Dwight D. Eisenhower was a five-star general before he was president. He understood logistics. As the Cold War ramped up, the US military needed standardized gear. Soldiers in Korea and West Germany weren't wearing Rolex Submariners (those were fornavy frogmen). They were wearing anonymous, high-legibility watches built to government spec .
If the lume is bright white or glows green in the dark without a flashlight charge, it is modern Super-LumiNova. Real radium lume is dry, crumbly, and yellow/brown. Safety warning: Do not open a radium watch without training. eisenhower 808 top