Breitling Patina

[ralpie]

Hey,

My cousin just gave me a few watches of his to sell. I noticed that one of the Breitlings is not that old (has Sapphire Crystal) has patina on the dial, hands and numbers.

It looks pretty cool, is this a desirable trait or does this mean there is something wrong with the watch that I should be disclosing (or do watertight cases age this way?)? The watch sets and runs well and the case was never opened.

Some Macro shots

[mrbill2mrbill2]

Doesn't look good to me. Looks like water damage.

[kyle L]

Interesting, you might want to get the movement checked out! If it was worn in a humid place, moisture could have gotten in. Usually you see that kind of aging on older watches.

[ralpie]

Thanks guys, strange thing is, all the Wings watches I see on eBay etc have patina. Think it could be the type of metal used? I have a same age Breitling Chrono with no patina that has been abused much more than this watch has!

[cruvon]

The 6 and 12 markers have lume on them that looks likes has flaked off, could be excessive moisture or water damage. But could just be rust on metal markers if no lume is applied on them. Am sure if is rust an expert can easily take it off, try contacting Craig of Chronodeco for his opinion. Have you managed to compare a pic of the same reference online? We might have a better understanding of what happened.

[ralpie]

Originally Posted by cruvon

The 6 and 12 markers have lume on them that looks likes has flaked off, could be excessive moisture or water damage. But could just be rust on metal markers if no lume is applied on them. Am sure if is rust an expert can easily take it off, try contacting Craig of Chronodeco for his opinion. Have you managed to compare a pic of the same reference online? We might have a better understanding of what happened.

No, there is no lume that is just metal. It looks less like rust and more like the oxidation that happens to copper.

I have compared the same reference and the others have aged this way too. It was in a safe for years so water damage is extremely unlikely.

I think it looks awesome, but the watch is my cousin's and he has asked me to sell it. I just want to be open with any potential buyers. That is why I asked.

Thanks for your input!

I think I'll have the movement checked anyway.

[ralpie]

Good news, I had the movement checked out earlier this week and the watchmaker said that there are no signs of water entering the case, which means it just got the patina earlier than usual.

Some photos-

[C6MMVI]

Hope you didn't take it to the Ray Charles Watch Repair shop.
I have a Chronomat, same year and it looks nothing like this.
Sorry to say but your hands and hour numbers look like they are corroded.
Glad to hear there was no water damage to the movement.

[ralpie]

Norm, this is not my watch. I am selling it for my cousin and was merely asking to make sure I am not selling a damaged item here on the forums. Now I know that it is not damaged. Patina does not mean corroded in a way that is undesirable.