I have always preferred lumed watch hands to dressy one that weren’t lumed. However, I’m not watch lume obsessed. Hand shape, provided that lume is present, is more important to me than the lume itself. When both great looking hands and intense lume coincide, that’s gravy.
I recently discovered something about lume at the movies, which I think is the most difficult test for watch legibility. In an environment of a bright screen (that keeps ones pupils constricted — limiting low light vision/direct lume observation), but minimal light at one’s seat, It can be difficult to read a watch. I thought my Milsub mod, featured on the Perosnal Mods page, would be great with its high contrast dial/hand combo. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a read on the time at all.
Watch hands with chrome (e.g. a SKX007, Orient Ray I/II/III, etc.) are visible in low light environments. When you catch the angle just right the chrome is more reflective that the watch crystal itself. This was not the case with the matte white MoD hands, and matte dial, on my Milsub mod. The reflection from the crystal obscured the watch face completely. I realize this may be just be a flat crystal issue (haven’t worn my domed crystal watch in a long while), but that Invicta has one of the clearest crystals I own — at least in regular conditions. In low light conditions, I now realize there is a benefit to chromed watch hands vs. matte painted hands (white, black, orange, etc.), even when they have great lumed.
While this makes sense to me based on reading watches in low-lit conference rooms, I am a bit disappointed. Its not that my Milsub is problematic (I can get chromed MoD hands), its that I was planning on getting to a Sinn-style or IWC-style mod, with matte white or matte black rimmed hands, at some point. I may do “inspired by” versions, using chromed hands, to ensure the utmost versatility.
For any “utility” watch, like a field watch or dive watch, I definitely think chromed hands (with at least decent lume) are they way to go for OEM and mods.