I don’t have a distressed/patina’d watch but I can see the appeal. You get that vintage-y look of a watch that has lasted a lifetime, but with the reliability of a new watch


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The closest I've seen companies do the 'distressed' look in the watch world is via vintage lume. Apart from that I've only ever heard of Seiko modders artificially ageing / staining their dials, but that's hardly standard practice.

I'm okay with the lume for the most part, and some of the seiko mods look cool.

Now if you're talking about purposely scratching the watch case, or stretching a new metal bracelet to make it look used, that would be going too far

 

The closest I've seen companies do the 'distressed' look in the watch world is via vintage lume. Apart from that I've only ever heard of Seiko modders artificially ageing / staining their dials, but that's hardly standard practice.

I'm okay with the lume for the most part, and some of the seiko mods look cool.

Now if you're talking about purposely scratching the watch case, or stretching a new metal bracelet to make it look used, that would be going too far

Christopher Ward will sell pre-patina'd bronze watches that I like the look of, although I would still prefer to have it patina naturally with me. I agree that purposely scratching up a watch does not sound like a good idea to me

EDIT: by patina, I mean the oxidation that occurs naturally on bronze watches for the Christopher Ward

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I have some vintages and some vintage-inspired modern pieces. Arguably, none of these categories of watches are patinated. However, I can see the appeal is to make a more authentically aged-looking vintage piece. In short, vintage looks appeal to many of us and some go out of their way to obtained patinated pieces. Personally, if it’s a vintage piece, I would rather it look shiny and new provided it was not modified in any way , i.e. no franken or part replacements, not overpolished, etc., maybe safe queen, instead of having water incursion dial damage equated to a patinated look or even just oxidation. I also don’t like the idea of accelerating patinas with chemicals, though, I wouldn’t be against experimenting with a cheap bronzo, if I could spare the funds and didn’t mind messing with it. Some, have to do it or buy it patinated. That’s not the way I roll.

 

I know alot of guys hate the idea, but I bought my Turtle with the express intention of doing this, and I am quite pleased with the results. First I wore the watch for a while to get at least some honest wear going, and to get a feel for how the watch would weather naturally. Then I bleached the bezel following some of the mod guides, and also scratched it up a bit. I even frayed up the NATO to complete the look.

At first it was supposed to just be a fun summer watch, but it quickly became one of my favorites, and it has received much more wrist time than I ever expected. This watch has also sparked my interest in vintage Seiko, and I will have a vintage Turtle at some point, but with this one it is nice to wear it without the worries of a vintage piece. It's not for everyone, and that's fine with me, to each his own, but the appeal for me is because it looks cool.

Now I've never claimed to be a watch expert, but I am rather confident in my eye for aesthetics, and I do know what looks cool, especially for me.

 

I know alot of guys hate the idea, but I bought my Turtle with the express intention of doing this, and I am quite pleased with the results. First I wore the watch for a while to get at least some honest wear going, and to get a feel for how the watch would weather naturally. Then I bleached the bezel following some of the mod guides, and also scratched it up a bit. I even frayed up the NATO to complete the look.

At first it was supposed to just be a fun summer watch, but it quickly became one of my favorites, and it has received much more wrist time than I ever expected. This watch has also sparked my interest in vintage Seiko, and I will have a vintage Turtle at some point, but with this one it is nice to wear it without the worries of a vintage piece. It's not for everyone, and that's fine with me, to each his own, but the appeal for me is because it looks cool.

Now I've never claimed to be a watch expert, but I am rather confident in my eye for aesthetics, and I do know what looks cool, especially for me.

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It looks cool, but I wonder would you do this to a Rolex Sub? An Omega Seamaster? At what price point, does it become ridiculous to intentionally damage the watch for aesthetic reasons? Following this logic, I struggle to agree that it's a good idea to fake a patina like this.

Fake patina in the automotive world is equally polarizing.

 

I was loaned the piece below by Undone watches. It is the Urban Tropical, and one of the selling points is the vintage look (you can choose from 3 dials with varying degrees of artificial ageing btw). Wearing it out and about, it gave me the same sense of warmth and charm as my vintage Speedy. I am not about to say that it gave the same level of enjoyment, but its vintage look was pleasing, as someone who likes vintage watches. To be honest, I would preferred a slightly less artificially aged dial, which would have been more subtle but still "warm", something I associate with vintage/distressed watches.

 

I'm with Knives and Lint (his turtle looks epic!), but I've not gone that far yet (but would). A friend made a homage Tudor sub for me, the only fauxtina we put on it was a gently-bleached bezel... I think it worked out okay.

 

The closest I've seen companies do the 'distressed' look in the watch world is via vintage lume.

Well, if you take the original Black Bay, for example, it has a distressed leather strap, and the red bezel is meant to evoke the fading seen on some vintage black inserts. In hindsight, I think the BB could be argued as the trendsetter of the current retro/vintage aesthetic.

And, lume and straps aside, maybe I'm imagining it but I feel like cream dials (as opposed to white or silver) also are more common now than they were ten years ago.

I like it. I wouldn't want all my watches to be like that, but I find the the sort of "scruffy" style and washed-out colours pretty appealing. It's the same aesthetic as a vintage t-shirt or distressed jeans -- not for all the time, but still a fun look.

 

Check out this Laco, then... this is a brand new watch!

 

Check out this Laco, then... this is a brand new watch!

The aging at Laco is done by just one guy and the pic you posted is only a sample of their "mild" aging. You should see the prices of their aged watches too.

 

I have vintage watches that are "distressed" as a result of aging that I love. Several seiko in fact, that are original. Appeal is the orginality of the watch being intact.

 

Zelos Helmsman natural patina

Year Later natural patina

 

For some people a watch that shows wear comes with history, a story of being. Just like people want a Moonwatch for its connection with history. It brings with it feeling of nostalgia, these are usually good feelings. Some other people this means nothing to I suppose. Neither is right or wrong.


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For some people a watch that shows wear comes with history, a story of being. Just like people want a Moonwatch for its connection with history. It brings with it feeling of nostalgia, these are usually good feelings. Some other people this means nothing to I suppose. Neither is right or wrong.


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I agree — it’s the story. Ideally it would be your own. But we only have so many wrists and so many days to create that visual story with our watches. A distressed watch (either from the factory, a mod, or actual wear) jump starts that process.

 

There must be "some" appeal as Longines recently came out with a Heritage Military with custom patina that mimics a distressed older dial.

 

I don't get it. Check this out:

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/laco-flieger-erbstuck-watches-are-meticulously-hand-aged/

Look at that ridiculous faux-aged minute hand. Either buy it used or buy it and age it yourself!

 

Yeah, I don't get it.

Check this out:

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/laco-flieger-erbstuck-watches-are-meticulously-hand-aged/

Look at that ridiculous faux-aged minute hand.

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I had this and it was an incredible piece of art, and new at that! But I sold it like almost everything.

 

41 years of wear, love it!

 

The J Crew Timex is another purposely distressed watch. It’s no longer available though—I think.

They overdid the distressing though, in my view, and it looked as if it had been put through a tumble dryer. Too many dings and scratches. The dial and hands were similarly over-distressed.

 

Either buy it used or buy it and age it yourself!

And since often neither of those is an option...

 

I prefer even my vintage watches, which constitute more than half my collection, to look as "new" as possible. Artificially aged? Thanks but no thanks.

 

What is the appeal of a distressed watch? Get ready because I'm about to say something horrible.

I think they are about as stupid as buying Jeans that already have holes in them. If you own a watch and wear that watch for ten solid years which is by the way real men used to do it, the watch will look used or distressed. If you are addicted to buying a watch every month because you think that somehow one of them is going to somehow transform you it won't. If you don't wear a watch enough for it to become used looking then I'd guess you feel envious if you ever spot someone who owns and wears a watch like that.

I honestly believe that buying a watch designed to look as if you have been using it hard for ten years is the definition of poser in the watch world.

 

What's your opinion of the current vintage watch craze? People seem to buy vintage watches because of their history, yet its not their own personal history with the watch, so I never saw the point. I like the design and historical aspects of vintage watches, but I couldn't care less about the watches' actual owner history.

 

I didnt wear this watch for 10 years and earn the distressed look.

That's not to say it wasn't worn heavily since 1981 to reach it's current distressed look.

I simply purchased it as it is. Does that make me a poser?

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No your watch looks great. My problem is with trying to make a watch look like something it isn't, just seems kind of dishonest to me.

 

I DO like the look of the aged bronze cases that seem to be growing in popularity. But can't say I love the look otherwise.

 

My brother bought this for me as a present, Pegasus Mercurio, which I really like. The artificial aging has been mainly restricted to the hands, indices, lume and to a degree on the strap. Nothing over the top.

 

I'm quite happy to be a poser! An item I enjoy is an item I enjoy, I'm not kidding myself it changes *me* in any way. But horses for courses, no biggie.

Tockr are making a field watch - the dial is made from bits of metal from a D-Day C47 transport plane. You can choose three levels of damage! https://tockr.com/dday

 

Some walk out of the barber’s, and first thing they do is ruffle their hair, so it doesn’t look “new with label attached”. My case.
Some others ask their hairdresser (not barber...) for a second coating of hair spray or gel, and can brave a gale unruffled. Not necessarily with orange hair, btw.

The latter probably reach for Polywatch and Cape Cod buffing wipers after every hairline scratch on their watch. Sorry, wrong about Polywatch: these go sapphire or bust.

Those who never purchased stone-washed jeans, preferring them crease-ironed, may disagree with the following. Also those who’d never buy “matured” sirloin or cheese. For others, why not a factory-aged dial or ready bronze patina, instead of going to the process of hiding the new shiny watch under long cuffs until it’s “ready”, having subdued its bling? Most of us can’t afford “Beau” Brummell’s approach, asking his valet to wear and break in his new shoes.

 

Golly some people sure can be overly defensive.

Obviously, if one buys a vintage watch, its going to have some dings and scratches. No big deal. It is an old watch, likely no longer in production and its good to give old things new homes.

Buying a new item that has been given an aged treatment is something completely different. You get a semblance of that aged look without the story and history that it alludes to.

The faux vintage lume that has been in vogue the last while is a prime example along a similar vein. Even us watch people label it as fake, albeit with a bit of fancy french.

 

Not all watch people. Some may call it faux patina lume, others, like me, view it as a warmer, different colour lume. There is no rule that says lume has to be white. I mostly prefer a yellow-ish lume because it gives it the watch a warmer, less sterile look. The distressed is also a valid aesthetic choice - it doesn't have to imply that there was any history behind the watch. It is a design choice just like any other.

 

Lol, I think you guys missed the jeans analogy. Think Ard wasn’t saying creased and pressed. More like buying the raw indigo, wearing them long enough and let them develop their own patina vs buying a pair that has rub marks and holes all in the same place in all 10,000 pairs. I say wear it and let it do it’s thing.