Ok, so some things in the golden era were not too cool...

[V.C. Brunswick]

Radium is cool... but hazardous. Most of the danger is for the painter, rather than the user, as far as I know. And I believe a sealed watch or clock should pose no threat to anyone, as long as it isn't opened.

Which probably explains why sellers of vintage Russian watches also sell radiation detectors.

[3fingers]

Which probably explains why sellers of vintage Russian watches also sell radiation detectors.

There was a documentary about these girls a few years back. Every one of them died young as I recall.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls

[CONELRAD]

There was a documentary about these girls a few years back. Every one of them died young as I recall.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls

They had a segment about the radium girls on that "Dark Matters" show on the Science Channel, too.

Which probably explains why sellers of vintage Russian watches also sell radiation detectors.

Did Russians use radium? I've got a couple Vostoks, but neither of them are old enough have radium dials, and I'm not sure if I've ever actually seen a Russian watch with radium paint. And while we're on the topic, here's a video I made to show of the radioactivity of a radium watch (actually I just made it to test the microphone on my video camera):

[V.C. Brunswick]

Vostok watches should be safe as they were made from 1965 to the present and do not use radium as the lume. It's the vintage ones from the '50s such as this mammoth Zlatoust Diver Watch that has radium.

[Sprinkles]

Promethium was also used in luminous paint. While it is still radioactive, I believe it is nevertheless much safer than radium.