: I'm 99% sure these aren't reflections

I rather think they are - look at how bright the lug on the left also is in the bottom photo, reflecting the same thing as the dial. Or rather, the crystal, it looks from the angle of incidence of light that what we're seeing there is a reflection from the crystal more than it would be the dial.

From clearer photos, we know that Rindt had a black-dialled 2446:

so I'd be tempted to extrapolate that that is the watch in these photos too and we're seeing something (different) in each shot making the dial appear pale.