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TAC-TEC
WHAT IS TRITIUM
USED IN WATCHES?
YOUR COMPLETE
BUYER’S GUIDE
UNDERSTANDING TRITIUM:
MISSION-CRITICAL
ILLUMINATION
When you’re selec琀椀ng equipment that
must perform in complete darkness, tri琀椀um
illumina琀椀on isn’t simply another feature,
it’s proven technology that’s kept military
professionals and serious operators on
mission for decades. If you’ve ever found
yourself unable to read cri琀椀cal 琀椀ming
informa琀椀on when visibility drops to zero,
you understand why this technology
ma琀琀ers for self-luminous watches.
Tri琀椀um represents a specialised form
of hydrogen that’s naturally radioac琀椀ve
in the most controlled way possible for
horological applica琀椀ons. These radioac琀椀ve
watches use tri琀椀um to create glow in the
dark watches that outperform tradi琀椀onal
luminous watches in every opera琀椀onal
scenario. Whilst ordinary hydrogen remains
the lightest element, tri琀椀um contains
addi琀椀onal nuclear par琀椀cles that create
instability, which becomes our advantage
for con琀椀nuous illumina琀椀on.
What we’ve found works best is when
these par琀椀cles hit special phosphorescent
material inside sealed glass tubes, crea琀椀ng
that dis琀椀nc琀椀ve glow you see on premium
琀椀mepieces without requiring external
power sources or charging protocols.
some measuring less than 0.3mm in
diameter, contain pressurised tri琀椀um gas
alongside carefully selected phosphorescent
compounds.
The manufacturing process demands
extraordinary precision tolerances. Glass
capillaries receive internal coa琀椀ngs of
speci昀椀c phosphor materials that determine
colour output characteris琀椀cs. Following
coa琀椀ng applica琀椀on, tubes undergo
controlled tri琀椀um gas pressurisa琀椀on
before laser sealing to exact dimensional
speci昀椀ca琀椀ons.
Here’s what makes this technology
genuinely useful: unlike tradi琀椀onal luminous
paint that needs daylight charging and fades
overnight, tri琀椀um tubes provide steady
illumina琀椀on regardless of what’s happening
around them. The brightness stays virtually
constant for years.
Each
produc琀椀on
tube
undergoes
comprehensive tes琀椀ng protocols covering
brightness speci昀椀ca琀椀ons, temperature
resistance ranges, and containment integrity.
The herme琀椀cally sealed construc琀椀on
eliminates performance degrada琀椀on from
moisture in昀椀ltra琀椀on, temperature cycling,
or mechanical shock that compromises
ALPHA HORIZON T100 TRITIUM ILLUMINATION
GTLS technology, Gaseous Tri琀椀um Light
Sources, represents sophis琀椀cated miniature
engineering applied to watchmaking
demands. These microscopic glass tubes,
TRITIUM RATING
CLASSIFICATIONS: T25 VS
T100
You need to understand these ra琀椀ngs when
choosing the right kit for your needs. T25
and T100 designa琀椀ons specify maximum
tri琀椀um content per 琀椀mepiece, measured in
millicuries, directly correla琀椀ng to brightness
output capabili琀椀es.
T25 watches contain up to 25 millicuries
of tri琀椀um, providing controlled illumina琀椀on
ideal for situa琀椀ons demanding discre琀椀on
alongside visibility. This brightness level
ensures clear 琀椀me reading under complete
darkness whilst maintaining tac琀椀cal
advantage through reduced signature.
Military 昀椀eld watches commonly employ
T25 ra琀椀ngs because they balance visibility
requirements with opera琀椀onal security.
T100 琀椀mepieces accommodate up to 100
millicuries, delivering maximum brightness
for applica琀椀ons where visibility takes priority
over discre琀椀on. These watches produce
signi昀椀cantly enhanced glow intensity,
immediately visible at greater distances,
making them suitable for emergency
response, professional diving, or safetycri琀椀cal applica琀椀ons requiring rapid 琀椀me
reading.
Swiss manufacturers have re昀椀ned this
nuclear engineering process to create watch
illumina琀椀on sources smaller than standard
components yet capable of providing
reliable visibility for decades under
opera琀椀onal condi琀椀ons. The technology
represents precision engineering mee琀椀ng
prac琀椀cal 昀椀eld requirements for professional
luminous watches.
GTLS TECHNOLOGY:
PRECISION ENGINEERING
STANDARDS
MX10 T25 TRITIUM ILLUMINATION
alterna琀椀ve illumina琀椀on systems. When
military procurement speci昀椀es tri琀椀um
watches, they’re selec琀椀ng technology
proven reliable under extreme opera琀椀onal
condi琀椀ons where tradi琀椀onal glow in the
dark watches would fail.
Opera琀椀onally, the dis琀椀nc琀椀on becomes
clear: T25 provides reliable 琀椀me reading
in darkness, whilst T100 o昀昀ers no琀椀ceably
brighter, more obvious illumina琀椀on standing
out under challenging condi琀椀ons. Both
ra琀椀ngs maintain brightness consistency
over years of service, though T100 watches
naturally exhibit superior luminosity
throughout opera琀椀onal life.
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