning a lovely creamy colour. The hands and dial match perfectly.



I was aware that the hour hound had a tiny imperfection on it that could just about be seen with a x5 loupe. I was never really sure whether it was a mark on the lume or a miniscule piece missing and to be honest it never concerned me that much.
However once looked at under x30 magnification it became apparent what the imperfection actually was:



It's one of my favourite watches and I do wear it a lot, but since I have been aware of the "crack" in the lume I have subconsciously not been wearing it as much. Daft really as I suppose it has been that way for years.
Yesterday I had nothing planned so I decided to stabilise it by applying a thin clear coat of laquer to the underside of the hand. Bear in mind I have never attempted this before - I have removed hands, crystals and movements before but always on watches where parts are more readily available, and ruining a hand wouldn't have the same consequences as it would on my Tudors lollipop hand.
Another complication is that the back is on really tight and although I have the correct bergeon removal tool, when I tried removing it the tool slipped one notch sending a shock through the watch. The last thing I want is the lume dropping out because of unwanted jolts. I could increase the pressure on the tool which would probably work, but if it were to slip again it would result in an increased jolt through the watch and put the lume at risk.
So what should I do? I always thought you can go in through the front on submariners but wasn't entirely sure whether the crystal needed pushing out from behind once the crystal retaining ring was off.
As I had nothing planned yesterday I thought I would give it a go!
First off was the bezel and crystal retaining ring, then the part I thought may give me the most trouble the crystal. I put a thin blade between the case and the crystal and off it came as smooth as butter.



Next up was removing the hands - again I nerve jangling moment as I didn't know how the lume would hold up but they came off with no bother. Looking at the back of the hour hand the lume looked in much better condition than the front which cheered me up.



Then I applied a thin coat of clear laquer to the back of the hour hand. Whilst I was at it I thought it shouldn't do any harm to coat the minute hand too, even though there didn't appear to be any problems with it.



Finally I did the seconds hand. I then left the hands to dry for a few hours before having a go at refitting, which was a lot simpler as I was out of "unknown" territory then!



The dried hands after refitting:



Next was the crystal making sure the cyclops is aligned correctly:



The crystal retaining ring:



And finally the bezel:



And back on the wrist!



Apologies for the less than perfect photographs, but it's the best I could do with a point and shoot.

[matt4hand]

Awesome write up!
I don't think I will try that one. Your Tudor looks amazing.

[Dan Pierce]

I envy your courage, Duncan. Especially in uncharted territory. But you can only learn by doing, great job. The most important characteristic of that beauty is the lollipop hand.

I've done these procedures [removing/ installing dials, hands, crystals, bezels] on my Seiko's many times with great results but just don't have the testicle fortitude to attempt on my Swiss timepieces.
dP

[Beaumont Miller II]

These are some of my favorite threads. DIY threads where the results are great. Way to go.

[Submarino]

Amazing explanation on the 'how to'? Glad you were able to pull it off. What tool do you use for setting your hands back? Mine is kind of crappy and I have tons of problems with it.

[lhanddds]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

I envy your courage, Duncan. Especially in uncharted territory. But you can only learn by doing, great job. The most important characteristic of that beauty is the lollipop hand.

I've done these procedures [removing/ installing dials, hands, crystals, bezels] on my Seiko's many times with great results but just don't have the testicle fortitude to attempt on my Swiss timepieces.
dP

"testicle fortitude" Pretty funny Dan

[Cannop]

Originally Posted by Submarino

Amazing explanation on the 'how to'? Glad you were able to pull it off. What tool do you use for setting your hands back? Mine is kind of crappy and I have tons of problems with it.

I used to have lots of problems re-setting hands, especially the seconds hand. I was given this tip by a watchmaker friend, it's very simple, inexpensive and more importantly works a treat!
Use a 2mm diameter dowel of pegwood with a small ball of rodico stuck to the end. Simply push the sweep end of the hand into the rodico then you can guide the opposite end into place over the pivot with no risk of damaging the hand or dial. Once it's in place set it using a normal hand setting tool.

Originally Posted by lhanddds

"testicle fortitude" Pretty funny Dan

That made me chuckle too

[SPARTAN2161]

Impressive! Nice job

[Jagatai]

Wow!

[Racer X]

I admire your courage also but I am curious to know how stable lacquer is over time. Maybe a polyurethane would be better?

[onkyo]

Wow! Great job.

Thanks for posting.

[dysondiver]

that macro picture is great ,,,,,

[Cannop]

Originally Posted by Racer X

I admire your courage also but I am curious to know how stable lacquer is over time. Maybe a polyurethane would be better?

I did wonder if there was anything better these days but in the end I went with the same laquer my watchsmith has been using for the past 20 or so years. As he's had no comebacks to date if figure it's worth the gamble!

[Racer X]

Well 20 years is pretty good!

[renfield33]

might want to do a pressure test.

[JimSnyder]

Great post and great work. Your Tudor is stunning

[achova]

Very nice - and it's brother says hello.

Lollipop lume cracking is apparently a family affliction - my lume is also cracked...

[Lgear080]

simply stunning. i would have left it alone no doubt.
you're a different breed :)

[Lgear080]

simply stunning. i would have left it alone no doubt.
you're a different breed :)

[adam78]

Excellent photoessay!

I suspect that the reason these lollipop hour hands did not last that long in the marketplace was the lume instability problem.