OK. Here's my dirty little Randall secret. When I got my Model 3, it wasn't quite shaving sharp. I took a few minutes to refine the edge, which was then very nice.
As I was fondling... um, I mean inspecting... the knife, I found myself thinking "Gee. This sure is nice. Maybe I need to keep this one as is and get another to use."
Quickly, before that thought took hold, I (intentionally) drew the stone across the side of the front of the blade, making a very slight, but noticable line. It would have been easy to buff out in a couple minutes, but I kept it there as a reminder that I got that knife specifically to USE.
As far as "patina" goes. Probably my next favorite knife is a Marbles Fieldcraft my dad bought when he got back from WWII. He took that thing bird hunting, deer hunting and trout fishing all over the US for 30+ years. The blade looks like hell, but still holds an edge and will be passed down to my own kids when the time comes.