Ever noticed a lot of watch brands suddenly touting "BGW-9 Grade X1" lume? We did too, and it got us curious. So, being the nosy (and quality-obsessed) folks we are at Wicked Watch, we decided to dig a little deeper.

Our first stop? Some suppliers in China's Guangdong province, the main hub for watch production in the world. To our surprise, a few of them claimed they could indeed produce this elusive "X1 grade" BGW-9. Interesting, right?

Armed with this intel, we went straight to the source: RC Tritec AG, the Swiss manufacturer of Super-LumiNova. Their response was enlightening, to say the least: Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW-9 Grade X1 is not available and cannot be produced. Only Standard and Grade A versions exist for this specific pigment.

The Unfortunate Reality of Lume Claims

This kind of deception from some suppliers in China is, unfortunately, all too common. They'll sell you lume pigments under false pretenses, claiming they're Swiss Super-LumiNova, or grades that simply don't exist, or even passing off Japanese or Chinese lume as Swiss.

Why the widespread dishonesty? According to some of our contacts in China, the "BGW-9" sold by many factories there costs around CHF 8.88 (CNY 80.00) per gram. Compare that to genuine Swiss Super-LumiNova, which starts at CHF 47.50 (CNY 427.50) per gram. That's a massive difference, and it paints a pretty clear picture of the motivation behind these misleading claims.

Of course, not all Chinese suppliers operate this way, but a significant portion do. It's a tricky landscape to navigate if you're not vigilant. Also some brand owners believe everything the suppliers tell them without questioning or doing the relevant research, which is unfortunate for the brand itself and also for the customers, that pay the bill at the en

At Wicked Watch, transparency and authenticity are paramount. That's why we're proud to clearly state the pigments we use in our watches, such as SLN BGW-9 Grade A ef, SLN C3 X2 Grade ef GL, and SLN Old Radium X1 Grade ef. We believe you deserve to know exactly what's making your watch glow.