Swiss SuperLuminova Episode 4- REVEALED How Daytime Color Impacts SuperLuminova Luminosity

Daytime Color Impacts SuperLuminova Luminosity

This is the fourth episode of our Swiss SuperLuminova series and luminosity. Albert Zeller, the CEO of Luminova A.G., and I are going into the details of how Superlumiova works and how it should be applied to watches for the best results.

Just in case you have missed any of the previous episodes, you can catch up on episode one that introduced us to SuperLuminova, what it really is and how dangerous it is or is not.  Episode two is all about emission colors and daylight colors, and the amazing research keeps Superluminova at the forefront of their industry.

SuperLuminova dials displaying luminous effect in the dark
Multiple watch faces displaying their luminous performance in the dark.

Episode 3 goes into the fundamentals and looks at how the electrons move up and down in energy as they absorb and then release each photon of light.  Do not worry, we keep it simple, so hopefully, everyone can understand how it works. 

My name is Stephen Mansfield, one of the co-founders of SNGLRTY, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to discuss this amazing luminous material with Albert Zeller. 

SuperLumiova Daylight Colors 

Steve:
Eight Emission Colors Of Swiss SuperLuminova
Eight Emission Colors Of Swiss SuperLuminova

Albert, as we covered in our second episode, you have eight different emission colors. That is the color of the light that we see when the Luminova produces its luminescence. However, we see so many different colors on so many watches that they are available. How many different daylight colors does Swiss SuperLuminova produce?   

Albert:

As you might know, we offer a coloring service to our Swiss SuperLuminova pigments according to your needs. This means that any interested customer can come and say that I have a nice watch, and there is a certain color on the bracelet, for example, and I would love to have the same color on my hands. We can do this. We currently have about 3000 different colors available.

Steve:

How long does it take to create a new color of SuperLuminova?

Albert:

If your color does not exist, we can develop it within 10 days. In these 10 days, we develop the pigment. We also do testing that the daytime color does not fade. It would be terrible if you buy an expensive watch, and the color of the luminova changes over time. Therefore, we test it all very carefully, and this takes most of the time.  It takes at least 10 days to produce a new color.

SuperLuminova Daylight Color & Luminosity

Steve:

So you are putting a colorant into the Luminova. Does that have an impact on the performance of luminosity?

Albert:

If you have a non-colored Swiss SuperLuminova pigment, that is the most efficient one. If you add some colorant to change its daytime color, then the addition of these color pigments will reduce the luminous performance of the final Luminova. One reason for this is that the colorant’s concentration in the final Luminova will dilute the light batteries’ concentration in the Luminova and reduce its performance. Another reason for this is that when charging the Luminova from a UV source, the colorant will also absorb UV light. This means that the incident UV light will not be as efficient charging the luminous pigment, again decreasing its efficiency.

What Reduces the Luminosity?

Steve:

Which colors have the greatest impact on the performance of the SuperLuminova?

Albert:
SNGLRTY OHI2 hour ring with SuperLuminova dark blue applied to the hour index.
SNGLRTY OHI2 hour ring with SuperLuminova dark blue applied to the hour index.

The colors that impact luminous performance the most are red and black. These colors are a combination of many of the primary colors and are therefore very efficient in absorbing UV light. This is not very favorable for the luminous performance of the SuperLuminova pigments. The colorants will absorb the UV light during the pigment’s charging, plus it will dilute the number of light batteries available for a given volume.  Finally, the light emitted can be absorbed by the colorant again before it reaches your eyes. Each of these effects reduces the luminous performance of the Luminova.

This very white-colored SuperLuminova does not perform particularly well. It has about 31% of the performance of the uncolored c3 Luminova. If you can tolerate a little off-white or increase the luminous pigment quality itself, the luminous performance can almost triple.

We use specially developed colorants that are highly UV transparent, but there are fundamental physical boundaries that we cannot overcome. Therefore a black colored Swiss SuperLuminova pigment will never have the same performance as the uncolored pigment. We see the same impact with white Swiss SuperLuminova.  The highest quality C3 Luminova has a white, yellowish body color. To transform this into a pure white, a large amount of colorant needs to be added. This creates the classic C1 white.

A chart showing the relative luminous performance depending on the daylight color of the luninova
The addition of any colorant to the SuperLuminova will impact the luminous performance of the final Luminova.

SuperLuminova Authenticity Encoded

Steve:

Is there anything else we should know about Swiss SuperLuminova?

Albert:

We have encoded our SuperLuminova pigments, too. It is like a bank or some money, for example. Without destroying a luminous deposit or a component, we can check whether Swiss SuperLuminova has been used or whether a counterfeit material has been used, or whether a mixture has been used or different layers of different materials. All of this can be checked.

Thank you very much for joining us on our fourth episode of the Swiss SuperLuminova series.  It’s great to have you guys join us.

Next Time

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We look forward to seeing you the next time on Episode 5 looking at all the ways to apply Swiss Super-LumiNova.

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Swiss Made

SNGLRTY was only possible because of all the watch innovators that went before us and the accumulation of their skills and knowledge in Switzerland. We celebrate their achievements by being proud that each of our watches is “Made In Switzerland” so you can be confident that it is engineered and assembled with longevity in mind.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee

We are so confident that you will enjoy Seeing Time Differently every single watch comes with our Money Back Guarantee so you can buy with confidence. If you have any concerns after your purchase, just let us know within 30 days of delivery and we will refund your money. After all, Daniel and Steve want everyone to enjoy wearing SNGLRTY on their wrist.

Free International Shipping

UPS will whisk your beautiful new SNGLRTY watch from Bern, Switzerland to your front door – and you will be able to track it every step of the way and reduce your waiting to the minimum.

2 Year International Warranty

Where ever you are, if there is a problem with your watch (and we seriously doubt there will be), we will make sure it is put right so you can buy your SNGLRTY watch without any worries, wherever you live.

Hour Numerals Color

I like to think the color of the hour numerals creates the personality of your SNGLRTY watch. We have the basics, black and white, but if you would like to have your watch glow in the dark we offer a range of colors in Swiss Super-LumiNova. We always use Grade X1 for the best luminous effect but the daytime colors do impact the ultimate performance of the Super-LumiNova. If you want the brightest possible luminous effect choose Swiss Super-Luminova White, and if you want more please contact us.

Color Of The Hour Ring

The hour ring is the largest surface area on the SNGLRTY watch face so sets the tone for the rest of your design.

Date Display

Each of our watches can be configured with a date display, or without. Due to the mechanics this is the first decision you need to make in your journey to create your SNGLRTY watch.

Comparison Ohi2 vs. Ohi4

The OHI movements, or One Hand Indication, are unique to SNGLRTY. During the development phase of the watches Daniel and Steve used this moniker before naming it SNGLRTY. There are two distinctive movements to choose from, OHI-2 and OHI-4.

The OHI-4 movement is built on the Decorated and Fully Adjusted SW-300 tractor movement from Sellita. On top of the tractor movement the SNGLRTY complication plate is assembled and incorporates the “reverse minute gearbox” that is available exclusively from SNGLRTY. Depending on your selection, the complication plate will also relocate the date wheel from the top of the tractor movement to the top of the complication plate. Relocating it in this manner increases the size of the date disc and moves it closer to the top of the watch face improving its readability considerably.
The OHI-2 movement is the same as the OHI-4 movement except that it is built on a standard execution Sellita SW-200 movement.

Finally, depending on the movement you select the watch case will have a different profile as the OHI-4 movement is thinner than the OHI-2 movement. The key differences are that the case for the OHI-4 movement has a double domed crystal and a flat caseback. The OHI-2 case has a flat crystal and a curved caseback. All the details are in the product page.