100 radioactive watches radon gas test result ~ Radium watch test: This Was Unexpected!!

Рет қаралды 8,625

Күн бұрын

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Ever since the Pandemic started, I have received this question a lot. So what is my take on watches with radium dials and hands? I'm unsure if it is because people suddenly have more time to watch videos during the lockdown and have learned that some vintage watches carry radium material, and now they are freaking out. So I thought, maybe instead of replying an essay to this question all the time, I should make a video about it, and you can decide from there. I am no nuclear scientist, but I have conducted this test to see how dangerous these radioactive can be.
--- Contents of this video ---------------
00:00 - intro
01:16 - Radium girls
03:09 - Why I need to understand radium
03:44 - Radium to Tritium
04:14 - Inhale & Consume radium
04:30 - Radon gas
04:48 - Radium substances vs Radon Gas
05:24 - Lung Cancer
06:07 - The radon test on 100 radioactive watches
06:44 - Owning radium watches dangerous?
07:05 - My recommendation
07:58 - Retired watchmakers' health
08:12 - Let's be honest
08:46 - In conclusion
Hope you'll enjoy this video as I will continue to produce more of this kind of video.
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#100 #radiumgirls #radioactive

Пікірлер: 77

@typebflieger Жыл бұрын

Thank you for producing this. There aren’t enough videos on this admittedly difficult topic. Some people are outright dismissive of the risks Radium poses, using anecdotes to support their views. I think it is smarter to start from the POV of caution and let research guide you towards how far you are willing to relax your attitude towards Radium. I do appreciate videos like yours that use both scientific and anecdotal evidence to draw conclusions. Personally, I will under no circumstances, open a Radium watch, but I can be convinced to own and wear one occasionally.

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

You're very welcome. Content creators can sometimes cause many issues with their videos, especially for an account with a large audience. So providing truthful information is crucial. This is why whatever I try to prove or educate my viewers; I have my sources and experience to back up my oration.

@jeebusyaweirdo3733 4 ай бұрын

I deal with radioactive isotopes quite a bit and it is quite scary how unaware most people are about radium clocks, even some clock repair professionals.

@AaronS11979 3 ай бұрын

Or someone like me, who has always loved watches but recently started tinkering with some old watches to get them running again. Luckily it only took me a few days to discover that one that had "ra SWISS MADE ra" on the dial and what that meant. Still, I wish I could have known about it two days ago before I started opening up these things. Hopefully I didn't just give myself cancer down the road 😭

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

Absolutely! I would be very cautious handling a vintage clock with radium. The amount used is massive.

@muthukumaransubramani7254 Жыл бұрын

Once again thanks for spending time for making such a useful videos. I really appreciate your effort.

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

You’re welcome. It’s about time I release this video

@jeffdj1975 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for directing me to this video!!!! Very helpful! Love your content.

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

Anytime! :)

@ruperthartop7202 Жыл бұрын

Great, very interesting. Thanks for sharing

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

@timmcdonald5335 Жыл бұрын

Very informative. Thankyou.

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the comment.

@c0ba1t 2 ай бұрын

I don't know about watches, but I have a vintage compass with radium that gives me 500,000 CPM on my dosimeter (not a typo, half a million counts per minute. I also have a vintage radium alarm clock that gives over 20,000 CPM. I can be 8 feet away from the compass and it delivers up to 600 CPM. Radium is no joke, I wouldn't wear one on my wrist or in my pocket. My scintillation detector is more sensitive than a geiger counter.

@mbrum3230 Жыл бұрын

great video as always OE. Are "burnt" hands (also called ghost hands?) on the dial a sign of radium?

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Burnt hands on dial is radium burnt from sitting in the same position for too long, and usually next to the window. Ghost dial is a faded dial.

@larryfromwisconsin9970 Жыл бұрын

Very informative. I heard, but cannot recall the source, that many vintage watches were destroyed during the 1970s because they believed then that Radium watches were unsafe and there was no remedy.

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Well, thank goodness they left some for us to own and collect. But I believe you're referring to the military pieces where they were stockpiled, so the military decided to remove all the radium from the dials and hands and repaint with tritium.

@gagemoore4781 2 ай бұрын

Bought a 100 usd Geiger counter specifically the GQ GMC 800 recently and I just checked Amazon and it detects the same types of radiation the one you used in the video does which would be beta gamma and X ray and NOT APLHA and measured my antique clocks and watches for several minutes each and got little to no readings at all on top of my research I’ve done online I feel very safe now knowing I more than likely was not exposed at all THANK YOU FOR THE CALMING INFORMATION

@RurouniHeero 10 ай бұрын

The main issue with radium is the fact that it lashes to the bones when ingested as its molecular structure is too close to calcium, and the body thinks it is, absorbing it and fusing it to the bones, thus creating a long term exposure and bone cancers. Also, radon gas is not very radioactive, and by itself is not very dangerous as it decays after around 3.78 days. The problem is the daughter particles from the radon decay, if radon gas decays inside the lungs the daughter particles (polonium, bismuth, lead) will be left there directly in contact with lung cells, thus creating a very high risk of lung cancers.

@juslitor 4 ай бұрын

Dont need to inhale radon gas to get them daughter products into your lungs, just breathing air in the same area with decaying radon gas guarantees you will inhale airborne daughter products.

@TheXone7 5 ай бұрын

I agree...not a health risk. Finally someone! Thanks!

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

Everywhere is health risky nowadays. So why should one be only concerned about wearing a watch on the risk?

@brunonjezic6208 Жыл бұрын

Great video. I just got my first radium dial Dugena from early 60s or late 50s i guess and i wasn't shure what to think of it from all online sources. My watchmaker had same anwser like you and she mentioned she is close to 70 and worked with timepieces from 16 and that she is in good health. So I should be shurely fine from one time pice in my collection. Thanks for a great video

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the comment. That's correct. Honestly, just don't open up the watch yourself and start inhaling the radium and you'll be fine. Don't forget that these Radium girls consume a lot of radium into their bodies to a point where they actually glow in the dark. That is very dangerous. And everyone should know that taking anything too much or over the limit will do no good. Even water can give you water poison if you drink too much a day.

@moisesdiaz9438 Жыл бұрын

Super informative video as always! 👍 One question, did an original Cosmic CK2471 black dial have radium hour markers (non-numeral)?

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Some 2471 do come with luminous markers, but the hands must also have luminous on them. I cannot say whether your example is original or not until I can see a photo of it.

@moisesdiaz9438 Жыл бұрын

@@TimelessHistoryChannel Sure! It was picked up from an Omega AD after a restoration and they confirmed that the Swiss Made lettering is without a ‘T’ at either end of the name and the dial was not re-lumed after the restoration as I believe they would have added super-luminova coating if the watch came with lume in the first place (factory lume)

@moisesdiaz9438 Жыл бұрын

I just learned Radium and 'T' for Tritium might not be the same thing (clearly..) so not sure I got the right information for the watch which dates back to 1950s :/

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

@@moisesdiaz9438 As explained in the video. If your watch is 1962 or earlier, the luminous applied on the dial and hands are Radium. After 1962, Tritium was used and slowly you will see dial with T Swiss Made T on the dial to indicate the luminous are Tritium. Super-Luminova is something you see on today's watches and L is the abbreviation. 99% of the time, the dial on a moonphase triple calendar will be a redial. You can learn about it here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bNl5ht2UxNzMpZs.html

@daveyoder9231 Жыл бұрын

Another good one! Nice treatment of a controversial topic.

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Thank you! It feels great that I have finally uploaded this video.

@catfission Жыл бұрын

Me with 400pCi of radon in my mineral cabinet 😅

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Maybe good to install some ventilation. That’s a pretty high reading. 😅

@AaronS11979 3 ай бұрын

When dealing with a watch that only has radium hands, it may be good practice to safely remove the radium paint (safely dunking and scrubbing it off in isopropyl) and then replace the lume with a more modern equivalent. In that however, I wonder how much of the watch is still irradiated from being exposed for 60+ years? But at least then the majority of the actual radium is gone and disposed of. That said, I've always loved watches but recently got an interest in vintage stuff. Being the mechanical type I bought a small bag of old watches and started tinkering. Fast forward after a few days of opening cases and tinkering (and even getting a few running) and I was researching a watch in that pile which had "ra SWISS MADE ra" on the dial. Needless to say, after discovering what that means, I'm now terrified of what I may have been exposed to. Geiger counter like yours is in the mail and I'm praying for low numbers at least when it arrives. 🙏😩

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

My suggestion is if you’re going to remove the radium off the dial and hands of a watch. Best not to buy it in the first place. It would be a shame to do that to a good watch. :(

@AaronS11979 3 ай бұрын

@@TimelessHistoryChannelNot the dial. That would be very difficult. And likely ruin the piece. But if it's just the hands, you can easily re-lume using coffee or other dyes to replicate the original age/color. Then you have a nearly radium free watch that looks vintage just the same. It poses no danger to you or anyone else in the future cracking it open for service. Personally I don't think being radioactive makes any watch more valuable. Otherwise I have a dial that spikes to almost 10.0uSv/h that I would love to sell. It's currently in my garage in a small lead lined box. LOL.

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

@@AaronS11979 Even the hands, do not relume them unless they already come with missing luminous. People have tried, relume is just not the same. And when you shine them with a blue light, coffee or other dyes will not glows. It will affect the collectible value of the watch. Not to the mention that many collectors will not accept to purchase such a watch as well.

@mtbbiker6401 4 ай бұрын

Does radium lume glow all the time like a tritium tube or only when charged by sunlight like modern luminova lume?

@juslitor 4 ай бұрын

It glowed all the time when new, just like tritium.

@johnbooth737 Ай бұрын

Often, it does not glow at all if old. Only way to detect is with a geiger counter.

@mtbkmaniac1 Жыл бұрын

Does the radium still have luminescence?

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Only when you flash it with one of those blue light flashlight.

@garyboyle695 Жыл бұрын

The girls didn't know but the companies did but put profit before the lives of the women.

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Which is very sad indeed.

@danburbach498 5 ай бұрын

What is the model and year of production of the first watch shown in this video?

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

Two models between 1943-1946 came with this dial. They are CK 2383 and CK 2400. 2400 is a Swedish Suveran model and 2383 is the international version. Same case design except that 2400 has Suveran inscription on the back and 2383 has a blank back.

@danburbach498 3 ай бұрын

What is your email address? I am interested in the black dial Seamaster 600 featured on the home page of your website. I just tried calling, got no answer so I left a detailed message. Thanks!

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

@@danburbach498 Hi, website email is info@Omegaenthusiast.com The Seamaster 600 featured on the homepage is not available. All available pieces will have a price on the shop section. Due to the mass amount of special request for watches, I no longer provide this service either.

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

@@danburbach498 To learn more about vintage Seamaster 600, you can always watch this episode: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/sMqEfcKF1MjMdqs.html

@issacasimov Жыл бұрын

i own several radium dial rolex, I do feel wrist sore while wearing the radium watch.

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the input; not going to disagree with you on that, but from what I know is that radon is not strong enough to penetrate through the metal case back of a watch.

@issacasimov Жыл бұрын

@@TimelessHistoryChannel Alpha and Beta no, Gamma Ray does

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

@@issacasimov If your wrist is hurting from wearing one. You could store it away or sell it and get a Rolex from a later year. Sorry to hear that. 😞

@zillsburyy1 Жыл бұрын

do some still use old radium? bob lazar's store UNITED NUCLEAR sells stuff like this as well as radioactive materials

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Yes, some repair shop still use old radium to relume. I’ve made a post on my IG account in the past to show the difference between original radium applied luminous paste vs newly applied radium luminous paste. You can see their difference.

@markhart6743 3 ай бұрын

Wi-Fi microwaves are not ionising radiation & cause little to no harm when compared to radiation/ionising radiation

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

And the same goes to 100 radioactive watches.

@GranBuroo Жыл бұрын

It is commonly reported that the transition from Radium to Tritium occured in the early 1960s, including Omega. But when did they first start with Tritium? When was the first Omega watch produced with Tritium luminous paint? If an Omega from 1954 has tritium lume, is it a Frankenwatch?

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

Just mean the dial has been refinished.

@ErikDaGreat 4 ай бұрын

Why is the thing not peeled

@TimelessHistoryChannel 3 ай бұрын

I’ll make sure to peel it off for you. 😉

@nathanwabre Жыл бұрын

Thanks for talking about radium. I was indeed of the viewers reaching out to you about my concerns when opening radium watches. Some of your tests are interesting, in particular the longer one with the service dial/watches. However I have to disagree with the « safety » aspect of owning any radium watch. It really depends from timepiece to timepiece. You can have a very well maintained vintage watch that actually leaks radon gaz and some radium decay! I may be dangerous. Or, the concern to me is to accidentally « crashing » the watch on a door jam, a wall and whatever else, in such a situation in which to crystal could fall off or break the radium decay and radon gazes released could be very concerning. People, please be conscious and meticulous about these vintage radium-containing watches. If well cared for and properly handled this can be all fine. But there are conditions for that to happen, it’s important not to forget about that.

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

My friend. It is absolutely fine to be concerned or cautious about owning a radioactive watch. This video's purpose is to educate people about the danger of radium and what it can cause. But one also has to understand that it takes a ton of radium to release a potent amount of radon gas. As mentioned, if one is afraid to wear a radioactive watch, one should also be alert of having the wifi in the house. That said, it is almost impossible for radon dust to just find its way out of the watch unless you own a broken watch. AND, even if you accidentally cracked the crystal, the minimum amount of radium falling off can be easily cleaned away. Some remaining dust you may miss will not cause any harm either, as the amount is minimal. Get yourself a radon gas detector; you might be in for a surprise to find out that your basement has radon gas as well. Also, you do not need to jump for cover or put on a gas mask the moment a watch crystal is fallen off. I think you are being way too vulnerable and sensitive about this topic. But, we live in a free world, so you can follow what you believe and what makes you happy. :-)

@nathanwabre Жыл бұрын

@@TimelessHistoryChannel my wifi doesn’t have a radioactive half-life of 1600 years my friend ;) It’s ok not to agree on that subject but please stop comparing radium watches to WiFi there’s nothing in common between the two things

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

@@nathanwabre well, I mean, you are comparing a tiny amount of radium to as if it was a bomb that will blow up and take your life the moment the crystal is cracked. In life, there are many things to be cautious about. But know their logic and theory, and you might better understand before spreading the wrong information to everyone else. Not saying that you are doing so, but some people have been doing that. This is why I made this video. If you are offended by my previous respond, please accept my apologize. Have a wonderful weekend.

@jamesgreig8796 10 ай бұрын

Timeless History. I totally agree with your view and comments. One has to be sensible about these issues. If you consider things on a forensic level, then we are potentially damaging our health on a daily basis by purely existing. Polution from Wi Fi, ambient levels of lead, mercury, microfibres, pesticides, herbacides etc. Considering these risks, wearing a radium watch in good condition, surely ranks very low on the health risk table. @@TimelessHistoryChannel

@The_Touring_Jedi 2 ай бұрын

I wonder if somebody ever tested those cheap Chineese homage watches? Not a single video about what they use in their watches.

@flexzhang2573 Жыл бұрын

Wifi has no ionizing radiation！

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Yes, you are right, so if you can see the result from my test, a single radioactive watch is not going to harm you either.

@francozuno5174 Жыл бұрын

These watches are safe just wear gloves and a good mask to avoid spreading dust and the watch will not put you in danger as it is sealed and because the radiation is very low. And an x ray or any other medical radiation dose would be hundreds of times more.

@TimelessHistoryChannel Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the comment. I would say Mask and gloves on is optional. But I haven’t been to a watch repair shop and see a watchmaker with mask or gloves on working on watches before. Many of these retired watchmakers would laugh at me if I suggest them to wear a mask when working on a watch.