WG watch, what exactly are they made of

[uva0224]

There are 2 types of WG that I know.

One with gold-nickel-copper-zinc alloy caused skin reaction.

The other with gold-palladium-silver alloy may turn grey after wear and tear for long time.

Any idea what watch makers use? I guess not the nickel one, since 1 in 8 ppl has nickel reaction.

[bondtoys]

There are thousands of different gold alloys all ober the world.

Ever asked Coke for the exact composition of their stuff - you may imagine what Rolex tells you when you ask, what alloy they are using - whitegold or yellow

[uva0224]

I don't think Rolex can mine their own gold, can't they?
It must come from miner/dealer.

Originally Posted by bondtoys

There are thousands of different gold alloys all ober the world.

Ever asked Coke for the exact composition of their stuff - you may imagine what Rolex tells you when you ask, what alloy they are using - whitegold or yellow

[kilyung]

They get ingots of material and mix/forge it themselves.

[DiamondJack]

All gold includes a percentage of alloys which determine the colour of the resulting gold. The karat gold will determined by the amount of pure gold and 18 karat must have 75% pure gold as a minimum.

For example, alloys which are mixed 14 parts gold to 10 parts alloy create 14-karat gold, 18 parts gold to 6 parts alloy creates 18 karat, and so on. This is often expressed as the result of the ratio, i.e.: 14/24 equals 58.5% and 18/24 is 75%

There are hundreds of possible alloys and mixtures, but in general the addition of silver will color gold white, and the addition of copper will color it red. A mix of around 50/50 copper and silver gives the range of yellow gold alloys the public is accustomed to seeing in the marketplace. A small amount (0.2%) of zinc can be added to harden the alloy.

In many countries, particularly in the EU, nickel is no longer used in white gold because as the OP stated, 1 in 8 people have an allergy to nickel so palladium is used instead.

The properties of white gold, including its color, depend on its composition. Although most people don't realise that the shiny finish of white gold is actually a colour that is from the rhodium metal plating that is applied to all white gold jewelry. Without the rhodium coating, white gold might be gray, dull brown, or even pale pink.

[c.rod]

Originally Posted by uva0224

There are 2 types of WG that I know.

One with gold-nickel-copper-zinc alloy caused skin reaction.

The other with gold-palladium-silver alloy may turn grey after wear and tear for long time.

Any idea what watch makers use? I guess not the nickel one, since 1 in 8 ppl has nickel reaction.

platinum.



j/j. i wondered this also

[c.rod]

while were on this subject. on the rolex models. what karat gold are the "all gold" pieces?

18 or 14?

[DiamondJack]

Originally Posted by c.rod

while were on this subject. on the rolex models. what karat gold are the "all gold" pieces?

18 or 14?

Rolex uses 18 karat in their current range of gold watches.

My understanding is that from 1934 to 1974 14kt gold was the purist gold that could be sold in the US according to US federal law. The Nixon administration changed that. So older watches will be 14 kt and less.

[desertcop204]

Originally Posted by DiamondJack

All gold includes a percentage of alloys which determine the colour of the resulting gold. The karat gold will determined by the amount of pure gold and 18 karat must have 75% pure gold as a minimum.

For example, alloys which are mixed 14 parts gold to 10 parts alloy create 14-karat gold, 18 parts gold to 6 parts alloy creates 18 karat, and so on. This is often expressed as the result of the ratio, i.e.: 14/24 equals 58.5% and 18/24 is 75%

There are hundreds of possible alloys and mixtures, but in general the addition of silver will color gold white, and the addition of copper will color it red. A mix of around 50/50 copper and silver gives the range of yellow gold alloys the public is accustomed to seeing in the marketplace. A small amount (0.2%) of zinc can be added to harden the alloy.

In many countries, particularly in the EU, nickel is no longer used in white gold because as the OP stated, 1 in 8 people have an allergy to nickel so palladium is used instead.

The properties of white gold, including its color, depend on its composition. Although most people don't realise that the shiny finish of white gold is actually a colour that is from the rhodium metal plating that is applied to all white gold jewelry. Without the rhodium coating, white gold might be gray, dull brown, or even pale pink.

Rolex does not plate their white gold with rhodium. It is alloyed differently, with platinum I believe, and as such will not discolor with exposure to things such as chlorine from pool water, etc. as other white gold alloys will.

[padi56]

Rolex White Gold (18K) is 75% pure Gold the other alloys a 25% mixture of Palladium, silver,tiny bit of Platinum and copper or zinc, and its not Rhodium plated in any way for the past 15 years or so.But like all things like say sun tan cream, chemicals, sweat etc could slightly discolour any gold,Just keep it clean with regular washing then there should not be any problems.

[DiamondJack]

Originally Posted by desertcop204

Rolex does not plate their white gold with rhodium. It is alloyed differently, with platinum I believe, and as such will not discolor with exposure to things such as chlorine from pool water, etc. as other white gold alloys will.

Yes I think Rolex use 10-15% Platinum but it's a closely guarded secret. So no rhodium plating on Rolex White Gold. But most white gold jewellery apart from Rolex and I now think Cartier watches have rhodium. Indeed, I have heard that Patek are a big user when it comes to rhodium plating although clearly Patek will have the profit margin to include a nice thick coating of rhodium so less likely to get worn away.

Rhodium is in fact a very precious metal that can cost ten times as much as gold or more! Rhodium is generally not considered a feasible material to make jewelry from, because it is stressed and brittle, very difficult to work properly for jewellery making, and it's price is terribly volatile.

But rhodium is fabulous as a plating for jewelry because it is glitteringly, dazzlingly, white and mirror-like. It's like chrome, but much whiter, and the most reflective of all metals.

Rhodium plating makes diamonds look bigger and better because it's so bright that it glints like the diamonds. From a couple of feet away and under most lighting conditions it's hard to see where the stones end and the metal begins. Nothing sets off diamonds like rhodium plating does. So most white gold jewelry today is rhodium plated. But the rhodium is only a plating and therefore it will wear off eventually and require replating.

Originally Posted by padi56

Rolex White Gold (18K) is 75% pure Gold the other alloys a 25% mixture of Palladium, silver,tiny bit of Platinum and copper or zinc, and its not Rhodium plated in any way for the past 15 years or so.But like all things like say sun tan cream, chemicals, sweat etc could slightly discolour any gold,Just keep it clean with regular washing then there should not be any problems.

Agree Peter, and if my wife's white gold jewellery is anything to go by, it discolours fairly quickly even though it's from top jewellery people like Bulgari, Gucci etc,

I have heard that hot tubs are the worst culprit for this since they generally contain Bromine although chlorine in swimming pools is also damaging.

What happens is called “stress induced corrosion”, a fancy way of saying that parts of the jewellery that have stress points, such as where a prong is bent on a ring and secured down onto a gemstone. Like bending a coat hanger back and forth over and over, stress and tension is introduced into the metal. Chemicals like chlorine or bromine react to these areas and remove particles of the gold recipe, the mix of metals making up the karat gold.

So jewellery such as rings bent to hold gem stones that have stress in the metal are affected most by outside chemicals. Higher karat gold like 18k is less vulnerable than lower karats and white gold with nickel is affected the most since contains nickel and nickel is specially vulnerable to the chemical attack. Newer gold recipes are on the market and show improved resistance or even no reaction to chlorine and similar chemicals and Rolex white gold with platinum would be included in this range and have more resistence

[vintage69]

Originally Posted by DiamondJack

Rolex uses 18 karat in their current range of gold watches.

My understanding is that from 1934 to 1974 14kt gold was the purist gold that could be sold in the US according to US federal law. The Nixon administration changed that. So older watches will be 14 kt and less.

You are correct. Until 1974 18k gold was not available for sell in the US.

[ronbo710]

So am I to understand prior to '74 one couldn't buy a "new" 18K Day-Date in the U.S legally? Or was it just a law prohibiting gold sales itself (purer than 14K)?