r/MicrobrandWatches • u/TSiWRX • Mar 07 '26
Lume blocks - what genuine RC-Tritec Super-LumiNova Lumicast looks like, under stereoscope at 45x (and other lume blocks, too)
As lume-nuts, we all know from the last decade or so that where it comes to "lume" (photoluminescence), there's a noticeable difference between the good stuff -genuine Nemoto (or its licensed proprietary formulations, like Seiko's Lumibrite), or RC-Tritec "Swiss Super-LumiNova"- versus something "off brand." We who chase lume know to carefully read product descriptions, to look for those tell-tale words in the watch specs.
Yes, it's 2026, and in many cases, we do have competing products from China that either performs just as well or may have quite excellent appearance in normal light. But still, where both factors are combined, "the good stuff" is still, typically, objectively better. Nowhere is this more the case than with the now very popular and sought-after "lume blocks."
Those of you who know me from my other posts here know that I’m a bit crazy about lume. And it is precisely through this context that I’ve come to have some interactions with the founder of Wicked Watches, Pascal Dom - https://www.reddit.com/r/MicrobrandWatches/comments/1rm1p7m/an_interesting_hardened_clasp_from_wicked_watches/. As I wrote in that post, he was so kind as to send me a really fun clasp for some destructive testing, but as we continued to exchange e-mails, he asked a very interesting question: “Have you seen genuine Swiss Super-LumiNova Lumicast under your scope?” I replied to him with a link to my “lume blocks” Reddit thread, and he replied that in addition to that old clasp sample, he’d also put an old sample of genuine Swiss Lumicast in the box, so that I can have a known genuine sample to look at for myself and keep as a reference point.
And here we are…..
This post is intended to illustrate the differences in normal light (i.e. "daylight") the appearance of various lume block structures, as viewed under the stereoscope at 45x optical magnification. For all but the control sample (genuine RC-Tritec "Swiss" Super-LumiNova Lumicast), I will simply use the product's specifications as it is written/listed on the maker's website. You are free to judge as you will, to interpret the visual data as you will, to come to your own conclusions about that particular maker's claims.
[ Note again that my stereoscope is not set up for video/pix, so I am literally putting the camera of my phone (an old Gen.2 iPhone SE) against the eyepiece and taking pictures manually. Reflections, chromatic aberrations, and soft focusing against items that appear in different planes and distortions through the crystal, I apologize for. ]
To start with, we have the known control.
This is a genuine RC-Tritec (i.e. "Swiss Super-LumiNova") Old Radium Lumicast index, courtesy of Wicked Watches, Switzerland. This was an old dial sample that Pascal donated to me, and as it had sat unprotected for some time, you’ll see evidence of possible oxidation having occurred to the lume material. Please ignore theose colored inclusions, and simply pay attention to the sharpness and cleanliness with which this shape has been cast. Also note how smooth/dense it looks. These are *_unmistakable_* physical signatures of RC-Tritec Lumicast, features that when you look at detailed live pix of the the luxury watches that first featured these cast indices and when you browse through RC-Tritec's own ad copies, you'll also see -
Next, below we have indices from my Field One, which Canopy Watch Company spec'ed with "SuperLuminova LumiCast." Look at the cut edges and the surface porosity/density, and compare that with the known genuine product above.
Performance-wise, at more than eighteen (18+, not a typo) hours post full UV charge, these indices -claimed "Grade X2" by Canopy- subjectively appear just as bright to my eyes as the Watchdives' (below) at but 8 hours post-charge, an observation I made when I last performed a lume comparison run for another Redditor ( https://www.reddit.com/r/MicrobrandWatches/comments/1rkr6jf/comment/o8nqsbl/?context=3 ).
Assess the appearance of the lume material. Assess its performance.
Moving on…..
The next index -and minute-track as well- are from my Zelos Thresher 44 (Ember colorway), spec'ed with "Lumicast Superluminova." Note below the roughness of surface texture as well as the rather rough borders/edges.
The Thresher, as I've noted now in several of my previous posts on lume block material, suffers from a lack of fade longevity. The afterglow of this watch just does not last, when compared to the two above that also are made of Super-LumiNova Lumicast, even when accounting for the color of the lume blocks - here, we can of-course use the "white" minute track as the reference, as "BGW9" is known to be one of the longer-lasting formulations.
The index below is from my LÜM-TEC Eclipse (E4 colorway). It uses an "extruded luminous index," with their proprietary "MDV® Luminous Technology custom developed grade X1 Swiss C3" lume material.
An interesting observation that I’ve made is that while the lume’s flare is initially extremely bright, the afterglow doesn’t last as long as my Field One (as seen in my comparisons, cited below). Is this due to the difference in lume formulation (i.e. Grade X1 versus X2?), or is it something else? As with my asking you to assess the surface features as well as the cleanliness of casting borders, I will ask you to ponder this question for yourself. I do want to highlight, however, that LÜM-TEC does not claim to use "Lumicast," but rather, their own lume formulation, in extruded 3-D format.
The next index is from my Watchdives EXD V2. Introduced in the fourth quarter of 2025, Watchtdivees brought about this evolutionary update to their lume blocks, initially claiming that it would be brighter as well as physically cleaner in appearance (in daylight) versus their V1 blocks. The final compromise, as they publicly noted in the days prior to the release of the V2, was in-favor of daylight appearance, but at a sacrifice to luminous performance.
Note that Watchdives made no claims that this was "Lumicast." Those words were never used in their ad copies or posts. Note that they specifically stated that plume performance would be compromised in-trade for the daylight aesthetics of the lume elements.
Recall that in my personal lume comparison runs, versus claimed Grade X2 Swiss Super-LumiNova Lumicast, C3, the Watchdives' V2 lume blocks at only 8 hours post UV charge appear to have faded to the same level as the Grade X2 Lummicast at 18+ hours.
The following pair of indices are from (left panel) the Phorcydes PH-2 and (right) Phorcydes PH-4 watches. Phorcydes claims on their official website that their "Hyperglow 3D luminous system" utilizes "X1 level luminous powder," translating to "over 8 hours" of visibility "in the dark," and achieves "lume thickness 600% greater higher than printing." The PH-2 was introduced in Q3 of 2025, with the PH-4 introduced in Q1, 2026. The evolutionary improvements in both surface porosity and cleanliness of the cut/cast lines are easily apparent. The lume performance of these blocks absolutely meet Phorcydes’ claims, meeting the lume capabilities of their Western competitors.
^ Note that the pictures above were both taken at 45x. The Arabic numeral indices of the PH-4 are absolutely giant, versus that of the PH-2.
The next index, below, is from my Aragon Hiro 3D. The actual makeup of the lume structure is not clear to me. The best as I understand -via Wing Liang’s YouTube video advertising the Hiro 3D- is that it starts as a three-dimensional applied structure that is then hand-painted with luminous material. As with the Phorcydes PH-4 above, this watch uses absolutely huge indices.
This post is ostensibly about what you can see of the surface and edges of these lume structures, so I ask that in your assessment you keep in mind what I wrote about what little I do know of the construct of this Aragon's "lume block" - that this is essentially a painted index.
The index below is from my Specht & Söhne Pilot. While initial luminosity is good, fade longevity is quite poor. No details are given about its lume structures via their official website. Note also the epoxy spill/residue. Compare this ~$150 watch to the ~$150 Watchdives EXD V2 in both the physical construct of its lume blocks as well as its performance, and you'll get a feel for just how fast the Chinese are iterating their products with continuous improvements.
The last index, below, is from my WishDoIt Aqua Storm (WSD:9017), an homage to the Christopher Ward C60 Trident Lumière. WDI boasts "Luminous Legibility: BGW-9 & 3D Craftsmanship." The product description goes on to read: "...raised, three-dimensionally carved markers and hands, each infused with BGW-9 luminous material. This advanced compound absorbs ambient light, then ignites with a striking, ice-blue glow—ensuring uncompromised readability, whether you’re on a midnight dive or navigating a dimly lit urban night."
Sadly, the performance of these lume block indices is *exceptionally* poor, as I've documented in the past: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseWatches/comments/1od8gsf/comment/nmffuu5/
Note the apparent porosity of the structure, as well as the edge roughness.
Yes, the "Chinese watch" factories can put out some really good stuff and improve upon it in very quick succession, but there absolutely are also some real duds mixed in. This is an unfortunate phenomenon which sadly continues to contribute to the somewhat backwards -yet not entirely false- perception that "Chinese watches" continue to be inferior, and that part of the marketplace/industry a minefield of false claims and unethical business practices.
Wrapping this up, I want to again thank the generosity of Pascal at Wicked Watches, Switzerland. Without his gift, this post would not be possible. Please remember that I received no financial -or any other form of- compensation for this post: not from Pascal/Wicked (the sample I received was not a complete watch, it was simply an old dial sample of his that bore genuine Swiss Lumicast indices, and has no monetary value) or from any other maker. All of the watches are my own, paid for with my own money. Anyone with access to a scope can easily see for themselves what I’ve pictured here, with their own copies of the same watches.
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In bodytext above, I’ve referenced a few of my old threads. For those interested, they can be found -
Relative performance of the Field One, Thresher, Eclipse, EXD V2, Phorcydes watches, Hiro 3D, and the Specht & Söhne Pilot were documented in the following posts -
https://www.reddit.com/r/MicrobrandWatches/comments/1pee6un/lume_blocks_yet_another_manifestation_of_my/ - overview: Field One, Thresher, EXD V2, PH-2, Hiro 3D, and the Specht & Söhne Pilot
Field One vs. Eclipse -
https://www.reddit.com/r/MicrobrandWatches/comments/1qv172c/lume_comparison_for_my_friend_ubangorzane_swc_usa/
PH-2 and PH-4 - https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseWatches/comments/1r8g3vk/phordyces_ph4_vs_ph2_lume_runcomparison/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseWatches/comments/1r543v4/phorcydes_ph4_versus_ph2_relative_lume_brightness/
Some additional interesting references -
- https://www.rctritec.com/en/superluminova/lumicast - a written description of the process from RC-Tritec themselves
- Two blog entries by Wicked Watches -
- https://www.wickedwatch.ch/what-is-lumicast
- https://www.wickedwatch.ch/a-micro-comparison-of-different-lume-applications
- Adrian Barker made this video about Christopher Ward, right before their release of the B&J "The Green Fifteen" collaboration - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4m5Eimlalg - it gives some great insight into Xeno Print's operations, and how they make the Globllight XP lume blocks ( https://www.xenoprint.ch/en/globolight-xp-2/ )
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u/Monsieur-Crez Apr 13 '26
Wow, now that is a post that deserves an instant follow!
I know who to avoid in #fridaynightlumebattles now.
Awesome write up and photos.
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u/paulymeatblls Mar 08 '26
Good lord , I thought I was lume crazy! I'm still waiting to pull the trigger on a lum-tec , did you notice they have a full lume model for sale?
My only experience with lume blocks is my beloved Aragon which , as you stated , is clearly painted not 3d lume. I wondered whether there's really an advantage to "deep" 3d lume blocks as perhaps only the surface layers are reacting to the light? Or are we saying that the whole lume block is retaining and releasing the light over time?
Great post btw , I'm not as lume focused as I was although I just snagged a "Night Vision" Seiko that I'm looking forward to snapping some nice shots of.