When Did Watches Stop Using Radium?

Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. By the 1970s, radium was no longer used on watch and clock dials.

What replaced radium in watches?

Tritium, introduced in the early 1960s, had replaced radium (Radium-226) in watches largely by the end of the 1960s, and although still radioactive and potentially hazardous, the beta particles are not able to escape through the watch glass or skin (but it is a health threat if ingested).

Can you still buy radium watches?

But many of the so-called radium watches are still around today, considered antiques and even prized as collectibles. The watches are likely to emit as much radiation today as they did when they were first manufactured, but experts say that in reality, the risk to wearers is probably low.