The age-old question...

[Steve]

For those of us who argue about whether or not to remove a reel's patina, this article gives us some talking points.

[kyreels]

Definitely worth the long read. It touches on many things discussed here. I think this quote from the article was on target.

human connoisseurs decide whether the kind of patina is advantageous or not (Christie’s 2015, Omega forums 2017)

also,

Different attitudes can co-exist, as long as there is a demand from collectors.

By and large, the reel collecting buyers seem to prefer a cleaned and restored reel in most cases, but not all. I find myself influenced beyond my personal preference to polish reels for sale beyond what I would prefer in my collection. But the call for some restraint is wise.