Dial Restoration: Aesthetics Or Functionality? And How To Decide

Dial restoration is a moot point in the broader horological context Not all dial restorations are created equal, and we do encounter varying degrees of "Upgrades." In recent times, the trend of re-luming dials and hands seems to be taking the world by storm Perhaps the most famous example of a re-lumed dial is the Rolex Pink Stelline.

That's not even the exciting part, though: that very same watch with the badly re-lumed dial sold again in 2019 at Christie's for 975,000 CHF Why the jump? The dial had, once again, undergone a restoration of its lume Dial restorations: not created equal, neither are re-lumes.

If one wants to make a dial or hands appear new, a Super-LumiNova compound is used, which is the current industry standard Various methods need to be employed to make a watch dial look aged as applying straight Super-LumiNova will make it look new. . Source