I see very little gold. Why?

[BobM]

As I have observed the discussions here and the presentation of "favorites" ... "most faithful" ... your collections ... I see relativlely few gold watches ... predominantly SS.

Why is that? Is there some problem with gold replicas? Is this relationship between gold and silver (SS) just representative of the options in the market of genuine items? Are there some special considerations one should exercise if choosing a gold replica? Or, is my perception of this skewed count incorrect?

Maybe this is just a case of preferred style within this community.

I do plan the purchase of a gold watch next. Your comments will be very helpful.

Thanks.

[Watchmeister]

Gold plating never looks like 18k - so your rep never looks like the gen. Plating maxes out at 5mm. Old school gold filled at 15-20mm looks much closer to 18k (or 14k if that is what it is). So your watch is unlikely to look like the gen (every manufacturer has his own slight differences in color) and you live in fear that the gold will wear away.

Having said all that there are some very nice gold reps out there. You just have to be careful.

[georgegrasser]

All the Gold reps I have look fine to me. Santos 100, Panerai Luminor, and AP Arnold. Plating seems on par with Invicta. But that is just my opinion.

Even my TT Sub is great.

I'm getting a Pam 090 in Gold soon.

Gold catches girls. Like a fishin hook!

[new & improved osteopath]

Even if you could make the assertion that the plated reps look ok, the plain fact is that they have a limited life span, and depending upon your body chemistry, you never know how long that lifespan is- the plating WILL wear off. It is not a question of if but rather when, and it is a certainty. This may explain why there is a majority of SS watches.

-O

[By-Tor]

Gold catches girls. Like a fishin hook!

Yeah, at least certain kind of girls.

[Corgi]

If you want a gold watch, you have a few options to choose, in no particular order...:

1. 18K plated, "5mil" - This is the most popular, and you will start seeing slight wear after about one year, and serious wear after two. I have had good experience over all with it... definitely decent.

2. 14K "wrap" "15mil" - This is a more expensive, but heavier application of gold. I made a recent purchase, and it looks stunning... very real, and excellent quality.

3. 18K Solid - Rare, available on certain reps, very pricey, but lasts a lifetime. A good investment if you really really adore TT datejust on white face.

4. 18K "wrap" "15mil" - Another rare layering of gold... I think only the constellation is available in this configuration. Expect results similar to #2.

5. 18K plated "3mil" - Just recently coming out on the market in some newer reps, like my new Franck Muller Conquistador Cortez. Dealer report suggests it is "good value" and "will certainly last long with careful wear." We shall see, when the FM arrives.

Experts; feel free to add to the list in case I missed anything. And please.. no bickering over the actual vs. stated amounts in mils. My chart is what the dealers say, which may or may not be accurate representations of the product.

[narikaa]

The days of p**s poor gold plate on reps is thankfully behind us (provided you purchase in reputable quarters!).

However the thread initiator is correct there exists a proclivity for steel models.

But

You need to be very careful making assumptions about reps due to perceived popularity...as the great underswell of opinion rises no higher than the pursuit of the 'perfect sub'.

This is most likely due to the dire insecurity of these people (If the psudo personna being invented aspires to the 'lofty heights' ofownership of a megre Rolex sub....and the abject psychological terror of being discovered as the onwer of a fake drives them ever onward in pursuit of the 'outting proof' version), so the likelihood of them ever wearing gold when swimming in such a repressive little pond is slim to zero.

.

Edited August 12, 2007 by narikaa

[ximenes]

Yeah, at least certain kind of girls.

Yeah, gold catches 2 dollar ho girls on .99 cent special nights.

[AllergyDoc]

I like all gold watches. Here are two of my favorites:

Yes, the subdial spacing is incorrect, but it has running seconds at 9:00 and I went for longevity over authenticity.

Good SS has it's place, but it is very common. It seems that everyone, and I mean everyone, wears a SS watch.

[georgegrasser]

Yeah, gold catches 2 dollar ho girls on .99 cent special nights.

And what more do you want?

[By-Tor]

Some of the nicest gold reps are Breitlings. Narikaa has fantastic new Chronomat... and I used to own this.

Very heavy, 7750-based watch with decent gold plating. This was a good one.

[Watchmeister]

Gold is less common on gens because it is more expensive. On the reps the truth is that any "gold rep" requires a certain amount of credibility to carry it off. When you see your gardener with the gold rolex what are you thnking?

Even on gens I have often opted for the SS version when gold was at the time a viable economic option as a big gold watch can turn off people. I do have to say that in general men look at your wrist with SS on and women are looking at that big hunk of gold. The 231 gets me stares from women and I know it is not my dashing good looks.

[crystalcranium]

Experts; feel free to add to the list in case I missed anything. And please.. no bickering over the actual vs. stated amounts in mils. My chart is what the dealers say, which may or may not be accurate representations of the product.

First...the nomenclature is microns...not mils....mils is thousands of an inch..a micron is a thousandth of a millimeter.

As for a debate over claimed vs actual...what is your point? These numbers from the dealers are meaningless. The dealers have no idea what thickness of gold the clandestine producers of the parts for replicas put on them.

I get a little winded singing the same tune about replica gold but here we go again. The very best gold filled jewelry is a thick layer (or thin sheet if you prefer...not a plating) of 10K to 14K gold bonded by heat and pressure toa abrass substrate and then plated with 10 to 20 microns of gold. This combination usually lasts 20-25 years in daily use.

The best non gold filled plating in the industry is 10-20 microns (20 microns is VERY rare).....most excellent gold plate in high quality commercial watches is 5-7 microns. This is a 3-5 year plating in daily use.

Standard gold plate in the mass market is 1-3 microns. This is usually enough to give several years of daily us in what is usually considered expendable jewelry.

Replica gold claims of 5 microns, which appears to be the universal claim (I have seen 10 micron claims....what BS) make little sense when you think it through. We all know how the Asian market does business. There is no advantage to build intrinsic, lasting quality into these things because there is no profit to be gained from it. The Chinese put just enough gold on these watches to separate themselves long enough from the eventual wear off that the owner has no recourse. If your gold plate looks like crap after 8 months....just what are you going to do? You are stuck with a screaming fake and you are going to hold a daler responsible??????

The plating experts I have consulted believe anywhere from 0.25 to 1.0 microns is pretty much standard for cheap asian watches and jewelry. Why would you believe these watches are something special????

[Raijor]

I have one gold rep and like it a lot but that is enough - it is a BCE and I enjoy it but it is not an every day watch - I just prefer all SS for general wear every day. I think in the Gen world most men prefer SS watches over all gold ones as well. Cheers

[phaedo]

Even on gens I have often opted for the SS version when gold was at the time a viable economic option as a big gold watch can turn off people. I do have to say that in general men look at your wrist with SS on and women are looking at that big hunk of gold. The 231 gets me stares from women and I know it is not my dashing good looks.

This is the main reason really - as mostly guys on the forum, we prefer the 'manliness' of SS over gold. But for a night in a strip club.... I may have to get me a gold rep next

[BobM]

If you want a gold watch, you have a few options to choose, in no particular order...:

Wow! Great information! Thank you, corgi.

[gioarmani]

My beliefs are, since it's inception into the arts & aesthetics--because through its color properties alone--gold is "flashier" and the color was & is primarily utilized in jewelery to stand out above other colors; to be more noticeable & to make a "bolder" statement. SS makes a completely different statement than TT, which in turn makes a different statement than full gold. But I was raised in an aesthetic sense to believe that "less is more"; personally, I believe flashy=tacky...just look around at most people. It's best not to display class through overstatement, so as not to look pretentious. To me, wearing full gold is the equivalent of wearing clothing with the name brand stamped on the outside of it--comically--for those who are insecure & feel the need to constantly tell others what label they're wearing; "VERSACE", "RALPH LAUREN", "JUICY"--it just looks in poor taste. That is, one does this in an attempt to prominently display their "status" to others, but it's generally only those without real money that spend so much trying to make it look like they actually have some. I think--for the most part, but not for everyone--these actions show how underdeveloped someone's taste is and how little respect they actually have for money. The irony there is that you'd have more money if you didn't spend it on frivolous things & in such ridiculous ways. Money & taste are certainly not relative, and for the most part I think you'll find that "flash" or "bling", as it were, is considered by most educated people to display lack of taste, rather than the other way around. But then again, there are plenty of people who would say this about anyone with wearing a Rolex on their wrist--regardless of the metal.

Everything you wear makes a statement, and some can pull off full gold without looking like they're screaming. But of course, to each his own, and more power to him/her for going with the full gold look if that's your flavor du jour. I just prefer a more toned-down approach; I'm guessing because that's primarily what you see here (and elsewhere) that the general consensus is roughly the same?

Edited August 12, 2007 by gioarmani

[Chronus]

jfreeman will probably know the most about gold watches, but in my opinion, the best one is the solid gold Franck Muller Casablanca - look for Archibald's thread to see the pictures. Very very accurate too. But expensive. And no, I'm not selling mine

[BobM]

This is most likely due to the dire insecurity of these people (If the psudo personna being invented aspires to the 'lofty heights' ofownership of a megre Rolex sub....and the abject psychological terror of being discovered as the onwer of a fake drives them ever onward in pursuit of the 'outting proof' version), ...

Ah, ...What did he say?

... just kidding. Thanks for your post.