Since gold also functions as a replacement currency in crisis situations, gold watches are a relatively secure investment. In the 1990s, the price was still oscillating between $300 and $400. The price of gold watches has gone up simply due to their material worth. It is unlikely that the price will drop below $1,000. In the summer of 2011, it shot up to around $1,900. The market price varies, but has usually been over $1,000 for one troy ounce (31 grams) of gold over the last few years. The price and value of an 18-karat gold watch also depends on the price of gold. A stainless steel Rolex Submariner with a date display costs about 7,000 euros new, while a yellow gold version in the same condition costs 21,000 euros.
The price difference between gold and stainless steel versions of the same watch can be quite considerable.
An 18-karat gold watch is an 18-karat gold watch, regardless of the manufacturer. If you want to buy a gold watch, then you should pay attention to the karats. The PVD method has grown in popularity in recent years, so you will most frequently encounter electroplated watches in the vintage market. The gold plating is either 18 or 24-karat gold and prone to scratches, but can be redone if necessary. The gold layer is very thin 20 microns is the norm. PVD coatings can also be made of gold and are regarded as very scratch resistant.Īn alternative is electroplating gold on stainless steel cases. During this process, the coating is applied via vacuum deposition. The most common of these methods uses a PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating. Some manufacturers use gold-colored coatings that resemble gold, but are actually something else entirely. This applies to watches in both mid and upper price ranges, such as those from Longines, Maurice Lacroix, and Tissot. Particularly valuable 18-karat white gold watches are made with an alloy containing platinum or palladium.Ĭases made of 14-karat gold (585 gold) can also be found, although most manufacturers offer 18-karat gold watches today. White gold, on the other hand, has more silver than copper. Red and pink gold have a much larger percentage of copper than silver, which gives the gold its reddish-pinkish hue. The amount varies, however, in order to slightly change the tone of the yellow gold. Silver and copper are mixed together with yellow gold. In a 750 alloy, 75% of the material is pure gold, while the rest consists of other metals. The 750 represents the percentage of pure gold out of 1,000. Watch cases with the highest percentage of gold are 18-karat cases, a value equal to 750 gold. As it's relatively soft, some manufacturers mix it with other metals in-house in order to make it harder and more scratch resistant or to give it another hue.Ī value of one karat means that the material is composed of 1/24th gold. Pure gold, which you find in the form of coins or bars available for purchase, is used to plate the surfaces of cases made of a different material. However, you can count watches in a lower price range as well, as their cases are made of stainless steel which is then coated in gold.Ī gold watch is almost always produced from an metal alloy. Technically, a timepiece can only be considered a gold watch if the case is made of solid gold. A unique alloy is Hublot's Magic Gold, which combines yellow gold and ceramic, making it extremely scratch resistant.
There are also in-house alloys made by manufacturers like Omega's Sedna gold and Rolex's Everose, both red gold alloys. However, many types of gold are used in the watch industry, such as white, pink, and red gold. When gold comes to mind, people most often think of yellow gold.
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