Radiance That Lasts
The Science of Tritium radioluminescence: self-powered lighting in watches using tritium (H3) in sealed borosilicate glass tubes coated with phosphor.
Here’s exactly how it works. Tritium glow is one of the coolest (and slightly radioactive) tricks in modern science, used in watches, gun sights, exit signs, and countless military and industrial applications. Unlike phosphorescent (“glow-in-the-dark”) materials that need to be “charged” with light, tritium tubes glow 24/7 for 10–20 years with no batteries, no external … Read more
Tritium tubes (also called GTLS – Gaseous Tritium Light Sources or “trigalight”) are the tiny self-luminous glass vials you see in high-end watches, gun sights, compasses, exit signs, and some keychains. They glow continuously for 10–20 years without batteries or charging because they contain tritium gas (³H) that undergoes beta decay. The question everyone asks … Read more
The Traser T1000 Concept is a groundbreaking prototype tritium watch unveiled in 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of mb-microtec (the Swiss company behind Traser’s Trigalight illumination tech). It’s not a production model available for purchase—purely a showcase of extreme self-illumination potential—but it pushes the boundaries far beyond what’s currently on the market, including the … Read more
There is a lot of confusion on this question The number one thing to understand is that there is no such thing as T100 tubes, or T25 tubes for that matter. The T rating applies to the grand total for the watch, not for individual tubes. It is possible to have a brighter single tube … Read more
Troubleshooting Tritium Lume: How to Fix It- This article explores why tritium lume stops working, whether watchmakers can service it, where to have it done, and the cost of restoring your timepiece’s nighttime brilliance. How long do tritium tubes last? When Tritium tube lume “stops working,” it’s not broken—it’s just aging. You may notice that … Read more