Go faux it or faux pas? @timepeacer customizes his Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue
Zach BlassVintage watches and retro aesthetics have been dominant forces in the watch marketplace. A well and evenly patinated watch is an extremely valuable commodity, and these sorts of references can fetch incredible hammer prices at auction or among the many vendors who deal in vintage watches. But considering the high price tags for these properly patinated references, many wonder if they can take their modern watches and alter them to replicate these coveted vintage cues. When done right, it can deliver an absolute stunner. When done wrong… well, yikes, we won’t go there. Fortunately for @timepeacer, one of his latest posts on his instagram profile flexes his customized Tudor BB58 Navy Blue with a well-executed aged SuperLuminova® relume and force-faded bezel.
According to @timepeacer, the bezel component of the project required bleach, a gentle even rub, and a bit of liquid courage to undergo the endeavor. Normally, I have to say I am opposed to faux-aging modern watches. But my preference can be a bit hypocritical, since I have enjoyed references that leverage vintage cues in their factory configurations (i.e the original Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight or the Omega Speedmaster 321 “Ed White”). For me, force aging your watch is like buying pre-distressed or ripped jeans. It doesn’t necessarily look bad, in fact, it’s an attempt to create an irrefutably trendy look, but there is, perhaps, something disingenuous about the practice.
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That being said, it is not like @timepeacer is looking to fool anyone with his watch or try to pass it off as vintage under the loupe. To his credit, if I were to have taken my own BB58 to have it aged I would literally show this picture to my trusted watchmaker or artisan as the gold standard to aim for. The sage tone of the relume is perfect, and the fading of the bezel is executed really well. I mean even the bezel pip lume has been re-done to match the hands and indices of the dial. I imagine, like myself, anyone who has seen this image will have undoubtedly started to wonder if they should indulge in the same effort.
This is not a particularly new practice. Probably one of the most well-known customizers who also try to re-interpret vintage aesthetics into modern wristwatches is Artisans de Genève, which we previously touched upon in our modifier’s series. Granted the above is a much more expensive operation than what @timepeacer’s customized Tudor BB58 underwent. But it is, at its heart, the same spark of inspiration – a means to capture the timeless essence of vintage patination in some manner.
What do you all think? Should more people “go faux it”? Or is this a total “faux-pas”?
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