fatboyharris
42
The question is why mark the dials at all back in the 60's
Mar 04, 2015,15:45 PM
It wasn't until the revised International Standard for luminous dial materials released in 1975 was there any International requirement for all dials to be marked with the luminous material used. Prior to that from the 1967 International standard, only dials with amounts in excess of the relevant luminous material standard eg greater than T 25 (known as special watches) to be marked with T, Pm or R accordingly to which luminous material used. From what I can gather any items which were deemed exempt for US distribution licencing were also outside of the US radiation material identification markings requirements.
I've yet to tie down why 60's dials were marked with a T if they were not special watches. I strongly suspect that it may have been an identification marking to allow accurate control, monitoring, sample testing and segregation of stock for AEC control purposes. But we also have some of the US State Health Boards (HB) introducing from 1958 onwards, for NYHB effective from 1959 a new lower standard for Radium dials ( embedded in 1967 International standard ) and for the first time requirements over the handling and storage of radium dialed watches and the introduction of site visits and the amount of radium contained on dials and hands being tested by the HB.
So we effectively have 2 separately constituted US bodies ie the state Health Boards and the AEC establishing controls and monitoring over watches which contained Tritium ie the AEC and Radium the HB. This duplication of seqregation and control was resolved for some of the US States from the early 1960's onwards when some US States like New York adopted some of the primary roles of the AEC ( with the exception of licencing) and undertook the work of the AEC. Hence why I could not find any AEC audits of Rolex USA after 1967 as the work was by then assumed under and performed by the NY Health Board.
Bear in mind that for tritium dials once they have been sold and distributed by the manufacturer they are no longer of interest to the AEC hence exempt distribution however that may not have been the case as I understand it for Radium dialed watches under HB control until much later from the 70's onwards when following the initial sale of a watch the subsequent holding and distribution of radium watches was exempt subject to each states' Health Boards regulatory position.
Without testing the dials we will never know for certain.....................we certainly know from the 1965 AEC initial audit that tritium dials and hands were included in the April to June 1965 test samples reviewed. So we have at least one 'public record date ' that at least by April 1965 Tritium dials were introduced in the USA............whether that was the only material used at that time only tests will tell.
All the best
regards
John
This message has been edited by fatboyharris on 2015-03-04 15:56:07