zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Nice mother-in-law. My MIL has been on a weird gift streak lately. She's been buying me books and DVDs that are right on the mark...except that I already bought them for myself.

I think there's much to be said for a patina of wear on a watch or another object.

In an otherwise pointless discussion about relicing electric guitars--intentional wear marks that are rougly the equivalent of pre-washed jeans--someone mentioned the Japanese concept of wabi sabi.

It's about the larger concepts of simplcitiy and transicence, but one manifestation is the patina well-earned wear on tools.

Here's a quick reference

The words wabi and sabi do not translate easily...Wabi now connotes rustic simplicity, freshness or quietness, and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects, or understated elegance. It can also refer to quirks and anomalies arising from the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object. Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs.

Nice idea for a Saturday morning, and thanks for encouraging me to look it up and really take ownership of this idea.

best
Allen