Why are date and day wheels made of different material?
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Rob
I just got back into watches in 2021, after not wearing a watch for years. Glad to be here.
Member since
Last active: 3 min ago
6.75” / 17.15 cm
It's not just Timex. Seiko and Orient have glowing day wheels too. And the Seiko Flightmaster has a UV glowing date wheel (the only glowing date I've seen).
I have never seen this. My Timex have “Indiglo” backlights. 🥺
I just checked my 4 watches with day/date (2xSinn, IWC, Omega) and none of them glow. I also have the SNA411 Flightmaster and never realized that it had a glowing date wheel until you pointed it out. It glows under UV light, but isn't luminescent.
I think that is some sort of legibility convention for day/dates. This 1966 Mido has different reflective properties on each.
Very good question. I also noticed it a while ago on my seikos.
My guess: the day-wheel has a bigger surface and to keep it lighter but still stable, they use a different material.
But what about the glow? 🤷♂🤯
My seiko turtle does the same thing. It’s a question I’ve asked myself. Has to just be materials used during manufacturing.
On my Seestern the date wheel glows like a flashlight.
Huh. 1974 Citizen Leopard has different looking materials too.