White gold vs yellow gold

[Robf52]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

If gold ore becomes more expensive for Rolex to obtain, YG becomes more trendy to wear, or if there's even a perception of YG being more valuable in jewelry, Rolex can raise their price. They might have a stock pile from 2006 of more gold than we'll ever know about but if they think, that we think, it's more valuable, then they will charge more.

That being said, the 2 times I've been to a Rolex AD the only models the had for sale in men's sizes were solid YG, RG and platinum models. And those tend to sell for much less than MSRP new on the Gray Market.

I understand what you're saying, but I'm not talking about the actual cost to produce, I'm talking about their ability to increase YG watch prices, for no other reason than because they can.

[Bladeshot]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

The more you try and justify the value of the ore/metal in your watch purchase price the more it'll make you crazy.

There’s no way to justify the value. Folks who buy Rolex are not paying for a commodity like steel or gold. We are paying for a luxury item. Don’t drive yourself nuts trying to justify value where it’s not possible to do so (based on the materials of the watch).

[EEpro]

Originally Posted by startrolexendrolex

Why white gold rolex cost so much more then yellow gold. Comparing yellow gold daytona 36k vs 39k for white gold. Why?

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Stealth wealth tax.

[Dilemma]

I don't understand the allure of white gold. (Yellow either but that's another topic) It looks enough like SS to actually BE SS. If I'm buying something that's gold, I want it to LOOK like, you know, Gold.

[RoscoPico]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

I think a YG day-date with champagne dial is pretty much the essential luxury watch. Would definitely like to own one some day.

But because I'm very budget restrained, and because my collection as of this time is 1 Tissot, I have to be careful with my choices.

At this point if I were buying a PM watch it would probably be a YG JLC or Omega on a strap for about $10k used and that would be my affordable dress watch.





If I had expanded financial opportunities (cashomundo), I'd be looking at a used DD 40 white gold olive dial roman, or meteorite dial diamond indices for about $36k-$40k. Super classy, under the radar, nice heft and personal satisfaction without having to show off:

great choices my friend. fingers crossed you get there soon

[thenewrick]

Originally Posted by RoscoPico

great choices my friend. fingers crossed you get there soon

Thanks man.

I'm currently in a position to buy my first luxury watch (about $10k) and on waitlist for a Sub, GMT, and OP41. Once I get 2 of those I'll start shopping for dress watches probably. I figure it'll take about 3-5 years to get there.

[Twinrolex]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

I was shooting from the hip on platinum percentage. But point is it's generally much more solid platinum and ruthenium and palladium are both in the same family as platinum and precious themselves and look the same. You're not having to color your alloy with copper to make it look like yellow gold.

Often watchmakers and jewelers will shoot for as close to pure platinum as possible and mark it as such. I really like this Omega LE for example:





This is 95% platinum as well.

I do like solid gold watches in general. I just think it's very misleading what you're getting and that platinum is generally a more pure and honest PM in jewelry.

Like when you wear a solid gold watch you're

I'm curious to what watches you own...I have 4 gold watches currently...You will never understand the feeling of wearing a gold watch if you cannot afford or do not own a gold watch...The point of a PM watch is the fact you have the pinnacle of a watch model on your wrist that most people cannot attain....I see a bunch off SS subs...Its nice having a gold sub that I won't see on someone else wrist on any given day...YG has a special glow that no other PM can match...

[thenewrick]

Originally Posted by Twinrolex

I'm curious to what watches you own...I have 4 gold watches currently...You will never understand the feeling of wearing a gold watch if you cannot afford or do not own a gold watch...The point of a PM watch is the fact you have the pinnacle of a watch model on your wrist that most people cannot attain....I see a bunch off SS subs...Its nice having a gold sub that I won't see on someone else wrist on any given day

I only own 1 gold filled watch that is an Elgin from my great grandfather.

I've worn solid gold and platinum watches though and they are heavier with platinum being noticeably heavier than steel. Gold felt about the same as steel.

What do you mean by pinnacle? Like the yellowist? The hottest watches these days are carbon/plastic Richard Mille style multi-tourbillon yada yadas. The Paul Newman Daytona is often considered the pinnacle of wrist watches with the highest selling value to date afaik; it was made of steel.

Most people live in poverty or near poverty and don't think about watches let alone gold watches.

Many people don't like the idea of showing off wealth to people who can't afford it but you do you Boo.

I think the YG Sub is one of the ugliest and tackiest watches Rolex makes but that's just one guy's opinion

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

I only own 1 gold filled watch that is an Elgin from my great grandfather.

I've worn solid gold and platinum watches though and they are heavier with platinum being noticeably heavier than steel. Gold felt about the same as steel.

What do you mean by pinnacle? Like the yellowist? The hottest watches these days are carbon/plastic Richard Mille style multi-tourbillon yada yadas. The Paul Newman Daytona is often considered the pinnacle of wrist watches with the highest selling value to date afaik; it was made of steel.

Most people live in poverty or near poverty and don't think about watches let alone gold watches.

Many people don't like the idea of showing off wealth to people who can't afford it but you do you Boo.

I think the YG Sub is one of the ugliest and tackiest watches Rolex makes but that's just one guy's opinion

I guess I’m a little confused as to why you are participating in this thread if you do not own a gold watch and more importantly think they are uncool?

[Twinrolex]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

I only own 1 gold filled watch that is an Elgin from my great grandfather.

I've worn solid gold and platinum watches though and they are heavier with platinum being noticeably heavier than steel. Gold felt about the same as steel.

What do you mean by pinnacle? Like the yellowist? The hottest watches these days are carbon/plastic Richard Mille style multi-tourbillon yada yadas. The Paul Newman Daytona is often considered the pinnacle of wrist watches with the highest selling value to date afaik; it was made of steel.

Most people live in poverty or near poverty and don't think about watches let alone gold watches.

Many people don't like the idea of showing off wealth to people who can't afford it but you do you Boo.

I think the YG Sub is one of the ugliest and tackiest watches Rolex makes but that's just one guy's opinion

The beauty of spending $$ on a timepiece for ME...Is that it is for ME...I could care less what anyone else thinks about it...I just dont want to see another joe blow with my watch on...Having a gold version of a watch model pretty much makes that a reality

[thenewrick]

Originally Posted by Patton250

I guess I’m a little confused as to why you are participating in this thread if you do not own a gold watch and more importantly think they are uncool?

I like all kinds of stuff. I find precious metals and gemstones interesting.

But I do think YG Subs are pretty trashy looking. Reminds me of Invicta.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

I only own 1 gold filled watch that is an Elgin from my great grandfather.

I've worn solid gold and platinum watches though and they are heavier with platinum being noticeably heavier than steel. Gold felt about the same as steel.

What do you mean by pinnacle? Like the yellowist? The hottest watches these days are carbon/plastic Richard Mille style multi-tourbillon yada yadas. The Paul Newman Daytona is often considered the pinnacle of wrist watches with the highest selling value to date afaik; it was made of steel.

Most people live in poverty or near poverty and don't think about watches let alone gold watches.

Many people don't like the idea of showing off wealth to people who can't afford it but you do you Boo.

I think the YG Sub is one of the ugliest and tackiest watches Rolex makes but that's just one guy's opinion

Gold felt about the same weight as steel??

Even factoring in a gold watch at 18k it would be almost twice the weight of a steel one if the actual cubic centimetre volumes were the same.
Rolex has been known to hollow out some gold components on their watches and a weight comparison watch to watch is not accurate.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation on this thread?

I don’t know where to start.

I have been involved with gold refining for >30 years.

Pix of refined Au. 99.9999 pure about to be melted and then just out of the demin precipitation tank.

[thenewrick]

Originally Posted by Andad

Gold felt about the same weight as steel??

Even factoring in a gold watch at 18k it would be almost twice the weight of a steel one if the actual cubic centimetre volumes were the same.
Rolex has been known to hollow out some gold components on their watches and a weight comparison watch to watch is not accurate.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation on this thread?

I don’t know where to start.

I have been involved with gold refining for >30 years.

Pix of refined Au. 99.9999 pure about to be melted and then just out of the demin precipitation tank.

Cool pictures!

Daydate weighs around 225-250 grams and a steel watch around 150. It's a difference for sure! The platinum just felt, more. Like I could forget I had a gold watch on my wrist. But the platinum felt like there was always something there. I think a platinum model weighs an extra 40 grams or so over gold.

You'd probably be as good as anyone to ask how much pure gold you think you could get out of a YG DD and what that value would be like to a scrapper. We all know a Rolex is worth more as a watch than as scrap but just curiosity!

[Golden Ellipse]

Originally Posted by Andad

Gold felt about the same weight as steel??

Even factoring in a gold watch at 18k it would be almost twice the weight of a steel one if the actual cubic centimetre volumes were the same.
Rolex has been known to hollow out some gold components on their watches and a weight comparison watch to watch is not accurate.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation on this thread?

I don’t know where to start.

I have been involved with gold refining for >30 years.

Pix of refined Au. 99.9999 pure about to be melted and then just out of the demin precipitation tank.

Andad:

Unfortunately some around here are reticent to allow facts to interfere with their opinion :)

Thanks for the cool shots — would love to hear more about your work in a different thread on gold.

To the OP:

Yes there is a somewhat different process involved in the creation of Rolex’s WG vs. the more traditional YG formulation. The same can be said for Rolex’s RG. However the driver for the cost delta between WG and the others is not about “extra metals” as someone mentioned previously...it’s all about supply and demand. Just watch — if/when YG gets popular again, it will command a premium over WG.

Just like in the days of the 1803 DD...

[Bigblu10]

Originally Posted by Andad

Gold felt about the same weight as steel??

Even factoring in a gold watch at 18k it would be almost twice the weight of a steel one if the actual cubic centimetre volumes were the same.
Rolex has been known to hollow out some gold components on their watches and a weight comparison watch to watch is not accurate.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation on this thread?

I don’t know where to start.

I have been involved with gold refining for >30 years.

Pix of refined Au. 99.9999 pure about to be melted and then just out of the demin precipitation tank.

A lot of misinformation is an understatement. Especially coming from a new member here who claims to not have even purchased his first Rolex yet, and wears a Tissot.

[GT23]

Originally Posted by usawinston

my wife's engagement ring is white gold and the white color wears down to a yellow every few years. Do rolexes do this?


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Yes it does

[Andad]

Originally Posted by GT23

Yes it does

What does ‘yes it does’ mean.

[VogelPhoenix]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

So really there is almost no gold value in a solid gold Rolex. You can theorize how much you think there is. But take it to a gold scrapper and see how much the true market value of your “gold” is. I think you’d be shocked. $2000 for a YG day date 40 is probably a very generous estimate. I’d be curious though if anyone wanted to try!

I don't believe your $2k number is correct. A quick google search suggests 76g of fine gold in a Day Date, which makes it closer to $5k.

The broader point remains of course; the Pt/YG/WG/Steel price difference can't really be explained with the cost of raw materials.

[thenewrick]

Originally Posted by VogelPhoenix

I don't believe your $2k number is correct. A quick google search suggests 76g of fine gold in a Day Date, which makes it closer to $5k.

The broader point remains of course; the Pt/YG/WG/Steel price difference can't really be explained with the cost of raw materials.

It would be interesting to know. Gold is very valuable these days. I wonder what a scrapper would offer. I’m not sure how much different the process would be for white gold to extract the pure gold from it.

If theoretically you got 76 grams of gold out of the watch you’d have about $4,740 worth of gold going by market value. I think what would be interesting to see is how much it would cost to extract the gold, refine it and mold it then certify it and then sell on the market. I still think $2,000 is the actual value of the scrap watch but I’d like to know. To go from watch to certified market committee and sold to someone or an entity has got to cost a lot in materials time and effort.

I’d also be interested to know more about street platinum scrap value for the 95% platinum watches and if they need as much of a process to sell.

My current collection is:

Apple Watch
70 year old filled/rolled 14K Elgin Shockmaster (which ran when wound after 40+ years without a service, maybe no service ever!)
Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Siliciim steel with blue dial (impressively accurate)

[fskywalker]

Originally Posted by BogdanS

I think that weight includes the movement as well. The calculation should take that out, leave just the case and the bracelet.


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This!


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[Flybak]

Originally Posted by Andad

Gold felt about the same weight as steel??

Even factoring in a gold watch at 18k it would be almost twice the weight of a steel one if the actual cubic centimetre volumes were the same.
Rolex has been known to hollow out some gold components on their watches and a weight comparison watch to watch is not accurate.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation on this thread?

I don’t know where to start.

I have been involved with gold refining for >30 years.

Pix of refined Au. 99.9999 pure about to be melted and then just out of the demin precipitation tank.

Originally Posted by Golden Ellipse

Andad:

Unfortunately some around here are reticent to allow facts to interfere with their opinion :)

Thanks for the cool shots — would love to hear more about your work in a different thread on gold.

To the OP:

Yes there is a somewhat different process involved in the creation of Rolex’s WG vs. the more traditional YG formulation. The same can be said for Rolex’s RG. However the driver for the cost delta between WG and the others is not about “extra metals” as someone mentioned previously...it’s all about supply and demand. Just watch — if/when YG gets popular again, it will command a premium over WG.

Just like in the days of the 1803 DD...

Originally Posted by Bigblu10

A lot of misinformation is an understatement. Especially coming from a new member here who claims to not have even purchased his first Rolex yet, and wears a Tissot.

I think quite a few are probably shaking their heads here. Most of the thread is genuine interest, but I think misinformation/misunderstanding came largely from @thenewrick...including that gold Rolex watches are gold plated because they are 18k not 24k

Classic case of everyone can have their own opinions, but not their own facts


My comments from earlier trying to help with the "probably $2000 of gold" in your watch...

Originally Posted by Flybak

A couple of comments on this. While I don't own one, from other members here a solid gold Sub, for example is over 200 grams, but let's say 200 for simplicity. That's about 6.4 ounces, which at today's closing gold price/oz ($1860) would be about $11,900. As you say it's only 75% gold, but that put's the value at $8,900.

So, yes, you are correct that the value of gold is not why you buy a gold Rolex, but it's way more than $2,000 as well. But, going and buying a Platinum Rolex for it's platinum purity makes less sense than that given the significant premium over gold despite it trading at a significant discount to gold as a commodity.

Buying either of them because of their distinct looks/feel, exclusivity absolutely, but not market value of the raw metal...as has been said by many more experienced members than me

[thenewrick]

Originally Posted by Flybak

I think quite a few are probably shaking their heads here. Most of the thread is genuine interest, but I think misinformation/misunderstanding came largely from @thenewrick...including that gold Rolex watches are gold plated because they are 18k not 24k

Classic case of everyone can have their own opinions, but not their own facts


My comments from earlier trying to help with the "probably $2000 of gold" in your watch...

Be careful when reading posts; not true! Especially if you're trying to call someone out on facts. Poor form!