Ok, lets start from the beginning. I bought my 382 on M2M. The watch is a early VSF and is around three years old. It had developed some "brownish" patina, which is not really my taste.
Before:
So I wanted to "reset" the look of the bronze to factory state. Then I made the mistake to think "the more the better", checked the gaskets and then let the watch lie in a glass of vinegar for around an hour.
After that the watch was not only "pink" but also had a glossy, shiny surface. Not comparable to your watch, that seems to have a structured, grainy surface. It seems that the strong acid has washed out the tin form the alloy, so the surface was kind of "pure" copper. Then I searched for help on the net but could not find a fitting answer to my specific problem. So I talked to a friend, who is a kind of expert on metal processing. He told me, that the bronze surface will come back but it takes time ... maybe a long time. He said, I can force this process with ammonium-citrat in a weak alkaline solution (ph9). But as I have no access to a chem lab and the base chemicals in a reasonable container-size, he gave the tipp to use some classic bronze polish like Brasso and right after this a treatment with normal salt water. Thats is what a did. I wrapped some toilet paper soaked with Brasso around the watch over night and then gave her a bath in salt water (maximum sale concentration) for the rest of the day then took the watch out of the brine without cleaning and just waited one or two further day till the old color came back and a forced patina begann to developed.
But this was only a kind of fast forward. This seems to be a process, that also happens without this treatment but then takes much much longer. But your watch is not that "ruined". It has a structured surface (and so more contact surface for the normal reaction with air, salt and so on), so it might not take too long.
To the different colors: That is the normal light effect. One picture is made in natural daylight, the other indoor.
And one last thing: There is nothing like a "Gen" color. If have seen so much Bronzos in the Gen- and the Rep-Boards and they all develop different color-nuances over time, depending on the use and the surrounding conditions. There also seem to be different mixtures of the alloy in different models. I have an IWC Bronzo, a Segaull Bronzo and the VSF 968, which all have a different color, different tone and develop a different patina.
So the final tipp is: There is no need for rush. Give the watch some time and see what happens. I would have destroyed this wonderful watch by a hair's breadth with my actionism. I had much luck, that I could save the watch.
