The dark history of the glow-in-the-dark watches used in Oppenheimer

Some of these watches, like the Hamilton Cushion B, had glow-in-the-dark dials that were made using radium.

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Unlike their bright appearance, these watches have a dark history. Many women who hand-painted the radium watch dials ended up developing serious health complications, including cancer. These women, known as the Radium Girls, were not given any protective gear while using radium, nor were they informed about its harmful effects.

Hundreds of women ended up ingesting radium after they licked the tips of their brushes while painting the watch dials and touching the radioactive substance with their bare hands.

In the 1920s, a group of female factory workers successfully sued their employers for endangering them with radium poisoning and demanded safer working conditions. Hamilton also used radium paint on the dial faces from 1918 to 1963. In 1968, one year after J. Robert Oppenheimer’s death, radium was banned from use in consumer products.

Even today, people are advised not to handle radioactive antiques, including the watches used in Oppenheimer, without protective gear.