![]() A photon is the quantum of an electromagnetic field, such as electromagnetic radiation from light and radio waves. The latter is the ability of a material to emit light after being exposed to an external source of light, due to the absorption of photons from the external source. When your watch hands glow in the dark, what you’re seeing is phosphorescence, which is a kind of photoluminescence. But what causes any substance in a watch to glow at all? For those who might not know or recall the physics of it, let’s just briefly go back to the basics. Or perhaps it was used too much, considering the harmful nature of the substances used for luminescence back in the day. Today, it’s possible to have a smattering of glowing parts in a watch, aside from the main markers and hands, but until a few decades ago, luminosity was a feature used quite judiciously. ![]() In the Autobahn, the speedometer motif on the dial is what shines bright, immediately elevating the automobile dashboard inspiration of the design with the luminosity. ![]() The former features a globe and a sky chart with constellations, which unexpectedly light up when held under a UV light, or in the dark, even though the lume in the hands is pretty obvious. From releases in recent years, the Girard-Perregaux Bridges Cosmos and the Nomos Autobahn come to mind. If there’s a special part of the display or an indication that features lume without it being apparent, it always comes as a wonderful little surprise when they shine their little UV light on it to showcase the glowing parts. You can instantly tell which parts of a watch will glow in the dark, owing to the apparent coating of Super-LumiNova or some other luminous material-or ‘lume’-generally on the indexes and hands. In all these years of wearing watches and seeing novelties at the watch fairs and manufactories, one aspect of the timepieces that always fascinates me-like I’m seeing it for the first time, every time-is the glow of the display. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |