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Seals, illumination and dating

Hi Guys, I just recently wrote to Omega regarding the date of manufacture of my watch and they pinpointed it to the day. Moreover, I recieved a response to my letter the next business day. Pretty impressive for a company the size of Omega and the Swatch group. I've also included the info that was sent to me regarding the seals and illumination. Here it is:

"Like any other instrument, a maintenance service for oiling the mechanism and replacing the gaskets is necessary after wearing the watch during 3-4 years, depending atmospheric conditions. Also, the Super-LumiNova luminous compound has been in use since 1998, hence we assume that your watch has this new luminous material on dial and hands. Please note that this new material does not replace the previously used Tritium. Super-LumiNova is a phosphorescent or afterglow material. The operating principle is comparable with a light accumulator or light storage-battery. It is only after activation by sunlight or an artificial light source for some time that the accumulated light energy can be restored in the dark over a certain period of time. The time of visibilty is always limited although the initial light intensity can be quite high. Hope this might clarify the situation and that you will continue to enjoy wearing your OMEGA timepiece. Kind regards John R Diethelm / Public Relation"

What I thought to be of interest here is the service/seal renewal interval - not every year like so many of us had been told previously. Instead Mr Diethelm states that it "should" be okay every few years depending on conditions. Also like the definition of Super-Luminova. I thought that it was used in place of tritium. I guess you learn something new every day!

Hope that this was of some interest.

Best regards,

Eric P. Kuck

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Seals, illumination and dating
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