Does patina fade if the timepiece is worn too often??

[fusionstorm]

Greetings all. I recently joined the ranks of vintage Rolex aficionados when I took the plunge and acquired a 1655 Explorer II. One of the things that drew me to this one was the vivid, orange patina. I've read from several forums that oftentimes a timepiece that was kept in the safe/out of direct light for long periods tends to develop a darker patina than a watch that was worn out and about often.

So my question is this - - if I were to wear my 1655 several times a week during daylight hours, will the patina eventually fade?? I've been wearing mine basically every day since I acquired it a few weeks ago, but I'd hate to see the patina become lighter in tone.

TIA for any responses. Here's a few amateur attempts on my part to take pics.....

[Lol-x]

Welcome, an interesting question.

I can say that no matter how much you wear your EXII the lume will not get lighter in colour.

I don't think light has a real lot to do with the coloration of tritium, but tritium is a bit like cheese, after a period of time it goes off (becomes darker) the degree of colouration is more a function of the tritium mix than anything.

This may be of some further interest: http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=89027

[fusionstorm]

Thanks very much for your response, Steve. I had read the thread you referenced before I made my first post on the forum, which was a great help.

I'm looking forward to wearing my EXII quite a bit more......

[PhilM]

Wow that's a lovely piece... and like you say I would just wear that and it enjoy it as it is

[Lol-x]

The coronet on your dial indicates that it is a late 70's to early 80's dial.
Given that there are some 1655s that were made in the early 70's and exhibit less patina is something of a bit of a mystery.
Again I can only think that the nature of the tritium mixture has something to do with the patina occurring.
I really like less patina to more, but it is a matter of personal preference.
Patina does lend to giving the same model watch different character. The 1655 has a very unique dial. The orange markers do go well with the orange 24 hour hand.

[fusionstorm]

Originally Posted by PhilM

Wow that's a lovely piece... and like you say I would just wear that and it enjoy it as it is

Thanks Phil!!

Originally Posted by Lol-x

The coronet on your dial indicates that it is a late 70's to early 80's dial.
Given that there are some 1655s that were made in the early 70's and exhibit less patina is something of a bit of a mystery.
Again I can only think that the nature of the tritium mixture has something to do with the patina occurring.
I really like less patina to more, but it is a matter of personal preference.
Patina does lend to giving the same model watch different character. The 1655 has a very unique dial. The orange markers do go well with the orange 24 hour hand.

Yes, from what I read on Stefano Mazzariol's awesome blog, my EXII is a MK 4 dial. Serial is a 7.4M, so that jibes with what I estimate to be an '82 or '83 manufacture date.

[Lol-x]

I also have the Mk.4 dial and my serial is 6.8million (1979-80).

However, my watch has far less patina that your watch.

[greekbum]

Once it yellows it will never go back to white so I wouldnt worry about wearing it in the sun.

[Boopie]

Our friend's father gave him his vintage Rolex Submariner which was worn for probably 20 years all over the world in all sorts of pretty serious adventures...in the hot Africa sun, etc. The black face is so faded it is gray. Our friend will not take the Sub to the RSC because they want to change out the face, and he likes it as a souvenir of his father's colorful life. But, I have no idea how common such wear is.

[Dalton]

I've seen both ends of the spectrum with 1655 dials and there's something interesting I've noticed. Most bleached out dials without color or any patina tend to be the watches that have sat in displays, and window displays that at somepoint, during the day, are hit by direct sunlight. i think UV rays played a role in the discoloration of the orange hand, but more interesting i think watches that sat in display cases allowed more light and less O3 to enter the case compared to watches being worn, which will inevitably be opened at the crown or caseback a lot more often than a watches waiting for new owners or watches that were simply stored. What I'm getting at is: There are 2 main inputs that must occur for tritium to age in what I imagine as "baking" since round markers look like baked cookies when they age(I know I know). In a nutshell UV light and O3 are Tritium's kryptonite and when they meet tritium slowly dies and changes appearance due to what looks like oxydation of the tritium, of course all of this all has to take place over time in conditions chosen by tritium's composition. So I've come believe that air entering the case via the caseback(stored watches tend to have small cracks in the crystal which could contribute to O3 entering the case) unscrewed crowns, and the ocassional moment out in the sun could lead to the aging of tritium. These are only theories based on research I've conducted. I doubt that indirect sunlight and/or artificial light will cause any tritium discolaration, but exposure of the dial and hands to the atmospherical air could lead to some interesting finishes. Also, for those who wish to age their watches out in the sun, beware of Ghost Hands. Ghost Hands should deter most from leaving their watches out in the sun.