: Does this help, or further the ambiguity!?

Absolutely it helps! My concept of patina seems to be in line with others here. When I first saw"wabi," I wondered how a Japanese concept could apply to watches. Now I know it isn't necessarily that. Good stuff!

Thanks to all. It still makes me wonder why some consider patina so important. On a well-used piece, yes, that is part of the character. I like my watches looking fresh whenever possible. I even get hands replaced when I think they work better with the design.

But that is not to say I am averse to patina: