freddy333 Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Has anyone ever had a stainless steel rep plated with white gold? If so, can you tell me how the finished work turned out, who did the plating, what the cost was and if the gold plating held up over time? Some of my recent reps (like the Daytona) are so accurate that the stainless steel material they are made from is their weakest link and the thing I worry about most when wearing these watches. And since many of us here routinely dismantle our watches for mods, it seems only logical to take the next step to have the cases plated while they are apart. And the beauty of white gold, unlike yellow or red, is that if the plating comes off, the metal below (stainless steel) looks so similar that no one would ever know and the watch will not have to become a door stop just because it got scratched a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdorman Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Go to Caswell's site. Everything you need. Look in the forums as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfreeman420 Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Some of my recent reps (like the Daytona) are so accurate that the stainless steel material they are made from is their weakest link and the thing I worry about most when wearing these watches. I don't understand this comment. The SS on my daytonas is great quality. Unless you are talking about the 116519 Which is supposed to be white gold. The plating may make it look worse if it is not done properly. Rolex uses a very special alloy of gold so their white gold always looks bright, like SS. The difference is negligible so the average layman wouldn't know the difference anyway. If you are so worried about it buy one that is supposed to be SS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Go to Caswell's site. Everything you need. Look in the forums as well. I have never heard of that? Do you have a url? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdorman Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Google is a great thing: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=caswell Top site, Caswell Inc. Excelent resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Unless you are talking about the 116519 Which is supposed to be white gold. The plating may make it look worse if it is not done properly. Rolex uses a very special alloy of gold so their white gold always looks bright, like SS. The difference is negligible so the average layman wouldn't know the difference anyway. If you are so worried about it buy one that is supposed to be SS. Yes, I have both the SS and white gold rep models, but when you see the gen watches side by side, the difference is pretty noticeable. At least to me and I have heard the same from others. I know it is a relatively minor detail compared to some other things, but alot of modders like me go to great lengths to try to replicate every last detail. And after spending alot of effort to change things like crowns and crown guards, which in my opinion are less obvious give aways than the difference between white gold and stainless steel, I just want to cover all the bases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Google is a great thing: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=caswell Top site, Caswell Inc. Excelent resource. Many thanks for that (I (probably) would have figured that out eventually). Another dangerous site. I have a feeling I will be spending some of my rep money there..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hmmmm... I know that some reps of 18k WG watches are sometimes rhodium plated instead (e.g. the old TW Best Masterpiece). Perhaps that is another option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdorman Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Many thanks for that (I (probably) would have figured that out eventually). Another dangerous site. I have a feeling I will be spending some of my rep money there..... I am sure you would have! It is a good resourse. Between cars, watch etc, I spend a fair amount of time (and cash) over at Caswell. I have not tried the plating myself but have been kicking it around. I am sure that there are folks over there that have tried it on watches and have some advise for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hmmmm... I know that some reps of 18k WG watches are sometimes rhodium plated instead (e.g. the old TW Best Masterpiece). Perhaps that is another option? Hi Randy. Yes, I thought of that too, and it may be another option. I do not really know enough about plating or precious metals in general to know what the difference is, if any, between the appearance of rhodium and white gold. I have read a few debates on watch forums about what Rolex uses for the white gold Daytona -- is it 'white gold' or 'rhodium' or some in-house mixture? But since Rolex refers to it as being 'white gold', I just thought it was safer to try to plate my rep with 'white gold'. As usual, when it comes to Rolex and reps, a seemingly simple question often becomes a complicated puzzle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Randy -- Your inbox is full, but I wanted to let you know that I just received two beautiful vintage DWs. Thank you and compliments to all involved. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addingwatch Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 I have had rep watches plated in white gold, yellow gold and platinum. It makes a noticable difference in the rep. All of the work was done by Artisan plating (Michigan, USA). They do outstanding work, but it seems to take a long time. Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfreeman420 Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 I know that some reps of 18k WG watches are sometimes rhodium plated instead Rhodium simulates platinum very well. If a Masterpiece was plated in Rhodium it would be a replica of the platinum version like in my avatar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir-Lancelot Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 (edited) My wife's white gold jewlery is all rhodium plated. I believe white gold is kind of dull, even when poilshed. Edited March 21, 2007 by Sir-Lancelot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfreeman420 Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 It all depends on the alloy and mixture they use. Some white gold even has a yellow tinge to it. Rolex has a patented system and mixes all of their gold themselves. Their white gold comes out flawless, shiny and white. They even have a special process for Rose gold. The best on the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I believe white gold is kind of dull, even when poilshed. Yes, when I look at the gen SS and WG Daytonas side by side, the WG looks noticeably duller. Not really dull, exactly, just not as bright and shiny as the SS. And the difference is pretty clear once you know what to look for. There is also a slight color difference. Anyone who is familiar with Photoshop and color temperature knows the difference between a warm white and a cool white. When you look at the two gen Daytonas next to each other, the SS is ever so slightly blue white in comparison to the WG which has a slightly reddish tint in contrast to the SS. And now that I have seen the difference, it drives me crazy every time I look at my (a bit too) shiny (and blue) new Daytona rep 116509. The Caswell wand plating systems look like a great deal -- about $50 for the basic plating set (though there are a few extra parts required for plating SS) -- but I did not see anything for white gold. I will check out Artisan plating if the Caswell option does not work out. So thank you for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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