This resulted in severe diseases, such as cancer of the jaw and throat. These workers moistened their brushes with their lips, which was common practice at the time, and thus absorbed a large amount of the radioactive luminous material. The so-called Radium Girls attained tragic fame in this respect. But this did not apply to the workers in the factories who handled the opened watches and also came into contact with the radioactive substances. PANERAI RADIOMIR MANUAL PAM00210 Are radium watches dangerous?įor their wearers, however, radium watches were comparatively safe, since the radiation emitted by radium only amounted to a few centimetres in the air and was already blocked by the watch case. Even today, it is still possible to purchase a luminescent Radiomir von Panerai – without radium, however. The invention of luminescent watches meant great success for Panerai and led to a series of watches being named after the luminescent material. After World War I had already helped the wristwatch gain acceptance, it also ensured high demand for light-independent, luminous watches that could be used for precise operations of modern war. Since radium has a half-life of 1,622 years, this means a relatively eternal luminous effect that requires no "charging". The energy produced by the radioactive decay of radium bromide was stimulated by zinc sulphide, thus making the fluorescent substance glow permanently. Guido Panerai, an Italian pioneer in the field of optics and watches, was the first to patent a phosphor with the name "Radiomir" in 1914. In 1898, radium was discovered and it was already known that it had self-luminous characteristics. The development of luminous watches from radium to tritiumĪt the beginning of this evolution was the discovery of radioactivity by Marie and Pierre Curie and the observation that metal salts (purified uranium) have much lower radioactivity than uranium ore. ![]() We take a look at the exciting evolution that l uminous watches have undergone – from using poisonous radium to Super-LumiNova. ![]() Since the early twentieth century, the advantages and disadvantages of various chemical methods have shaped the way in which luminous materials can be applied to watches. But in the last century reality was different and we needed clocks that could show us the time even under difficult light or visibility conditions. We even speak of the heavy light pollution in our environment. By Info Watchmaster, 30 July 2021Darkness has become a relative expression.
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