A couple of weeks ago we started our Patina Project with a Regia Skull Dial watch crafted from brass. It has proved to be a loyal companion, comfortable on the wrist and reliable in its timekeeping. But how about the brass case? Because this material is influenced by the atmospheric environment you use it in, not two Regia Skull Dial watches will turn out to look the same. In Dubai or Singapore the brass will most likely discolor and tarnish in a different way then here in North America.
When I started the Patina Project, the Regia Skull Dial was pristine, as you can see in the previous article. Now there are a few subtle differences. The watch has lost its polished luster and now has more of a bushed look to it. Also, overall the brass seemed to have gotten a darker tone, probably from less light reflecting off it.
On a few different spots on the watch, you can really see the tarnishing happening. This is mainly at the bottom of the bezel, and in between the lugs. Its quite interesting to see why it happened just there. Overall, I did expected to see far more tarnishing and discoloration. The weather the last couple of weeks has been very stable, with not too much humidity and every day more or less the same temperature.
To my big surprise is the buckle the cleanest of all! Hardly any tarnishing took place there, while it has always been in the same conditions as the watch itself. Would there really be such a difference between the inside of your wrist and the outside? I wouldn’t think so.
But is this enough tarnishing and discoloration to get it ready for Halloween? I don’t think so! So we are going to ramp it up and maybe even introduce the Regia Skull Dial to some more extreme atmospheric environments, just to see how the brass will react to that! So definitely more to come!
More information on the Regia Skull Dial can be found here