Having read with much interest some of Abel's 'dial restoration' threads, I thought I'd share my 'odd' method on how I approached my '69 Speedmaster 145.022.
Please do not confuse my efforts as anything other than a hobbyist 'having a go', I'm no restorer, but I do like a challenge, and I do have a fine art background.. The problem with this is that people like James and Abel are salty old sea dogs, and have sailed the 're-lume seas' many times... I haven't, so the possibility of it going horribly wrong was always on my mind.

As always, and like Abel said before - these projects are personal choice, I know some don't approve.. but here is my story..

A long while back I received a nice '69 Speedy in part trade for my Fume Silverstone. I was very happy with the watch, but it needed a few minor issues sorted.
One stood out like a sore thumb.. sometime in it's past a watchmaker must have cleaned the lume away. These super thin lume markers don't usually fair well over time.. usually leaving just a 'stain' of very thin patina on the hour markers. This had been completely cleaned away on my example, leaving behind the bright white painted hour markers.

I had a tough decision, do I leave as is or have it re-lumed in vintage tones. I decided to go re-lume, as the dial looked totally out of place in a vintage piece. I contacted jedi lume master James, but even he had reservations... Apparently to get very detailed/delicate re-lume edges requires a thicker solution, which is almost impossible to apply on the thin Speedy markers, especially with my 'Stepped dial'. The chances of crisp square lume was minimal.. overspill being a major possibility with a thinner lume solution. Sometime later, I mentioned the same to Abel.. he was willing to have a go, but I was a little worried, as I didn't realy want fresh 'puffy' lume.. I wanted it to look how it would have before the old lume was cleared away.. sort of eroded, uneven.

So, I dropped the re-lume idea.. but I didn't want to give up.
I thought about trying to recreate that 'stained thin degrading lume' we see on Speedies that have lost some lume. I experimented with many substances.
I experimented on some gloss paper with tea and coffee.. but that produced a 'flat' brown. I wanted to get that mottled honey-golden-brown effect, and I didn't want a uniform colour. I tried adding some yellow artist paint to some coffee - that worked better, but still wasn't anywhere near what I was after. I even tried rubbing some small rocks together to get a powdered stone to mix with my coffee solution!! - that didn't work.. I was obsessed with finding a solution.

Then... a breakthrough..

I was watching a clip online about the making of a recent UK TV series that was based in industrial Birmingham (UK) in circa 1918.. the video featured the set designer going through 'house sets' explaining how they did this, that and the other. He said that the period wallpaper had a 'nicotine' wash added to give it that genuine faded old golden smokey look.. and I got an idea...

Ironically, the set designer was technically 'wrong' (AFAIK), this 'nicotine' wash shouldn't be called that - it's the tar that makes that 'old faded golden brown' colour.
So.. (I smoke).. I got an old clean margarine tub, (lid still on) cut a hole in the side and slid in a lit cigarette horizontally & let it burn. I did this multiple times.
This left a tar residue on the inside of the tub. I then let it 'air' outside for a week or so.

Then, using a 0000 size sable artists brush, and a touch of water.. I used this residue to do some testing on glossy paper.. and voila.. several layers, allowing to dry between coats, created a really rich golden-brown-mottled-tobacco effect..

After plucking up the courage.. I set to work on the dial. The mottled, aged effect came up wonderfully.

So, here is the dial of the watch as I received it:

.
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And after the work..
Note, I had James fit genuine Omega hr/min hands, which I also tinted (the lume) with my 0000 brush - that was very tricky, I can tell you.
He fitted was a new gen Omega crystal.. which I was pleasantly surprised to find cost bugger all... (around £25ish).

Pre Moon Caseback..

Cheers
Stewart
- Heuerville