Whats an 18K wrappe?

[billodavio]

I am currently in love with the Patek 5227 which I would love to buy sometimes soon. After being an AP enthusiast now while I am moving towards becoming 46 years old Patek has become more appealing to me. Anyhow, while Joshua remains my best friend and replica supplier I have been introduced to what is labeled "18K wrapped".

http://www.pf-818.com/pp00821-5227-calastrava-wrappe-p-18560.html

The watch price has moved from around 300 dollars to 800 dollars. My question is: does it mean that the watch is now real gold or it is 87% gold or semi-gold or its just a new technology to plate with gold ? I am very confused and would like to hear your opinion on that and whether the price is justified.

[Sogeha]

Hello, This has been discussed before, but I think it was on one of the other forums. Wrapped is a different process to plating and thicker. Actually the link tells us it is 25-30 Microns thick. Plating can be as low as 1 micron thick.

I like this watch, but it isn't 1:1. The Patek Phillipe hinge on th back of the case is an incredible piece of design and the rep isn't very similar, also there is something a little bit off about the date window. As always, be aware of the faults and tells, compare with the real watch and decide what you can live with.

So no it's not solid gold and if it was it would be nearer 3-4000 USD. In my opinion it is not worth the price difference.

[tyrantblade]

I thought wrapped meant it was real gold put around SS instead of actual plating which is on the top and bottom of SS in a thin layer

Sort of like how there is jewelry that is gold wrapped around plaster, it's real gold just not anywhere near what it looks like.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Sogeha]

Not wrong, but plating is usually real gold too. The weight will always be a tell either way.

I discovered a plating company near my parents that will plate watch cases with a fancy modern gold alloy. It looks like gold, is cheaper and is very, very tough which isn't the case with at all with gold.

[automatico]

'Gold wrapped' is a new term for what used to be commonly called 'gold filled' and can be from a few microns to 100 microns (or more) thick while some products labeled 'gold wrapped' are just heavy gold plated.  Most 'gold filled' products are gold covered on both sides of the base metal where a lot of 'gold wrapped' products are only gold covered on one side.  Twenty microns is not much as many higher grade watch cases are marked '20 microns gold plating' but 10 microns or less is the norm today.  Twenty microns will usually last 5 to 10 years depending on wearing conditions and 10 micron probably half as long.  Plating on sharp edges is usually the first to wear away.  Most modern cheap watches are 'flash plated' when using real gold and you can sometimes rub it off with a Flit cloth or a shirt sleeve.

The bottom line is the useful life of a 'gold wrapped' product depends on how thick the 'wrapper' is.  

http://artisanplating.com/measuring-layer-thickness-on-gold-plated-surfaces/

 

[bfiuza]

You can polish some scratches in this case ?

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