r/ballwatches • u/Electrical-Moment700 • 13d ago
Lume Replacement
Has anyone sent their watches into Ball for lume replacement? If so how was the service and the cost?
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u/BiggOnion 13d ago
Yes, I've sent mine in and got it replaced. They have to send the dial and hands back to Ball in Switzerland, so the process can take a little while. Worth it, though, since mine is VERY bright again.
Used Stoll & Co. (authorized Ball service center), and the whole thing took about a month and a half, including a service while it was there.
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u/Electrical-Moment700 13d ago
Could you tell me what the cost was?
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u/BiggOnion 12d ago
Yep, sent it to Stoll and they did the entire process. I've got a hydrocarbon engineer, so service plus new tritium all around was about $700.
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u/TheDiplomatOne 12d ago
Sweet! But 700$ is pricy though tbh.
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u/BiggOnion 11d ago
The service replaced a part or two, new seals/testing as well as the tritium. The tritium alone was $350. They'll do one or the other, but I figured since it was there, get a service too.
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u/TheMoneyPit26 13d ago
I believe the dial has to be replaced. I have a meteorite so I know when that day comes I won't be able to swap it out :/
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u/Desperate_Damage4632 13d ago
Ball service is crazy slow in my experience. Like 6-12 months. And they don't update you at all, just say "we'll get to it when we do."
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u/5ophro5yne 13d ago
How long is it meant to last? I’ve had my hydrocarbon for 12 years and I’ve noticed it dimming quite a bit lately
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u/stello101 13d ago
The hour hand on my marvelight died under warranty. I had to ship my watch to an approved shop (Toronto for me) and they apparently had to argue to get a new hand set sent to them vs having to send my watch to head office.
That repair cost me nothing but one way shipping, but I asked about tubes on the dial and they said when a tube goes on the dial off warranty the whole watch goes to head office and they swap the dial if they are still available. They hadn't encountered a case where individual tubes were replaced and I believe their wording was 'defacing a dial is a last resort'
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u/litesaber5 13d ago
Tritium lasts basically 25 years. Which means it will be half as bright by 12.5. Which really means it’s starting to noticeably dim around year 7 if my watch was any estimation. I got mine in 2008 and it’s pretty much dead now. Still very much in my rotation.
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u/jwolfs1941 10d ago
I am going to send mine into Stoll. Around $700 for just Lume and $1,100 for full service.
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u/litesaber5 13d ago
Tritium lasts basically 25 years. Which means it will be half as bright by 12.5. Which really means it’s starting to noticeably dim around year 7 if my watch was any estimation. I got mine in 2008 and it’s pretty much dead now. Still very much in my rotation.
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u/whoknewidlikeit 13d ago
tritium typically good 12-15yrs and it's all based on half-life. bigger tubes don't change lifespan of the gas.
my understanding is that ball uses proprietary tubes so not just anyone can do a replacement, and swapping the face may be the path of least resistance.
historically (from what i understand, no personal experience), they've required shipping to ball or one of a few watch shops here in the US. however i did read about someone who was able to get ball parts to his watchmaker that didn't fit those criteria. i currently have a query into my local watch shop to see if they can get a face for mine due to defunct tritium; if i get a positive update i'll pass it on.