What is 18k yellow gold rolex alloyed with?

[goldboy]

Hey, the question is fairly straight forward but i cannot seem to find an answer anywhere!

What is used as an alloy in the mens 18k yellow gold president rolex?

I'm getting a custom made ring and i want it to match the 18k yellow gold used by rolex.

Any ideas?

[Silvio Mosiello]

With love!

[goldboy]

Originally Posted by Silvio Mosiello

With love!

Don't really want to alloy my ring with that lol, maybe i should look at the omega alloy.

[ralpie]

I think it is actually unicorn bone, which as many of you know, is metallic.

[FeelingTheBlues]

Originally Posted by Silvio Mosiello

With love!

Originally Posted by ralpie

I think it is actually unicorn bone, which as many of you know, is metallic.

Gentlemen, I think we've found out Rolex's secret alloy!

In all seriousness, those alloys are kept secret in terms of quantities and metals used. However, as far as I know I believe gold is usually mixed with copper, I guess Rolex's isn't that different but perhaps they add something else just to say theirs is unique.

[ROGERWILCO357]

probably some of the same stuff they use in the stainless maybe nickel or chromium palladium who knows but probably something they already use in house ..

[landroverking]

Yellow gold brass. Red gold copper. White gold nickel. I think.

[jolimont]

Originally Posted by ralpie

I think it is actually unicorn bone, which as many of you know, is metallic.

theres certainly some magic in a Rolex

[Onikage]

Yellow gold is alloyed with silver and copper. So 18k would be 25% copper and silver. Red gold has more copper than silver. White gold is mainly silver. I think! I've always wondered how 18k white gold can be white in colour when 75% of it is pure yellow gold.

[submariner66]

Their yg watches seem to be on the yellow side as opposed to the red side or too white don't you think? They certainly look beautiful! Just seems to me that there is nothing more lovely to behold than a gold watch and particularly the rolex. Its a real milestone kind of piece.

[thepieman1918]

Here's an interesting link from Wikipedia with a colour vs. alloy chart...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_gold#White_gold

From what I remember about the colour of my last yellow gold day date, it was very yellow in colour... Especially when put against my mother's wedding ring, which is cast in 999 fineness gold or pure gold... Pure gold is very yellowy-red in colour (it's natural colour is totally glorious, IMHO, even if it is very soft).

When I went to get my White Gold Day Date serviced last week I did ask the service technician at Rolex in St. James' square what the mix was for white gold... However, they said that it wasn't something they could reveal. Saying that, they did mention that it contained palladium and platinum in it, meaning it would remain white and never tarnish.

By de-facto, I would presume that they would then keep their Rolex yellow gold recipe under hat also.

Saying that... When I visited Collins & Sons (in Tunbridge Wells) to buy our 18K gold wedding rings, I did ask them what the alloy was and Mr. Collins said that it was:

Gold 750 : Silver 160 : Copper 90

And... When I put the wedding ring up to my yellow gold day date, I did notice that it looked to be particularly similar, with no noticeable difference under various lighting (I tried sun light, halogen spot lights, and tungsten light).

Hope that sort of helps!?

[tranny]

Originally Posted by Onikage

I've always wondered how 18k white gold can be white in colour when 75% of it is pure yellow gold.

Rhodium plating

[boywondergq1]

Originally Posted by transio

Rhodium plating

[Joelmor]

Rolex does not plate any of its watches. If you look carefully at a white gold Rolex it has a faint yellow caste.
Joel

[birk1]

nope…it's the ratio of yellow (75%) vs the other alloys (25% silver and palladium and platinum in rolex's formula)

yellow gold has some copper in it to make it more yellow than pure gold

[NYMike]

Originally Posted by Onikage

Yellow gold is alloyed with silver and copper. So 18k would be 25% copper and silver. Red gold has more copper than silver. White gold is mainly silver. I think! I've always wondered how 18k white gold can be white in colour when 75% of it is pure yellow gold.

White gold is generally not made with silver. The white gold that requires plating is often made with some type of nickle and copper. The better stuff, that requires no plating is made with Palladium.

[bondtoys]

Rolex does not plate their whitegold watches.

As for the alloy recipe, ask any watch company or jeweller about his exact composition and you'll get loud laughs at best.

They keep it as secretly as Coke keeps theirs.

[padi56]

Rolex 18Ct gold is just that no matter who makes it 75% pure gold the other 25% of the alloy added is mostly copper/nickel in the yellow with a tiny bit of silver.

[z32turbo]

Originally Posted by ralpie

I think it is actually unicorn bone, which as many of you know, is metallic.