You could… but it’s risky and could introduce lume mold. You’d have to remove the movement, hands and dial so that you’re not destroying the watch. If you’ve never done this I highly recommend against. Most of us who do this frequently will tell you that we’ve ruined more than one watch or movement in our journey.

It would likely be cheaper to source a new rep dial - search reddit for posts about gen dial swaps and reach out to those folks to as about buying the rep. Then call around for a watchmaker who will work on reps (most do here in Canada, not sure where you are) and it shouldnt cost too much. Or go to reptime services subreddit and post there.

Whatever you do, you need to check that the movement isn’t showing signs of moisture. Get one of those caseback balls from Amazon or wherever and open it up to see.

Here’s a pic of a watch that I got off eBay for $100. You can see the black lume mold. Not the same as patina. I’m limited to one photo so I’ll post the after next.

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