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Stop with the aging
- Thread starter elconquistador
- Start date
Ha! Oh jeez. I'm not saying I disagree, but you're about to board the Pain Train my friend.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It can be done well... Check out some of the work Pratt is doing, particularly on dials. But as with anything, people do go overboard.
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1.) It´s personalization, it´s Your "unique watch", something special as "You´ve in part made it Yourself".
2.) The "good" vintage stuff for the time being is simply not around, from TD´s You get well "not very gen looking", from aftermarket sellers like Raffles or Yuki they are better but not good enough and $460 just for a nice vintage looks dial is a bit much; experimenting with tea, aquabased varnish and the oven or toaster is fun and for free and PAMs and Rolex are ideal candidates
3.) Everybody can go to a shop and order a watch, try to do it Yourself, You learn so much on the journey, haven´t had so much fun tinkering with stuff since I was a kid
Some mods are permanent, others You just keep changing as You go, it never gets dull
from factory
Improved
2.) The "good" vintage stuff for the time being is simply not around, from TD´s You get well "not very gen looking", from aftermarket sellers like Raffles or Yuki they are better but not good enough and $460 just for a nice vintage looks dial is a bit much; experimenting with tea, aquabased varnish and the oven or toaster is fun and for free and PAMs and Rolex are ideal candidates
3.) Everybody can go to a shop and order a watch, try to do it Yourself, You learn so much on the journey, haven´t had so much fun tinkering with stuff since I was a kid
Some mods are permanent, others You just keep changing as You go, it never gets dull
from factory
Improved
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Ageing can be done well or it can be a total travesty.
Even some modders that some folk rave over over look to have no idea how to age a watch so it looks old and not just beat up. You need to think about every mark: "How could this have happened? What caused it and why?" questions like that. I have seen (for example) scratches on bezels that make no sense whatsoever and would almost never occur in real life. Hint: bezel inserts that are below the height of both the crystal and the edge of the bezel itself rarely get scratched. You need to look at genuinely old watches that have been well worn and replicate that kind of marking not just go to town with bleach and a sharp pointy object.
Another pet peeve is a highly aged watch on an almost unmarked, unstretched bracelet. This is an all too common offering.
Even some modders that some folk rave over over look to have no idea how to age a watch so it looks old and not just beat up. You need to think about every mark: "How could this have happened? What caused it and why?" questions like that. I have seen (for example) scratches on bezels that make no sense whatsoever and would almost never occur in real life. Hint: bezel inserts that are below the height of both the crystal and the edge of the bezel itself rarely get scratched. You need to look at genuinely old watches that have been well worn and replicate that kind of marking not just go to town with bleach and a sharp pointy object.
Another pet peeve is a highly aged watch on an almost unmarked, unstretched bracelet. This is an all too common offering.
I have two vintage Rollies and the first one is a Sub that was my first attempt and it is a mess but it is my mess. I may redo it but I honestly love the way it looks because it has character to it. It looks like a well worn watch that has had a new bracelet and a new(er) dial put in it and I think that kinda adds to the overall appearance because some watches may have been cared for and some, eh, they were along for the ride. My Sub looks like it has had a good life with a lot of adventure. My Daytona on the other hand has had nothing more than a bit of bracelet stretch and softening of the edges because it isn't a utilitarian type watch so I wanted it to look a little less loved and more preserved.
I kind of agree. Going for the vintage look is fine, but people DO tend to go a little overboard.
Hazza
I'm Pretty Popular
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It's not always the extent but the fact that some of the time it's just done wrong. Heavy aging can be appropriate on a supposedly 40 year old tool watch but only if it looks right.
I think aging is good to a certain degree. There's definitely a fine line between old and destroyed. A lot of people destroy things and it looks way to rough and unnatural. When I age a watch I make it look old and period correct. Here is a gilt dial 5513 I did. It looks like a 50 year old watch that was used but not beat to bloody hell:
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My post was partly in jest. A small fraction of the aged watched look like a well maintained 40 year old watch and are terrific.
Some of the pictures on this thread are good examples.
I used to have a early 60's gen Pepsi GMT and have a soft spot for them so I look at all the 1680 and 1675's posted for sale. Almost all look like they were put in a washer with a shovel full of rocks then run on spin.
Some of the pictures on this thread are good examples.
I used to have a early 60's gen Pepsi GMT and have a soft spot for them so I look at all the 1680 and 1675's posted for sale. Almost all look like they were put in a washer with a shovel full of rocks then run on spin.
I agree with Johnny, a well done vintage can look great and very gen like but sometimes people go overboard. To each there own but I don't believe in the term "beaters". None of my watches show any abuse, doesn't matter the cost. I have watches from $50- $6,000+ and there all treated the same. Hell my gen DJ is 35 years old and still looks factory fresh
I've seen some really bad examples of fake patina on here. I'd say the ratio is something like 8:1 with 8 bad patinas for every decent example.
I've never been one to want to wear fake patina, except maybe on jeans.
One of the issues is the person working the patina probably begins to not see their results clearly or objectively, or they're just in a hurry. Sandpaper, steel wool, bleach all have their places... but when you scrub your insert in a circular motion with steel wool, it looks like someone scrubbed it in a circular motion with steel wool. It doesn't simulate years of cloth cleaning, and finger wear...
Less is more..
I've never been one to want to wear fake patina, except maybe on jeans.
One of the issues is the person working the patina probably begins to not see their results clearly or objectively, or they're just in a hurry. Sandpaper, steel wool, bleach all have their places... but when you scrub your insert in a circular motion with steel wool, it looks like someone scrubbed it in a circular motion with steel wool. It doesn't simulate years of cloth cleaning, and finger wear...
Less is more..
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I like spending time on Google reviewing images of gens. Over on RWG there are also some amazing gens owned by members. One that comes to mind as a great example of inspiration for my own build is cc33's red sub. He sold it this past spring, but before he did he emailed me tons of high res pics from different angles so I could study them for my own red 1680 build.
His watch was all original and was in pristine condition. The dial, in particular, looked incredible. There was zero patina. Just an amazing texture.
Tritium paint is very low profile, literally like a grainy paint. Not puffy or fluffy. And with sun exposure it lightens up. So when you have a dial that has dark and mottled tritium lume plots, this means it has been kept in the dark, away from the sun - like a safe queen.
With that in mind, you have to ask yourself - would a safe queen be beat to hell?
His watch was all original and was in pristine condition. The dial, in particular, looked incredible. There was zero patina. Just an amazing texture.
Tritium paint is very low profile, literally like a grainy paint. Not puffy or fluffy. And with sun exposure it lightens up. So when you have a dial that has dark and mottled tritium lume plots, this means it has been kept in the dark, away from the sun - like a safe queen.
With that in mind, you have to ask yourself - would a safe queen be beat to hell?
Each to their own but I have to admit that I prefer a watch to look shiny and new. I don't want a beaten up, aged piece on my wrist personally. Good luck, though, to those guys who get pleasure from modding pieces to make them look vintage. Whatever floats your boat!
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