Explorer’s heart (Faux Patina And The Commodification Of Experience)
So here’s a new thing that’s rattling around in my poor, overthinking brain…
I don’t know if I can enjoy faux patina anymore.
It’s shame, because it’s really having a moment. In fact, I’ve bought (and enjoyed!) a few of these brown/orange wonders over the past year or two.
This all centers around my love of the 1016 Explorer. A classic, that, even were I handed a suitcase full of money, I would still probably feel uncomfortable buying (not to mention wearing!)
Initially I grabbed a San Martin 36mm Explorer/Ranger mash up. A great watch! Handsome, well built, cool, BUT I found myself wearing it less and less. I wondered, “Is this because it’s not a ‘real’ brand? Because it’s an imitation?” And yes, that’s part of it (though Tudor doesn’t make a Ranger in 36mm, and 1016’s are out of production, so it’s justifiable-ish) It was more than that, though. That ORANGE HUE, was taunting me. Inflaming my imposter syndrome...
I still wanted my fix. I tried to get to the core of my desire, figure out, for me, what it was that I saw myself getting out of a 1016 and reverse engineer what was available that I would give me the most of that.
This week, Uncle Seiko send me an email with this image:
Gorgeous! He’s made a lovely bracelet that makes the Murph look even better. It checks so many boxes: Small size, no date, design elevated hands, good power reserve, affordably serviceable movement, etc…
BUT
That text on the dial was never white.
This is an insane thing to get under my skin, I know, but, something rubs me the wrong way. It didn’t earn that patina. It’s like… it’s like growing up in the 1970’s and having your favorite TV show be HAPPY DAYS. You didn’t grow up in the 50’s, that’s not your nostalgia, and you're swimming in this simulated kind of existence that never happened. It's buying an army jacket and thinking it makes you tough. What’s worse, I examined my own collection and at least a few watches in my regular rotation are guilty of the same thing!
So then I’m down to my second choice - The Lorier Falcon. Which, in a lot of ways is less exciting to me because it is exactly what I think I want: The experience of buying a 1016 Explorer in 1968. It doesn’t have as much to say design-wise outside of a reverence for the original, but it’s pristine, and ready to have miles put on it.
I think about these two watches (both of which I’d be happy to have, these are obviously first world problems, if not total neurosis) and I’m left wondering if either of them are worth leaving behind to a future generation. An imaginary father handing me the Rolex he wore through battle and romance, can I one day provide that with a micro brand’s attempt at recreating the past? With a watch conglomerate’s movie prop stolen valor?
Am I off the deep end, here?
Either way, watches are great! Thanks for reading.
UPDATE: Hamilton vs. Uncle = I got what I needed. Thanks, folks!
No idea what day it is.
Also! If you own either of these watches, PLEASE don't let my overly-analytical ramblings negate your experience. (AND, please tell me your positive experiences with these watches! I'd like to be happy with one!)
I think faux patina is cool but nothing beats the real thing for sure
I think faux patina is cool but nothing beats the real thing for sure
That's a good attitude.
I think faux patina is cool but nothing beats the real thing for sure
Incidentally, my other front runner for the "Explorer Spot" in my collection was the baby alpinist you have. I can't remember why I took it out of the running. Too big maybe? How do you like it?
Incidentally, my other front runner for the "Explorer Spot" in my collection was the baby alpinist you have. I can't remember why I took it out of the running. Too big maybe? How do you like it?
At 13mm it’s a touch thick but I honestly only notice it when I’ve just worn a much thinner watch like my Tudor 1926. I actually think it’s an incredible watch for the money and my only complaint is the bracelet. Not only is it kind of cheap and hollow feeling (it has a bad squeak or rattle you’ll notice even after break in and washings) but the clasp is just unacceptably bad. Even at the same price point my Certina DS Action Diver and my tissot PRX and many other watches at same price point all have much much better bracelets and clasps. Once I swapped it onto a strap it immediately became one of my favorite watches ever though so if you’re on the fence I would definitely recommend it.
At 13mm it’s a touch thick but I honestly only notice it when I’ve just worn a much thinner watch like my Tudor 1926. I actually think it’s an incredible watch for the money and my only complaint is the bracelet. Not only is it kind of cheap and hollow feeling (it has a bad squeak or rattle you’ll notice even after break in and washings) but the clasp is just unacceptably bad. Even at the same price point my Certina DS Action Diver and my tissot PRX and many other watches at same price point all have much much better bracelets and clasps. Once I swapped it onto a strap it immediately became one of my favorite watches ever though so if you’re on the fence I would definitely recommend it.
Excellent to hear. Thanks!
Your thoughts on this topic are really appreciated and serve as an excellent contribution to the conversation. If you are looking for an “answer” though, or a “solution” to the problem, I would direct you no further than the first sentence of your post… you’re overthinking it!
As a few asides:
You highlighted an absolutely wonderful handful of watches in this post
I’m rather 50/50 on faux patina myself. Depending on the watch, it can look really cheap, and I don’t like the idea of “fake” patina. However, it can’t be denied that a brown/coffee/khaki color suits some watches incredibly well. This can be considered more of a stylistic choice than an attempt at a deceptively aged look.
It’s worth remembering that, in the case of many vintage watches, their patina is not only the result of wear & tear, but also the materials and techniques used to manufacture them. Old lume materials serve as a great example. Not only were some radioactive (radium), but they also aesthetically aged very rapidly and/or lost their luminescent quality. So their color was not necessarily a result of considerable age or use, but merely a consequence of their rapid “decay.”
Your thoughts on this topic are really appreciated and serve as an excellent contribution to the conversation. If you are looking for an “answer” though, or a “solution” to the problem, I would direct you no further than the first sentence of your post… you’re overthinking it!
As a few asides:
You highlighted an absolutely wonderful handful of watches in this post
I’m rather 50/50 on faux patina myself. Depending on the watch, it can look really cheap, and I don’t like the idea of “fake” patina. However, it can’t be denied that a brown/coffee/khaki color suits some watches incredibly well. This can be considered more of a stylistic choice than an attempt at a deceptively aged look.
It’s worth remembering that, in the case of many vintage watches, their patina is not only the result of wear & tear, but also the materials and techniques used to manufacture them. Old lume materials serve as a great example. Not only were some radioactive (radium), but they also aesthetically aged very rapidly and/or lost their luminescent quality. So their color was not necessarily a result of considerable age or use, but merely a consequence of their rapid “decay.”
Thank you!
And yes, fortunately I enjoy thinking too much about watches so this kind of agony is fun and not stressful (but yes, probably too much!)
I had a similar thought about the "coffee/khaki" color on the Murph. What do you think? Is it meant to read as patina, or is it a choice (or are they playing both angles?) The absence of a true white on the brand name leads me to believe it may actually be less of an "aged" effect and more of a color choice to celebrate their "khaki" line. But who knows?
Yes, good point on wear + tear vs. decay, though, surviving time is a kind of wear in itself!
You are seriously overthinking this. Fauxtina is a made up word that “influencers” use to generate clicks/money. It’s just off white. I have a Seamaster 300 sandwich dial. If the indices in that watch were bright white it would be a high contrast eyesore. Instead they are a lovely cream color that looks great with either the blue or black dial, is easier on the eyes, still very legible and lends itself to the watches under the radar and low key vibe.
Here it is on the matching Omega “fauxtina” nato strap. I’m even wearing my fauxtina pants in this picture.
Any of those watches would be great to hand down to your kids because they were yours and they will have memories of you wearing them. That’s the only important thing.
You are seriously overthinking this. Fauxtina is a made up word that “influencers” use to generate clicks/money. It’s just off white. I have a Seamaster 300 sandwich dial. If the indices in that watch were bright white it would be a high contrast eyesore. Instead they are a lovely cream color that looks great with either the blue or black dial, is easier on the eyes, still very legible and lends itself to the watches under the radar and low key vibe.
Here it is on the matching Omega “fauxtina” nato strap. I’m even wearing my fauxtina pants in this picture.
Any of those watches would be great to hand down to your kids because they were yours and they will have memories of you wearing them. That’s the only important thing.
Great watch!
I hear you, and yes, I am sort of taking my internal thoughts to a comical level in this post to exaggerate.
I do think watches are made with a story in mind though. There is a difference between your watch and say a Hamilton Pilot Pioneer. The Pioneer is being sold by Hamilton to evoke a feeling, the story that this is an antique that went to war and now you have it (or something to that effect.) Influencers may have popularized the term "fauxtina" but they did not invent advertising. And I assure you, Hamilton is aware of this.
But whatever, in the big picture it's not really important, and it just comes down to design and what you personally like. I'm just trying to talk out something and see if other people have noticed it / come to the same questions.
I have both the Rolex Explorer 40mm and Hamilton Murph 42mm. They’re both individually unique and are keepers. Thanks for hightlighting the Uncle Seiko bracelet for Murph, it looks hot. BTW, I wouldn’t consider the San Martin homage. Personally, i prefer the original. Cheers!
I have both the Rolex Explorer 40mm and Hamilton Murph 42mm. They’re both individually unique and are keepers. Thanks for hightlighting the Uncle Seiko bracelet for Murph, it looks hot. BTW, I wouldn’t consider the San Martin homage. Personally, i prefer the original. Cheers!
Good intel, thanks!
You're right tho. The Murph on that bracelet looks amazing! My heart skipped a beat :-). Damn.
Faux patina is what ı want in black dials
You're right tho. The Murph on that bracelet looks amazing! My heart skipped a beat :-). Damn.
Right!? Tapers down to 16mm! Classic.
You want your watch to have a story! Marks and fades and colors that it's earned. Nothing wrong with that being a main driver for you.
Absolutely! I just want it to be a real story. To its credit, I think the Murph has a separate, intriguing story in its connection to the movie it was made for.
I think you are thinking and feeling the same as many of us collectors. Some of us appreciate the aesthetic and can be okay with it not being authentic, but some of us are more hung up on the authentic dimension. I fall into the later and don't buy faux line and aged dial options. But plenty love and enjoy faux - and that is awesome.
I do buy homges sometimes to see how it wears before buying the real deal, and even then while thinking something like a Steeldive is great and actually amazing in many ways - I still don't connect the same if or until I buy the legit model.
I think that's the best way to utilize homages. I do the same.
I love that Murph on a steel bracelet! May I ask, what kind of Uncle Seiko band that is? Is it the H-Link Bracelet (Seiko 6139-600x)?
On topic, I agree with most people here, I think some watches do faux patina really well. Others do it a bit too much and end up looking strange. The Hamilton Murph, I would argue, is one watch that does it well. So does the Tudor Ranger, Omega Seamaster and Railmaster.
I don’t mind the idea of “stolen valor” bec when you think about it patina is visual decay, it’s an objectively bad thing but we associate good things with it because it signals to us that that thing has lived. You could make the argument that ideally, all patina is “earned” but we have finite lives so it’s just not practical for us to wait decades to get that look. Not to mention, there will be higher maintenance costs (in both money and time) because you want the right kind of decay (patina) but not so much decay (rusting or even broken watch hands).
And this is why I enjoy reissues. I get to be transported to a simpler time (say the 1983 G-Shock square that started the whole line) but not have to struggle with the costs of finding and maintaining a 40y old watch. To be fair, servicing a 40y old G-Shock would probably be a bit easier than servicing a traditional vintage watch that some of our amazing Watch Crunchers do here.
Well said.
Its the Senator. If you go to the Uncle website there is a section for Hamilton.
I think that you started off writing about faux patina but also suggests something quite common amongst enthusiasts today: a certain impatience or need for a watch to function more beyond telling the time.
I have exactly a single experience with Hamilton( an automatic Khaki that my wife and I gifted to our older daughter when she was in high school) and none with Lorier but at least can offer an opinion about your question posed in your closing paragraph. Whether either can rise to the status of a token to pass along to a future child will depend simply on your relationship to either watch and the life experiences a child remembers about you and she or he while you are wearing the watch. A few years ago, my neice stopped by to visit, mentioned that she was shopping for a first Cartier watch, I suggested that she should pester her mom to release a few of her dad’s 80s watches sitting ignored since he passed away shockingly at age 58 while she debated the worth of a new Cartier. She has since slipped on a brilliant late 80s Breitling Chronomat fitted to a polished pilot bracelet that her dad and I shopped together for so many yesrs ago. He, I were just looking for a cool watch at the time that did not damage our whimsical bank accounts. There was no thought about the future, hell not sure we thought about more than lunch after paying for our new watches.
Well said! Nice story, what a cool watch for a young woman to wear.
Is that Trachinitu's Explorer?
Well said! Nice story, what a cool watch for a young woman to wear.
Loved your post!!❤️
Absolutely! I just want it to be a real story. To its credit, I think the Murph has a separate, intriguing story in its connection to the movie it was made for.
Yeh, I'd say go with what you want. Not just because of brand name, prestige or market value. Get what gives you life.
Absolutely! I just want it to be a real story. To its credit, I think the Murph has a separate, intriguing story in its connection to the movie it was made for.
Lorier has some great models, and really do true to the vintage feel without feeling dismodern or incapable
Yeh, I'd say go with what you want. Not just because of brand name, prestige or market value. Get what gives you life.
I'm trying! It's a hard thing to find sometimes. And yes, I enjoy Lorier, I have a Neptune.
Loved your post!!❤️
Thanks!
Is that Trachinitu's Explorer?
Who's that?
Who's that?
Sorry, I meant Trachinotus: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtWP-U-SsbM/?img_index=1 He's a friend and has some very cool vintage pieces and one just like the one in the picture.
Sorry, I meant Trachinotus: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtWP-U-SsbM/?img_index=1 He's a friend and has some very cool vintage pieces and one just like the one in the picture.
Oh, I don't know, I found it in an obsessive google-hole. I'll check his account out though, looks good!
Oh, I don't know, I found it in an obsessive google-hole. I'll check his account out though, looks good!
He's a very cool guy and takes excellent photos. This looked like one his photos but I don't know. I love his watches :)
We did it, folks: