Does patina stop?

[WANNAMILGAUSS]

Ok, new to the "Vintage" watch deal and would appreciate some direction and answers.

I would assume the patina is a result of some sort of failure or wear? I am talking about the dial and hands not the bezel.

Question is do the develop from creamy to orange or is that due to different years or materials uses?

Will a watch say from the 80s that has patina'd fairly quickly continue on that rate to the point where the indices? or hands just fail? Is this a fear for collectors that their patina will develop too much and ruin the look they were after?

Sorry if silly question I am look at watches at I love the look but wonder what my investment will look like in say 5 years?

To squeeze in a 2nd question is their any preference among collectors to GMT vs SUB?

Thanks

[Cosmo712]

My limited amount of experience with this is that, it is fairly normal, over a period of years UV does a number on the dial and hands, my mom's Lady Datejust almost has a "gold" patina now after it's 22 years of existence, of course if the discoloration is from water or liquid getting in the case, that would be a different story. I have a GMT11 that has had the dial and hands replaced in the last several years due to one of the dial markers coming loose,it too, had the "patina" on the marker and hands, most collectors actually prefer the original dial as opposed to a service dial such as in my case and depending on where the watch may be serviced, you may or may not be able to get your original parts back. Hope this helps!!

[springer]

GMT vs Sub....it basically boils down to personal preference. You will find dozens of threads here and dozens of opinions regarding the same subject matter. Find something you like!

[omitohud]

Better yet get both. As to the patina, from my understanding if the lume is exposed to uv constantly it stays white. Most of the darker patina was caused by being stored in a dark place. Its a matter of preference.


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[MitchSteel]

No such thing as either or, Sub or GMT........both is the only way.
The GMt is a bit more versatile, with different inserts and bracelets, but the Sub has its own distinction.I started with the GMt, but got the Sub later.

[Dr DRW]

You must get both , still looking for that perfect 1675
I think patina is exclusive to tritium and most have suggested it relate to dark storage so one might assume if you wear the watch it might stop but I don't know. Maybe some guys who have had their vintages for years could say.
Has anyone ever seen a luminova develop patina. .?????

[high5]

Originally Posted by omitohud

Better yet get both. As to the patina, from my understanding if the lume is exposed to uv constantly it stays white. Most of the darker patina was caused by being stored in a dark place. Its a matter of preference.


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This is correct.

[high5]

Originally Posted by Dr DRW

You must get both , still looking for that perfect 1675
I think patina is exclusive to tritium and most have suggested it relate to dark storage so one might assume if you wear the watch it might stop but I don't know. Maybe some guys who have had their vintages for years could say.
Has anyone ever seen a luminova develop patina. .?????

superluminova wont change color but the dial surface may still change color. There are reports on white daytona in the early 2000 starting to change color.

[southtexas]

[QUOTE=Dr DRW;5581235]You must get both , still looking for that perfect 1675
I think patina is exclusive to tritium and most have suggested it relate to dark storage so one might assume if you wear the watch it might stop but I don't know. Maybe some guys who have had their vintages for years could say. [


This. But interestingly, it can and will lighten back up over time. I bought a sub last year which had languished in a safe for 40 years. It had dark patina on markers. After 6 months of daily wear, the markers had lightened tremendously.

I started a thread about it with before and after pics, amazing difference really.


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[cajuntiger]

Originally Posted by southtexas

I bought a sub last year which had languished in a safe for 40 years. It had dark patina on markers. After 6 months of daily wear, the markers had lightened tremendously.

This is precisely why its important that you have at least 50 vintage watches, rotate them regularly. You should never wear one for more than 7 days per year...unless you only wear them only at night, in that case you can get away with 25 vintage pieces...this is how I explained it to my wife.

[southtexas]

Very sound reasoning, how can she argue with it?!


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[Dr DRW]

7 days may be risking it, I would say get 100 different watches to be safe.