Does the 1957 Bulova Royal Clipper (with the two-tone hour glass dial) have radium on the arms and on the dial near the numbers? It is my understanding that radium was used on watches up until the late 1960s, and then something called tritium was then used. Thank you for your response.
Radium was used well into the 70's, the last usage being around 1978. This however, was mainly for clock dials. Watches started to use other glow mediums in the early sixties, but Radium still turns up on many examples. The half life of Radium is 1600 years, so the Radium that was used on any watch is still almost 100% potent. The Zinc Sulfide in the paint would flouresce under the particle bombardment, and once the Sulfide was spent, the glow would no longer be visible.
Removal of the Radium paint results in contaminated tools, bench tops, and sinks. I have been part of quite a few Radium forums and there have been persons involved that used Geiger counters to detect and measure the extent of contamination. Even with the Radium removed, the dial is still radioactive. The movement and case tended to block emissions to the rear and therefore into the wrists of the wearers.
Ingestion is the main source of Radium poisoning, so as long as particles of paint are not inhaled or swallowed, chances are that the Radium won't cause any real harm.
My Grandfather was also a watchmaker, and during WWII he got serious Radium poisoning from repairing aircraft dials. The body identifies Radium as Calcium, and absorbs and stores it in the bones. The pain in later years from Radium sickness is awful.
The only way to positively ID Radium on your watch would be with a Geiger counter. I'd say it's likely to be a Radium dial.