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Replacing Tritium Tubes on a Luminox Atacama?

11K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Stelyos 
#1 ·
I just picked up a second-hand Luminox Atacama (Series 1880) at a local pawn shop, and everything works great, but the Tritium is just a shade dim.

I contacted Saltzman's who said it would be at least $237 for an overhaul (it doesn't need an overhaul, just new tubes)... Which is about double what I paid for the watch...

Can you get Tritium replaced at a third party local repair shop? I mean, for what I paid for the watch, it's essentially a beater.
 
#2 ·
My only thought would be to pick up a cheap Luminox - or even one of those Chinese specials like a Carnival or something - and transplant the tubes. You could try it yourself or maybe find watchmaker that would do it for you. You would just need to make sure the donor watch has the same number of tubes. I'm not sure how Luminox affixes the tubes, but I know those Chinese Carnivals and stuff use double-sided tape.

And if you swapped the tubes, you could resell the new watch w/old tubes to get a little money back or just keep it for another beater.
 
#4 ·
Yeah - Saltzman's is the US service center... I was just hoping to do it cheaper... Especially since I just got both the Luminox and a Hamilton Khaki Scuba (which is still on it's way to me)...

The wife won't be pleased if I over indulge this month...
 
#5 ·
I don't know anything about commercial costs of tritium tubes, but if it is remotely as much of a hassle as it is for a lab to get tritium for our assays, then the $237 is a steal. Tritium production is limited each year (if I remember right the US hasn't even produced 500 kilos since WWII in total), and the costs and regulations of using it, shipping it, handling it, etc more than make that cost cheap, even if you are getting a minuscule amount of tritium. It is only produced in reactors after all.
 
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