Spend some time on the web or amongst cool guys with well-groomed facial hair and you’ll hear plenty of talk about patina, a seemingly mythical quality that rarely rears its head outside of tumblr feeds. Really though, patina is just how goods are affected by time; the better the item was made, the better it ages. Perhaps the best example of a fine patina is your old man. Here are some close runners-up.
Benjamin Clymer1966 Rolex Submariner
It’s only fitting that, for our first Patina post, we started with arguably the best-known and most desirable example: a vintage Rolex sports watch. This 1966 Submariner (ref. 5513) has just the right level of what watch collectors call, “wabi-sabi,” the Japanese word describing the celebration of impermanence and the passage of time. See More »
Olympia Werke Typewriter
Made in West Germany in the 1960s, the Olympia has the weight and finely tuned precision you’d expect from a mechanical watch. The curves, chrome, and faded yellow paint job of this Olympia rival the design of any of the new curvy, metallic computers on the market tody. See More »
1969 Jaguar E-Type
The E-Type (or XK-E as it was sometimes known) needs no introduction to car lovers. Every inch of its monocoque body was penned by Jaguar’s design genius, Sir William Lyons. Enzo Ferrari considered it to be the most beautiful car ever built. After poring over the impossibly long bonnet, bulging fenders and stubby rear end, we’re not going to argue. See More »
