One interesting change in vintage watch collecting is that people are moving away from fully restored watches that look brand new. Now, collectors are looking for watches that show some honest wear and tear. They appreciate the nicks, scratches, fading dials, and other signs of aging that naturally build up over decades of use.
This desire for the beauty of "used" has caught on globally over the past five years or so, just as vintage watch collecting has exploded in popularity. Lots of new collectors are drawn to the vintage look and appreciate the story behind watches that show their age. All those small dings and colors changes represent the journey the watch has been on.
What is Patina?
The word "patina" comes from Latin, where it originally referred to a type of shallow bowl or pan. Italian speakers in the 17th century first started using patina to describe the green surface film that forms on copper over time. They likely noticed this film building up on copper dishes and pans. By the 1700s, English speakers borrowed the same word, patina, for that copper oxidation. Later on, its meaning expanded beyond metals - patina became a descriptor for the way things can become more beautiful or unique as they age. Think worn leather, fading paint, or wood with use marks. This notion of patina adds character and history, like a vintage item's signature. Today we also use the term figuratively for accumulated layers of other qualities like respectability. But at its root, patina literally captures how age and exposure transforms an object's surface to reflect its story. The material record of time's passage.
Patina refers to the changes in color and texture that occur on vintage watch components over decades of wear. This includes the discoloration of luminescent radium or tritium material on hands and indices from off-white to yellow or brown hues. Dial colors also shift over time, most iconically the transformation of black dials to tropical brown. Bronze cases develop a green oxidized patina akin to an artifact recovered from the sea. Additionally, spidering cracks may spiderweb across the enamel. While typically undesirable damage, some collectors appreciate the story these wear patterns relay. Regardless of specific manifest, the patina esthetic reveals a temporal dialogue between material and environment. In the alterations of color, accumulation of texture, and marks of use, the true passage of time and provenance of vintage pieces comes to the fore.
It's tricky to pinpoint exactly where this appreciation started, but Japan definitely played a big role. They have a concept called "wabi-sabi" which sees beauty in imperfection and things that age gracefully. Japanese collectors have long favored vintage Rolex sports models that have some scratches and fading, rather than freshly polished ones that erase the history. They especially love when originally black dials fade to tropical brown colors over time.
So in short, more and more people dig the natural patina and prefer not to restore vintage watches to like-new condition. The scratches and fading add character that tells a story. It's all part of the appreciation for these timepieces and their history. Pretty cool way to embrace the passage of time if you ask me!