Patina

Patina is the natural ageing of a watch's materials over time, most often seen as luminous material turning cream or brown and dials or bezels fading or changing colour.

On vintage watches, even, natural patina is often desirable, and collectors can pay more for a pleasing, consistent look. Uneven or artificial ageing is a different matter: some dials and hands are deliberately aged to look older or to match replaced parts.

Judge patina for consistency. The hands and dial markers should have aged in a way that looks like they've spent their lives together.