Lume is a short term for the luminous phosphorescent glowing solution applied on watch dials. There are some people who "relume" watches, or replace faded lume. Formerly lume consisted mostly of radium; however, radium is radioactive and has been mostly replaced on new watches by less bright, but less toxic compounds.
Common pigments used in lume include the phosphorescent pigments zinc sulfide and strontium aluminate. Use of zinc sulfide for safety related products dates back to the 1930s. However, the development of strontium oxide aluminate, with a luminance approximately 10 times greater than zinc sulfide, has relegated most zinc sulfide based products to the novelty category. Strontium oxide aluminate based pigments are now used in exit signs, pathway marking, and other safety related signage.
Strontium aluminate based afterglow pigments are marketed under brandnames like Super-LumiNova, w@tchlume, NoctiLumina, and Glow in the Dark (Phosphorescent) Technologies.